US firm Willkie has elected 30 new partners globally, including seven in London across corporate and financial services, asset management, antitrust and finance.
London saw more promotions than any other office, underscoring how the City has become a key growth engine for the New York.
Willkie has promoted seven London lawyers to partner in this year's round, the largest intake of any of its offices and one of the biggest City promotion classes the US firm has made in recent years.
The 30-partner class spans eight offices in the US and Europe, with the firm's New York HQ seeing the second largest group of promotions. Willkie chairman Thomas Cerabino said the partners "will be important contributors as we continue to expand our global platform."
The contrast with last year is stark. The firm’s 2024 round named 19 partners globally and only one of them was in London, highlighting how sharply the City has risen in prominence within the partnership.
The promotions are effective from 1 January 2026.
London promotions
The newly promoted London partners are:
- Magdi Adab - Corporate & Financial Services
- Eilidh Brown - Corporate & Financial Services
- Mélina Combeau - Asset Management
- Alaric Green - Antitrust & Competition
- Charles Hadley - Asset Management
- Rebecca Hughes - Corporate & Financial Services
- Timothy Sawyer - Finance
How it compares
Willkie’s seven partner promotions in London put it level with much larger Latham’s most recent City round and comfortably ahead of McDermott’s two. It doesn't match the scale of the largest players like Kirkland, which (quietly) promoted 19 partners in London this year, but for smaller in scale Willkie, the size of this year’s City cohort stands out.
Willkie's London office dates back to 1988 and now has around 36 partners and more than 100 lawyers in total, according to the firm's website.
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