Mayer Brown partner seconded to Merrill Lynch

Mayer Brown London finance litigation partner Ed Sautter has gone on secondment to longstanding client Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Sautter, who sits within Mayer Brown's City financial institutions group, is currently the only Mayer Brown partner on secondment to a bank and will remain with the client for almost five months until November 2009.

The firm has sent partners for stints with financial institution clients in the past, although none recently. It currently has a number of associates on secondment to Bank of America Merrill as well as other banks.

Commenting on his secondment, Sautter said: "It gives closer insights as to how the client works, as well as providing to them valuable senior-level legal support."

It is still relatively un-common for firms to second partners to clients, although some companies - in particular, banks - have been seeking higher-level secondees from panel firms. Barclays, for example, has been pushing firms to provide more senior lawyers, with Simmons & Simmons litigation partner Colin Passmore recently completing a six-month secondment to the bank's litigation team.

Slaughter and May corporate finance partner Tim Pharoah took on a six-month secondment to Morgan Stanley in 2008 to help build the bank's private equity business, with other Slaughters partners also taking secondments to the bank over the years.

Other City partners on secondment include Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer real estate partner Geoff le Pard, who is on secondment to the Olympic Delivery Authority.

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