CC set to reveal new London chief as Roith drops out of race

Clifford Chance (CC) is set to elect a new London managing partner today (6 November) after a hotly contested election process that has already seen one candidate step aside.

London capital markets partner Stephen Roith has dropped out of the running for the post after being nominated in mid-October.

Roith was standing against finance head Mark Stewart and capital markets chief David Bickerton in the election, the results of which are due to be confirmed tonight.

The position became vacant after current managing partner Jeremy Sandelson took on the role of global litigation chief.

Stewart and Bickerton were nominated for the role early last month. The winning candidate will take on the four-year role from 1 January 2010.

Stewart has been a partner with CC for two decades, while Bickerton joined the firm's partnership in 1997 and was elected to lead the London capital markets practice in 2007.

The election is part of a raft of management changes at CC, with real estate chief Cliff McAuley and tax chief David Harkness both recently re-elected to their posts in uncontested votes.

The global managing partner role is the next position up for grabs, with current managing partner David Childs already hinting that he will stand for a second term in office.

Legal Week revealed today that CC is set to make another round of redundancies, with the firm's London capital markets practice affected by the cuts.

It is expected that up to eight associates will lost their jobs as a result of the process.

Clifford Chance on the Legal Week Wiki