Clifford Chance votes in Childs for new four-year term at the top

Clifford Chance (CC) has handed managing partner David Childs another four-year term at the helm of the firm.

Voting closed today (3 December) after Childs ran uncontested for the role.

In September Legal Week reported that Childs was expected to run for the job again, and he formally announced his candidacy last month. He remained uncontested throughout the election and will see his new term commence 1 May 2010.

CC senior partner Stuart Popham commented: "The vote constitutes a strong acknowledgement of David's sterling work to guide the firm through the unprecedented challenges of the past couple of years. I know that David is entirely committed to the continued success of CC and will provide a firm hand on the tiller as we prepare ourselves to take full advantage of improving markets."

Childs said: "CC is a great firm and I'm immensely proud to be a part of it. My priority over the next couple of years is to ensure that we grasp the opportunities which arise as markets begin to recover.

"Our willingness to invest for the future has always been a hallmark of the firm and we have continued to strengthen our capabilities in core areas of expertise and key geographies even during the downturn."

Childs was elected into the firm's top management role in 2006, after taking a chief operating officer brief in 2003 alongside his then role as head of corporate.

At the start of his tenure replacing Peter Cornell, Childs disbanded a high-level committee formed by Cornell to devise a 10-year strategy for the firm, taking a more central personal role in driving strategy.

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