Barlow Lyde & Gilbert is this week set to confirm its new senior partner, with aviation partner Giles Kavanagh and London professional liability head Simon Konsta among those cited as contenders.

The firm was expecting election results to come through on 28 May, as Legal Week went to press.

The election follows current senior partner Richard Dedman's decision to step down only two years into his second five-year term.

Legal Week has learnt that the position has become fiercely contested, with a number of candidates campaigning for the role. In addition to Konsta and Kavanagh, other names initially touted for the role include reinsurance and international risk chief Colin Croly.

Dedman, who has held the role for seven years, will be returning to full-time fee earning this autumn.

The new post-holder will take the helm under new terms after the top 50 law firm decided to amend the role, reducing the five-year term down to a maximum of three, with each post-holder able to serve no more than two terms.

Dedman told Legal Week: "I am a great believer in not allowing things to get stale. This is a modern era and people are doing a maximum term of two to three years. This is taking the opportunity to make a change."