Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has opted to phase out its joint senior partner role in an overhaul of the firm's management structure.

Following a firmwide vote which closed this afternoon, the magic circle firm will now elect a sole senior partner when incumbent duo Guy Morton and Konstantin Mettenheimer step down later this year.

The dual role is a legacy of Freshfields' 2001 merger with Germany's Bruckhaus Westrick Heller Loeber, with Morton based in the UK and Mettenheimer in Germany. The firm has taken a vote on the matter once before in 2005, when it chose to retain the joint role.

Freshfields will now nominate senior partner candidates over the summer, with the final vote to be held this autumn. Neither Mettenheimer nor Morton will run for re-election.

A spokesperson said: "The partners have decided to go with a single senior partner approach and the candidate could come from any office within the firm."

The joint senior partner post is the only elected position within Freshfields' management team. Chief executive Ted Burke and managing partner Peter Jeffcote will see their terms end at the same time but their successors will be decided by the firm's incoming senior partner and partnership council.

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