SJ Berwin's managing partner elections are set to go to a second round after litigation partner Hilton Mervis lost out in the first round of voting that closed on Friday (15 October).

The two remaining candidates are now Rob Day and Perry Yam, both of who are corporate partners in the firm's City base. The second round of voting will close on Friday this week (22 October) when the firm's next managing partner will be announced.

The winning candidate is set to replace incumbent Ralph Cohen, who has chosen to step down ahead of the end of his term to return to full-time fee earning in the firm's competition group.

Cohen was first named managing partner in 2002 and was reappointed for his current three-year term in May 2009. Jonathan Blake will remain as the firm's senior partner.

The news comes amid SJ Berwin's prolonged merger discussions with New York's Proskauer Rose, with a group of the firm's finance partners currently visiting the US to iron out further details ahead of a potential tie-up.

Proskauer is also currently in the process of changing its top-level management, after earlier this month naming corporate partner Joseph Leccese to replace Allen Fagin as firm chairman in January next year, when Fagin's six-year term comes to an end.

Leccese is currently co-head of the firm's sports law group and a member of the executive committee.

For more, see:

• SJB managing partner Cohen to step down as Proskauer talks continue
• Proskauer appoints new chairman in latest twist in SJB merger saga
• SJ Berwin real estate head quits as tensions mount over US merger bid