Clifford Chance (CC) has confirmed London finance partner Malcolm Sweeting as the firm's new senior partner, replacing Stuart Popham in the role from next year (1 January).

Sweeting won the election after securing more than the required 50% of the partnership vote, fighting off competition from German M&A and corporate finance partner Daniela Weber-Rey and City tax partner Jonathan Elman.

The voting closed yesterday (3 November), after the firm repeated the first round of the process, with all three candidates going head-to-head for a second time after a glitch in the firm's partnership deed meant that no-one was eliminated in the first round.