SJ Berwin has completed the line-up of its new partnership board as the firm moves towards finalising details of its new governance structure within the next few weeks.

The City law firm has elected six partners to the 10-member board, which has replaced the firm's strategy committee and will be responsible for decisions on issues such as budgets, remuneration and partner promotions.

A partner vote has seen Paris M&A partner Maxence Bloch, Frankfurt real estate partner Hans Thomas Kessler and London partners Ian Borman (finance), Michael Halford (corporate), Tom Usher (competition) and litigator Hilton Mervis, who stood unsuccessfully for the firmwide managing partner position in the autumn, elected to the board. They join SJ Berwin senior partner Jonathan Blake, managing partner Rob Day, chief executive Keith Wood and finance director Mike Giles.

The board will run the firm alongside a management committee, which will look after firmwide day-to-day operational issues, and an international executive body for managing international offices.

Managing partner Day said that he hopes to finalise appointments to the management committee and the international executive before the end of January.

SJ Berwin's partnership unanimously voted in favour of overhauling the firm's governance structure in December in a bid to improve the efficiency and transparency of management.

The new structure was decided after a consultation led by Day, who placed management issues high on the agenda of his electoral campaign. Day was elected to replace former managing partner Ralph Cohen with effect from 1 November.