DAC Beachcroft has announced its line-up of sector and practice group heads as the newly-merged law firm goes live today (31 October).

Legacy Beachcroft partners have received the bulk of the management roles, with just two of the 13 positions taken up by legacy Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC) partners.

Legacy DAC insurance group head Paulino Fajardo, who is based in Madrid, will head up the firm's global dispute resolution practice in conjunction with Beachcroft's London-based dispute resolution chief Trevor Chamberlain, who will now lead the new firm's UK practice.

In addition, DAC London real estate head Robert Lee will continue to head up the real estate practice at the combined firm.

From the Beachcroft side, Winchester personal injury partner Duncan Rutter will head the new firm's claims solutions practice, with Birmingham construction and engineering partner Martin Cannon taking up the leadership of the corporate and commercial practice. Manchester partner Sue Jenkins will continue to lead the employment and pensions practice after holding the same role at legacy Beachcroft.

In 2010 Rutter was appointed practice head and operations director of Claims Solutions, the firm's free-standing claims division, while Jenkins was one of the partners who led Beachcroft's successful tender to win McDonald's as an employment client in 2007.

The new firm's sector heads come from partners spread across the new firm's London, Manchester and Bristol offices (see below).

DAC Beachcroft's leadership consists of a board and an executive committee led by Beachcroft senior partner Simon Hodson and Beachcroft managing partner Paul Murray respectively. DAC senior partner Danny Gowan has been named international senior partner, with DAC managing partner Lucinda Walsh becoming a fee earner in the real estate practice.

Murray (pictured) commented: "This is an ongoing process that will be fully completed over the next 12 months. Our management teams have been very professional in their approach and the practice group heads have all started mapping clients from both firms and setting the strategy for their respective groups."

The merged firm, which has a combined total of 230 partners, 2,000 staff and expected turnover of £190m, has offices in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Newport and Winchester, with international bases in Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Spain.

The combined firm is also a member of the Harmonie Group, an international network of insurance firms around the world.

Gowan added: "The merger now give us the platform to continue developing relationships with insurers and reinsurers internationally and particularly in Latin America. DAC Beachcroft is currently the only UK-based law firm operating in Mexico."

Sector and practice heads in full

Practice heads

Claims solutions: Duncan Rutter, Winchester
Corporate and commercial: Martin Cannon, Birmingham
Dispute resolution: Trevor Chamberlain, London
Employment and pensions: Sue Jenkins, Manchester
Global dispute resolution: Paulino Fajardo, Madrid
Real estate: Robert Lee, London

Sector heads

Health: Nigel Montgomery, Bristol
Financial institutions (insurance): David Pollitt, Bristol
Real estate: Michael Bothamley, Bristol
Public sector: Stephen Hocking, London
Retail and leisure: Sue Jenkins, Manchester
Industrials and manufacturing: Tony Cherry, Bristol
Technology and telecoms: Tim Sewart, London