Reed Smith, Bingham McCutchen and Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld have become the latest US firms to announce their annual promotions rounds, with all three firms making up new partners in their London offices.

The promotions rounds, which took effect last week (1 January), have seen Reed Smith make up a total of 22 partners, including four in London – shipping lawyers Helle Kjaerstad and Robert Wilkins and energy lawyers Vassia Payiataki and Paul Skeet.

Outside of London, the firm promoted one new partner in each of its Paris and Hong Kong base, with the remaining 16 promotions coming in the US.

Global managing Gregory Jordan (pictured) commented: "The promotions reflect [these lawyers'] hard work, strong legal skills and consummate ability to foster and maintain the productive client relationships that comprise the heart of Reed Smith's practice focus."

Last year Reed Smith made four promotions in the City out of a global total of 25.

Bingham, meanwhile, has promoted four London lawyers to its partnership out of a global round of nine. The London lawyers, who are all part of the US firm's financial restructuring and disputes practice, are Neil Devaney, Richard Hornshaw, Michael Gustafson and Liz Osborne.

The number of new City partners is unusual for the firm, which in 2010 and 2011 made up no new partners in London.

Elsewhere, Akin Gump has promoted seven lawyers to the partnership, with London lawyer Harry Keegan made up in the firm's City corporate transactions practice.

The remaining six promotions were spread across the firm's Geneva, Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Abu Dhabi offices.

Reed Smith partner promotions in full

Helle Kjaerstad, shipping, London
Vassia Payiataki, energy, London
Paul Skeet, energy, London
Robert Wilkins, shipping, London
Daniel Kadar, commercial disputes, Paris
Svetlana Attestatova, financial industry group, San Francisco
Jennifer Brady, financial industry group, San Francisco
Paul Pitts, life sciences, San Francisco
Michael Garabed, litigation, Los Angeles
Kevin Lohman, life sciences, Los Angeles
Nicholas Bonarrigo, corporate & securities, Chicago
Raven Moore, intellectual property, Chicago
Mel Justak, tax, Chicago
Kevin Christmas, corporate & securities, Philadelphia
Roberta Torian, financial industry group, Philadelphia
Kimberly Craver, employment, Pittsburgh
Michael Sampson, insurance recovery, Pittsburgh
Rana Wright, financial industry group, Washington DC
Jason Ballum, global regulatory enforcement, Richmond
Jason Cohen, life sciences, New York
Brian Rostocki, commercial litigation, Wilmington
Philson Wai Hin Ho, litigation, Hong Kong

Bingham McCutchen partner promotions in full

Kevin Biron, litigation, New York
Neil Cohen, finance, New York
Michael D'Agostino, litigation, Hartford
Neil Devaney, restructuring, London
Michael Gustafson, finance, London
Richard Hornshaw, litigation, Hong Kong
Ephraim Lemberger, funds, New York
Amy Mugherini, technology, Boston
Liz Osborne, restructuring, London

Akin Gump partner promotions in full

Matthew Bate, litigation, Geneva
Jeremy Berry, investment funds, Washington DC
Estela Diaz, litigation, New York
Joseph Friedman, real estate, Los Angeles
Harry Keegan, corporate transactions, London
Eric Klein, intellectual property, Dallas
Tamer Soliman, international trade, Abu Dhabi