Linklaters managing partner Simon Davies faces his reappointment going to a physical partners meeting in April after falling to secure enough support during an electronic vote.

In an unusual move thought to be related to the City giant's sweeping partnership restructuring, Davies has failed to secure a high enough margin of support in an electronic vote for re-election for a second term as managing partner, despite being the only candidate put forward.

The process will now to see the reappointment voted on at the firm's next major partnership meeting in April.

A Linklaters spokesman said: "We've taken a decision that it makes sense to conclude the process at the partnership meeting from 19-21 April. The process will be resolved at this meeting."

As Legal Week reported earlier this month, senior partner Robert Elliott had at the end of January sent a reminder to partners to vote after Davies had at that time failed to secure a 75% majority required.

The move came amid claims that the restructuring at Linklaters, which is expected to see at least 35 partners leave the firm, had impacted on the voting and could force the firm to ratify Davies' appointment at a physical partners meeting. However, several partners told Legal Week that they expected Davies to be re-elected.

The firm said at the time that it expected to have ratified Davies' appointment by the end of February. Davies was elected managing partner in 2007, taking over from his predecessor Tony Angel on 1 January.

The difficulty in securing enough support in the initial vote will be seen as a sign of the unease within the firm regarding the current restructuring, the third major shake-up of Linklaters' partnership in a decade.

Linklaters' partnership meeting in April is expected to see the City giant outline plans for its new five-year strategy, including a revised client focus, targeted international expansion and more rigorous focus on partner performance.