Clifford Chance (CC) has reappointed Matthew Layton to serve another four-year term as global corporate head.

Layton, who has led the practice since 2008, will start his new term at the beginning of November, following an uncontested election among the firm's corporate partners.

Layton (pictured) joined CC in 1983 and made partner in 1991. He has taken lead roles on a raft of high-profile deals, including the £1.2bn acquisition of EMI by Universal Music and the ultimately unsuccessful $45bn (£27bn) merger of EADS and BAE Systems.

CC has enjoyed a run of corporate successes in recent months, with high-profile mandates this year including Watson Pharmaceuticals' €4.25bn (£3.5bn) acquisition of Actavis, Pfizer's $11.9bn (£7.6bn) sale of its baby food business to Nestle and Royal Dutch Shell's £1.2bn bid for Cove Energy.

Managing partner David Childs said: "CC boasts a leading international M&A and corporate practice and Matthew has played a key role in building this success over the past few years. I am confident that under his leadership the practice will continue to go from strength to strength around the world."

The news comes after CC yesterday (18 October) appointed banking and finance partner Logan Wright as its new Moscow managing partner.

The firm's Moscow-based partnership elected Wright to serve a four-year term, succeeding Jan ter Haar, who has held the post since 2009. The handover is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Wright, who was made up to partner in 2006 after joining CC's Russia practice in 2000, will take up the role at the start of next year, and will continue to work closely with his clients. He specialises in acting for banks and borrowers on all forms of cross-border financings into Russia and the CIS, including debt restructurings and work-outs.

Last year CC's Moscow office represented one of Morgan Stanley's global real estate funds, MSREF VII, in the largest single commercial property transaction in Russian corporate history, when it acted on its $1.1bn (£685m) sale of St Petersburg's Galeria retail hub.