Addleshaw Goddard's John Joyce has won a contested election to replace managing partner Paul Devitt, 

Joyce (pictured), who joined the firm in 2000, stood against London-based partner Adrian Collins, who headed the real estate practice between 2009 and 2013.

The new managing partner will serve a three-year term, beginning today (16 May). Joyce, who previously split his time between London and Manchester, has also stepped down as head of the business support and restructuring practice, a role he has held since 2007.

Notable mandates have included the restructuring of the Admiral Taverns group in 2009, and the 2012 acquisition of Blacks and Millets retail operations by JD Sports and fashion retailer Ark.

"Our congratulations go to John Joyce, as well as our thanks to both Adrian Collins and John for standing," said senior partner Monica Burch.

Burch thanked Devitt, who announced his intention to stand down earlier this year, for his five years in the managing partner role. She also took the opportunity to lay out a case for Addleshaws' position in the market following a difficult period for the firm.

"We have gained a strong reputation for innovation and for commitment to and understanding of clients' needs. We have developed our sector focus and expertise, both in areas of traditional strength for the firm such as financial services, and in other areas such as energy and rail. We have significantly increased our international capability. And we have invested in building the experience and expertise within the partner group.

"We now look forward to the future with John as managing partner, and, as a partnership, to formulating our strategy for the next phase of Addleshaw Goddard's development."

Joyce said it was "a privilege" to have been elected to the role. "I am delighted to serve as managing partner of Addleshaw Goddard, and to drive forward our firm's growth and development," he added.

Addleshaws has not yet decided who will replace Joyce as restructuring head.

The election follows managing partner Paul Devitt's resignation from the job a year ahead of schedule. 

Devitt's decision not to stand for re-election – communicated to partners via an internal email on 14 March – brought forward an election process that had originally been timetabled for September.

His decision to stand down coincided with an embarrassing series of admissions by Addleshaws. These involved the firm publicly acknowledging that it miscalculated the number of points available to partners for profit share and the cost of launching in Hong Kong.

Speaking to Legal Week in March, Burch confirmed profits will be down for 2013-14, which she attributed to a year of investment. Revenue at the firm is understood to have shown some improvement on 2012/13.