Further names have emerged in the race to become Linklaters' next managing partner as operational intelligence group head Tom Shropshire and litigation head Michael Bennett join the list of potential candidates.

The news comes as the firm's partnership board is sounding out partners about further contenders.

Sources close to Linklaters have said Shropshire and Bennett are among the candidates on a long list of names being drawn up by the board, which is likely to grow.

Shropshire has previously held senior positions within the firm, including a stint on the international board.

Bennett has been London litigation head since 2007 and was appointed global litigation head for a four-year term in 2014. He also has a seat on the firm's executive committee.

Other candidates partners say are in contention for the job include banking head Gideon Moore, Asia managing partner Marc Harvey, head of finance and projects Michael Kent, head of corporate Matthew Middleditch and Amsterdam-based European managing partner Pieter Riemer.

Moore was appointed banking head in 2011, replacing Robert Elliott in the role following his election to senior partner. Moore was previously head of the firm's leveraged finance practice.

A partner at Linklaters said his inclusion on the list was understandable: "There will be support [for Moore]. The banking cabal tends to stick reasonably closely together."

Hong Kong-based Middleditch was Asia corporate chief before being promoted to head of corporate in 2014. "Middleditch would be the people's favourite," said a former Linklaters lawyer. "He is a fantastic lawyer, a very old-fashioned city gent. I can't imagine anyone being against that type of appointment; the only question would be whether he has the personality for the schmoozing."

Commenting on Riemer's inclusion on the list, one Linklaters partner said: "Riemer is certainly someone who, on the face of it, has the capabilities to fulfil the role. The question is whether he is sufficiently known and trusted in London."

Meanwhile, a former Linklaters lawyer said of Harvey, who is understood to have expressed an interest in standing: "He is less well known in London because he has spent so much time in Asia. But he probably has the pedigree and is a very fair and even-handed guy who wouldn't be a divisive appointment."

Kent is also thought to have expressed an interest in the position. He was appointed to his current role earlier in the year and sits on the firm's executive committee.

The announcement earlier this month that current managing partner Simon Davies will leave the firm early at the end of this year to take up a senior role at Lloyds Bank has brought forward the management race.

Legal Week understands that the first step in the selection process involves the partnership board drawing up a long list of potential candidates. The names on the list include people who have indicated that they want to be considered as well as others prompted to put themselves forward by the board.

One Linklaters partner said the board was asking key partners to put forward further names to add to those already on the list.

Successful candidates will need to gain sizeable support from the London office, where the bulk of the firm's partners are based. A Linklaters partner said: "The problem is you need to find people outside of London who are sufficiently known in London."

The partnership board will draw up the long list over the summer, before whittling it down until one contender remains. The board will then propose that candidate to the partnership for a confirmatory vote. The new managing partner will be named by the firm's partnership conference in November.