Charlie Jacobs wins Linklaters senior partner election
Longstanding favourite and London corporate heavyweight beats two challengers to the role
May 23, 2016 at 08:37 AM
3 minute read
London corporate partner Charlie Jacobs has been elected as Linklaters' new senior partner.
Jacobs, who was long seen as the favourite for the role, beat London corporate partner Aedamar Comiskey and Belgium corporate partner Jean-Pierre Blumberg to secure the leadership post.
He will succeed banking partner Robert Elliott, who was elected senior partner in May 2011 for a five-year term ending in September 2016. Elliott replaced David Cheyne, who he had stood unsuccessfully against for the role in 2006.
South African Jacobs joined Linklaters in 1990, making partner in 1999.
He is one of the firm's most high profile corporate partners, particularly recognised for his work in the mining space, where he led a string of deals at the height of the commodities boom, including acting for Glencore on its $82bn (£50bn) merger with mining giant Xstrata.
More recent highlights include advising brewer SABMiller on its 2015 merger with AB InBev in a $275bn (£177bn) deal and acting for Metro Bank on its £1.6bn float on the London Stock Exchange in January.
Linklaters senior partner Elliott said: "Charlie's standing with clients and motivational and energetic leadership style mean he has all the attributes to lead our firm."
Jacobs added: "As senior partner, I will focus my efforts on the firm's clients and people so that we can continue to deliver [the] outstanding levels of service for which Linklaters is renowned."
Speaking prior to Jacobs' election, one former partner described him as a "superstar", who "was always expected to take a very senior position at the firm".
Former partners particularly praised his people skills: "He is a very good client man and people person," said one, while another added: "The clients love him."
Those inside the firm were keen to stress that it was not just Jacobs' soft skills that made him the right man for the job.
"He has lots of boardroom experience as an adviser and as non-executive at a couple of companies and has the gravitas to go with his charismatic style," said one partner.
Comiskey has been a partner at the firm since 2001 and has spent her entire career at Linklaters. If she had won the election, she would have been the first female leader of a magic circle law firm.
Belgian Blumberg previously stood against Elliott in May 2011, making the three-man shortlist alongside then global litigation head John Turnbull.
He is currently the firm's co-head of M&A and has previously held roles including European managing partner.
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