Aldgate Tower, Ince HQ

Ince Gordon Dadds is set to be left waiting for another 14 months before its senior partner-to-be can join the firm due to stringent exit clauses, several people familiar with the matter have said.

Ince had widely publicised the appointment of Hill Dickinson's global head of shipping Julian Clark as its new senior partner in September last year. However, Clark is subject to non-compete clauses and a notice period that prevents him from joining the AIM-listed firm until May 2021, according to three people close to the situation.

The delay extends Ince's time without a senior partner, which it has lacked since insurance partner Jan Heuvels stepped down from the role six months early in 2018.

Clark is bound by Hill Dickinson's partnership deed, which stipulates a notice period for senior staff comprising the remainder of the financial year in which the notice was tendered, in addition to a further 12 months, according to one person with knowledge of the situation.

In Clark's case, the person added, this would be the eight months from the date he handed in his notice – in September 2019 – to April 30, 2020, with a full 12 months on top of this, bringing his notice end-date to April 30, 2021.

Another person close to the matter said they "hope" Clark will join sooner than May 2021, but a third person said Clark has been unable to obtain a release from his current contract.

One of the people said they expected Hill Dickinson to enforce the lengthy notice period due to Clark—currently on gardening leave—being well-known in the shipping world and a "client winner". 

"The firm will want to take a stand and to send a message to existing partners," the person added. 

The delay represents the latest setback for Ince, with Law.com's U.K. arm Legal Week last week reporting that the firm's global head of shipping, Faz Peermohamed, was to leave the firm alongside seven other partners, including the firm's insurance, energy, and trade heads.

The listed firm has also struggled to maintain its footing in the AIM, and is confronting a deflated share price that has showed little sign of improving since it nosedived by more than 60% in January.