Slaughter and May rarely sees partner departures.

Slaughter and May has refreshed its partnership board and appointed new heads of several practices, including financing and tax, as several members of the firm's old guard retire from the partnership.

Banking & finance partner Philip Snell takes over as financing practice head from Andrew McClean, who is stepping down as a partner but remaining at the firm as a senior consultant, according to a person close to the firm. 

A partner of 18 years, Snell has had a hand in some of the U.K.'s largest transactions of the past decade, including Vodafone's £84 billion sale of its stake in US mobile operator Verizon Wireless and BHP Billiton's £25.6 billion hostile bid for the Potash Corporation.

Global investigations co-head Richard Swallow takes over from Sarah Lee as head of the firm's disputes practice. He has led on some of the nation's most prominent corporate investigations, including the Serious Fraud Office's investigations of Rolls-Royce and British American Tobacco. Lee is remaining at the firm as a partner.

Rob Sumroy has been appointed as the new head of the firm's IP/IT practice, replacing incumbent David Ives, who also remains at the firm as a partner. Sumroy has acted on deals including Sony's £920m acquisition of Ericsson's stake in mobile phone joint venture Sony Ericsson.

Meanwhile, Mike Lane takes over as tax head as retiring partner Sara Luder leaves the firm. A partner since 2011, his major deals include the demerger of Prudential and M&G, Whitbread's sale of Costa Coffee to The Coca-Cola Company for £3.9 billion, and Ensco's $12 billion merger with Rowan Companies. 

The firm's competition practice will now be led by duo Claire Jeffs and Bertrand Louveaux replacing practice head Philippe Chappatte, who will remain as a partner at the firm.

The firm has also refreshed its partnership board, appointing a number of female partners to the line up.

Current corporate and M&A heads Andy Ryde and Roland Turnhill keep their spots while Ewan Brown, Robert Byk, Richard Smith and Gareth Miles step down alongside Lee and McClean.

New board members include new competition co-head Jeffs, and new financing head Snell. They are joined by financing partner of five years Caroline Phillips,  disputes partner of two years Holly Ware; corporate partner Sally Wokes; and Hong Kong-based competition partner Natalie Yeung.

The new board was effective as of May 1.

The changes to management follow the departures of corporate partner Richard de Carle and Susannah Macknay, who both left the firm in the space of a week in March, with De Carle leaving for Ashurst, and Macknay for Australian firm Gilbert + Tobin. 

Earlier on Monday, Herbert Smith Freehills also refreshed its leadership structure, cutting the size of its executive group and devolving more management to practices and regions. It has cut its executive committee from around 10 partners to six, and introducing a new managing partner role for its Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

With reporting by Simon Lock.

Read more:

One club man: Nigel Boardman on career highlights, Brexit and the challenges facing Slaughters

Slaughter and May corporate star Nigel Boardman to step down as partner