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Six Hogan Lovells partners are in the running to take over for Steve Immelt as CEO of the firm next year, according to sources familiar with the firm's plans.

Half of the candidates are based in the transatlantic firm's London office.

One apiece hails from the firm's Hong Kong and Washington D.C. bases, while the final contender is based in the firm's Madrid office.

Two women are on the list, including U.K. and Africa regional managing partner Susan Bright. The other London-based partners vying for the position are global head of litigation, arbitration and employment Michael Davison, and corporate partner Peter Watts.

Bright first joined the firm 20 years ago as an antitrust lawyer and has been U.K. and Africa managing partner since 2013.

One former Hogan Lovells partner said: "Susan has done a really good job at running the London office. She buys into the importance of diversity and women in a position of authority."

Another former partner said: "She's very presentable and sharp, and many people at the firm want to elect a woman."

As U.K. and Africa managing partner, Bright has implemented several policies at the firm in the U.K., including introducing a mandatory anti-bullying and harassment training scheme for all U.K. staff earlier this year.

Davison meanwhile joined legacy Lovells in 1986. In 2013, he succeeded current CEO Steve Immelt as leader of the litigation, arbitration and employment arm, and sits on the firm's international management committee.

He has advised on major cases during his time at the firm, including to private power distribution company Barmek Holdings on a $290 million dispute with Azerbaijan, over allegations that the country had seized two of the company's electricity concessions.

Several former partners Legal Week spoke to agreed that Davison would be a great fit for the role. He was described by one partner as "serious, hard-working and focused", and "someone who will get things done".

Another said: "He has the typical CEO profile, he is a top litigator and has had a global role at the firm for a while."

Watts first joined legacy Lovell White & King as a clerk in 1987, according to his LinkedIn profile. He became partner 11 years later and currently leads the global commercial practice and is co-leader of the global TMT sector at the firm.

Most recently, Watts has led a team advising ITV in the company's joint venture with the BBC in setting up a streaming service.

Washington D.C.-based regulatory partner Alice Valder Curran is also in the running, having been previously cited as a likely candidate. She was described as "the frontrunner" by three former Hogan Lovells partners.

Valder Curran first joined the firm in 1998 and made partner in 2005. In 2015, she was appointed regional managing partner for the mid-Atlantic region, and oversaw several domestic U.S. offices including Washington, D.C. She has led the global government regulatory department since 2016.

One person with knowledge of the candidates said: "She is compelling and very good on her feet. She would be the frontrunner and the safest choice."

While a former Hogan Lovells partner described her practice as "enormously lucrative" for the firm, he said it could be "too esoteric" to draw support from other partners.

In Hong Kong, finance partner and Asia-Pacific and Middle East chief executive Miguel Zaldivar is also running for the position.

He joined the firm's legacy Hogan & Hartson Miami office as a partner in 2002. Before relocating to Hong Kong last year when he was appointed to the regional chief executive role, he held several other leadership positions, including heading the firm's Latin America practice and co-leading the infrastructure, energy resources and projects practice.

One former Hogan Lovells partner said: "Miguel is all about hard work, he's very successful with clients. He's known to a bigger number of geographies than other candidates and would be supported by U.S. partners."

Madrid-based intellectual property, media and technology group leader Burkhart Goebel is also competing for the role.

He first joined the firm's Hamburg office in 1997 and made partner in 2002. From 2014 to 2018, he was the regional managing partner of continental Europe.

Last year, he became the group leader of the IP, media and technology practice. He currently splits his time between Madrid and Hamburg.

One former partner said: "He's got that chairmanship lure. You need a certain level of charisma for this role and Burkhart is good at that."

A current Hogan Lovells partner based in London said: "You've got to be a superhero for that role, you've got to please everyone and it's not an easy task."

The firm's board will assess each candidate and recommend one for the global partnership to hold a ratifying vote on. It expects to complete the process by the end of this year, and the new CEO will take office for a four-year term on July 1, 2020.