Terence Kyle, who lost out to Anthony Cann in the recent Linklaters’ senior partner elections, is being primed to take charge of the firm’s US strategy.
Kyle, who is currently chief executive of the alliance and one of four key members of the Linklaters’ alliance negotiation team, is expected to take up the new position once Linklaters has merged with Belgian ally De Bant van Hecke Lagae & Loesch – a deal the firm hopes to secure in the autumn.
The proposed appointment would see Kyle taking on Linklaters’ long-term goal of securing a merger with a leading New York firm.
Speculation about Kyle’s role has been building after he failed to get enough support from partners to take the role of senior partner earlier this year.
A Linklaters’ spokeswoman told Legal Week: “Terence’s role has not been finalised.”
If Linklaters successfully merges with De Bant his position as chief executive will no longer be needed, as German ally Oppenhoff & Raedler has already merged with the City firm and the Dutch and Italian allies look unlikely to sign up in the short term.
The firm is also aware that it has commitments to allies outside of Europe with its recent Brazilian link-up and joint venture in Singapore.
The addition of these new allies adds pressure on the firm to drop the European-focused alliance structure and develop a broader international strategy.
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