No less than seven Lovells partners are in the running to replace Lesley MacDonagh as managing partner as the top 10 City firm gears up for its leadership election.

The candidates are Roland Bomhard (projects); John Davidson (corporate); David Harris (head of corporate and finance); Don Kelly (tax); John Pheasant (litigation and managing partner of Western Europe); Harald Seisler (litigation and managing partner for Central and Eastern Europe); and Andrew Skipper (head of commercial).