Osborne Clarke (OC) has installed veteran London chief Tim Birt as its new senior partner, it was announced last week, as the southwest firm moves to consolidate its position in the UK top 30.

The corporate finance specialist was appointed by partners in a contested election ahead of one other candidate, as first reported on legalweek.com (30 March), ending months of speculation that the role would attract interest from a raft of OC’s younger partners.