The newly-merged Dewey & LeBoeuf’s decision not to appoint a London head looks like a confused fudge. Steven Davis, settling in as chairman of the $1bn-plus practice, was in town this week to unveil the new management structure. The famously hands-on Davis announced that there wouldn’t be a London partner at the top of the pile but, instead, that he would be taking a direct role in the management of the strategically-crucial office.
After consultation with management gurus McKinsey, brought in to advise on the tie-up, Dewey & LeBoeuf is focusing its leadership positions around yet-to-be-announced global practice heads. Some of the smaller European branches will have office heads but the 190-lawyer, £50m London office – the success of which is crucial to Dewey & LeBoeuf’s standing in the global legal market – will be leadership-lite, aside from Davis’ sojourns across the Atlantic.
