While it is common to overplay the significance of individuals within businesses, there is no doubt that the end of David Cheyne’s term as senior partner at Linklaters will mark the end of an era for one of the City’s proudest brands. That is less because Cheyne personally embodied Linklaters – like Nigel Boardman at Slaughter and May, he remained too individualistic and self-contained for that – but he obviously represented the spiritual heartland of the firm: its City corporate practice.
Given the huge changes the firm has seen over the last 15 years, and considering the three candidates it is currently considering to replace him, the new senior partner will, to a certain extent, represent the new face of Linklaters, particularly in terms of the huge expansion in its banking practice and international network. A new senior partner also seems likely to signify a shift to a more contemporary or informal style – less so in age, but certainly in personal approach.
