As moves from firmwide management back to fee earning become more common in the UK, Justin Cash examines the opportunities and pitfalls of returning to the coalface
When former Ashurst senior partner Charlie Geffen was defeated in last year’s chairman election by litigator Ben Tidswell, his most obvious next move in many people’s minds would have been gracefully side-stepping into a role with a client. Failing that, another in-house corporate job or a ‘portfolio’ career beckoned.
Leaving private practice would have been the easy option in the eyes of most partners. But he didn’t do that; instead, 12 months on, he’s set to return to the coalface at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher.
