A&O Shearman elects leadership team effective in May once merger completes

Magic Circle firm Allen & Overy (A&O) has elected its senior partner and managing partner that will take over post-merger of A&O Shearman.

Back in December, the firm announced that it was going to host an election for the senior positions in February, with five partner names on the ballot for the managing partner role.

On Friday, the firm announced that Khalid Garousha has been elected as senior partner and Hervé Ekué has been elected as managing partner of A&O Shearman.

Abu Dhabi-based partner, Garousha is currently the firm’s interim managing partner after being appointed in July, but as of May, he will be in the senior partner role.

While Paris-based Ekué will take on the managing partner role. He has been with the firm for over 23 years, having first joined in 2001, from Clifford Chance’s Paris office. He specialises in debt capital markets, derivatives and bank restructuring.

Ekué currently serves as managing partner of the Magic Circle Paris office, having taken up the role in May 2018.

Elsewhere, Adam Hakki, currently senior partner at Shearman, has been appointed co-chair of the global A&O Shearman board and executive committee, and will also lead the firm’s US business as its chair.

He will also continue to actively represent clients in addition to his senior leadership duties.

Doreen Lilienfeld will serve as co-managing partner of US business and will also continue to represent clients in addition to this role.

Last May A&O announced it plans to merge with US firm Shearman & Sterling, in a move that would create approximately $3.4bn (£2.7bn) in combined revenues.

The partnerships of both firms voted in favour of the merger in October as more than 99 per cent of the votes cast at each firm voted in favour.

Commenting on the news, Ekué said: “I look forward to working as managing partner of A&O Shearman with Khalid, Adam and Doreen to create an environment which embraces and values our people and enables them to grow, thrive and flourish both as individuals and as part of this transformational new firm.”

While said: “I am honoured that the partnership has put its trust in me to lead A&O Shearman as its first senior partner. Working closely with Hervé, Adam, Doreen, and other senior leadership, as A&O Shearman we will take forward our combined expertise and deep legal knowledge to achieve unparalleled outcomes for our clients on their increasingly complex legal and commercial challenges, wherever they and we operate in the world.”