Clifford Chance has paid tribute to its former global managing partner Michael Bray, who has died aged 78.
Bray joined legacy firm Coward Chance in 1970, became a partner in 1976 and rose through the ranks to serve as global head of finance and capital markets from 1995 to 2000 and global managing partner between 2000 and 2002.
Clifford Chance said Bray was instrumental in developing its presence in Italy in the early 1990s and in the 2000 tripartite merger with New York firm Rogers & Wells and Frankfurt’s Pünder Volhard Weber & Axster.
“The Clifford Chance partnership is deeply saddened by the passing of Michael Bray, a valued colleague, friend and lawyer of exceptional vision,” the firm said in a statement. “Michael was a mentor to many and is remembered for his integrity and dedication. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and colleagues as we honour his remarkable legacy.”
Bray earned a reputation as one of the world’s leading industry lawyers and, over the course of his career, contributed to the development of various banking and financial products. His practice spanned all aspects of banking and capital market transactions, including leveraged finance, project finance, structured finance, insolvency proceedings and restructuring, and he was also respected for his experience advising international and domestic clients with matters related to Italy.
Paying tribute on LinkedIn, CC alumnus Jonathan Peddie, former global head of financial crime legal at Barclays and the current interim executive director, legal at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, wrote: “I remember Michael as one of the kind grandees of my early days as a (then) young lawyer. There was a special cadre of high-achieving folk in whose care the Clifford Chance world was held, in trust for future cohorts. We felt well led.”
After retiring as a partner in 2012, Bray remained at Clifford Chance for three years as a consultant before joining Italian independent Grimaldi Alliance as a partner in 2015. His association with the firm went back decades, having played a pivotal role when Clifford Chance formed a joint venture with Grimaldi & Associati in the early 1990s that went on to become a full merger in 2000.
However, the firm split a few years later when five of the senior partners from the Italian firm, including name partner Vittorio Grimaldi, departed to form Grimaldi e Associati.
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