UK Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance has appointed employment partner Chinwe Odimba-Chapman as its London managing partner.

She will take over from long-serving UK managing partner Michael Bates at the start of 2025, becoming the first black leader of the firm’s flagship London office, marking a significant milestone for the firm.

In a shake-up of the firm’s management structure, Odimba-Chapman will also serve in the new role of co-managing partner of the European region, alongside incumbent Steve Jacoby, a move Clifford Chance said reflected its “long-term strategy to bring the UK and Continental Europe regions together as a single fully integrated platform”.

According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, while 17% of partners in UK law firms are from minority ethnic backgrounds, black lawyers represent just 1% of salaried partners and 3% of full-equity partners. A 2022 report revealed that of more than 13,000 partners at major law firms in England and Wales, just 90 were black.

In May, Hervé Ékué became managing partner of the newly merged A&O Shearman, making him the first black leader of a UK Magic Circle law firm, while BCLP appointed Segun Osuntokun as global senior partner in January this year. 

Odimba-Chapman’s journey with Clifford Chance began in 2002 when she joined as a trainee. Over the years, she advanced through the firm’s ranks, specialising in both contentious and non-contentious employment law and becoming a partner in 2018. 

She is Clifford Chance’s global people and talent partner, managing employee engagement and diversity initiatives and servicing international clients on various employment law issues, particularly in a cross-border context. 

A strong advocate for diversity, Odimba-Chapman has actively contributed to the firm’s internal initiatives. She joined the steering committee of the London Women’s Network and co-founded the London BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) network, demonstrating her commitment to diversity in law, for which the firm has been recognised at past Women and Diversity in Law Awards.

In an article for Legal 500’s GC Magazine, she underlined the importance of empathy in the legal profession, writing: “Empathy is one of the most important strengths you can bring to relationships with clients and colleagues.”

She said it was especially important to extend empathy “towards junior colleagues navigating professional pressures”.

Global managing partner Charles Adams congratulated Odimba-Chapman on her new role and expressed gratitude to Bates, who will return to his project finance practice, continuing his role as lead global finance partner, servicing clients within the infrastructure sector, including restructuring.

Adams added that the firm’s ‘One Europe’ strategy “ensures that our business and our people work as one team, striving to deliver commercial advantage for our global clients”. 

In July, the firm reported record revenues rising by 9% to £2.3bn, while its profits increased by 10% to £856m, spurred by soaring turnover in the US.