Highly rated UK banking partner Susan Kelly has been appointed as Dentons’ next chair, helping to lead what she describes as “the next phase” of the global giant’s development following a period of rapid expansion.
She will take up the position as non-executive chair of Dentons’ global board on 10 November, taking over from Seoul-based Nick Park at the end of his two-year term.
Kelly, who works out of Dentons’ Edinburgh and London offices, was elected to the role by Dentons’ global board and global advisory committee and will work alongside global chief executive Kate Barton, who previously held a senior role at EY and succeeded longstanding CEO Elliott Portnoy in November last year.
Kelly said the appointment of two women to lead the firm was “a significant milestone for both Dentons and the legal profession as a whole and a strong reflection of Dentons’ inclusive, collaborative and innovative culture”.
She added: “Over the past 12 years, Dentons has successfully created the world’s largest global law firm with more than 160 offices across more than 80 countries.
“The next phase in our development is about evolving from the largest law firm to the leading law firm in specific areas of law, consistently delivering exceptional service to our multinational clients. A core part of my role will be about positioning our global board to support our strategic ambitions.”
Kelly, officially now non-executive chair-elect of the global board, joined top Scottish firm Maclay Murray & Spens as a trainee in 1991 and was a senior partner at the firm by the time it combined with Dentons in 2017. She sits on the board of Dentons’ UK, Ireland and Middle East LLP, as well as its global board.
As global chair, she will preside over meetings of Dentons’ global board, its global advisory committee and the general assembly of Dentons’ Verein, serving a three-year term.
Barton thanked Park "for his service" and welcomed Kelly's appointment, describing her as "a seasoned and dynamic operator" who would "play a key role in overseeing the function of the global board as we lead the firm from strength to greater strength”.
Barton’s appointment as CEO followed a sustained period of expansion at Dentons, which has combined with more than 40 firms since its inception in 2013 when SNR Dentons tied up with fellow international firm Salans and Canada’s Fraser Milner Casgrain.
However, the pace of expansion slowed in the two years leading up to the departure of Portnoy and longtime chair Joe Andrew, who stood down in March last year.
While the firm secured a combination with India’s Link Legal in May 2023, a few months later it unwound the landmark tie-up it secured in 2015 with Dacheng Law Office, one of China's largest law firms, citing Chinese cybersecurity and data protection laws.
Meanwhile, an ambitious plan to build a comprehensive network of US offices through a series of regional deals, unveiled as Project Golden Spike in 2019, has not yielded a combination since 2021.
Kelly said the firm would “continue to grow geographically in the places that are of strategic importance to our clients” and pointed to deals announced in March between Thailand’s Pisut & Partners and Griffiths & Partners in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
“We are excited about the previously announced combinations in Thailand and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Both ASEAN and Latin America and the Caribbean represent very promising and dynamic markets for which we have seen growing client demand,” she added.
Park, meanwhile, will remain on the global board when his term ends. The firm said he would focus “his efforts on developing the firm’s business in South Korea and the broader region” in his capacity as Korea regional leader and senior managing attorney at Dentons Lee.
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