RPC has promoted 10 lawyers to partner and four to of counsel in its latest promotions round, one of its largest on record.
The 2026 round is a considerable increase on last year’s total of three partners and six of counsel, while 2024 saw parity between partners and of counsel with five apiece.
Among the latest partner cohort, all were based in the UK – five in London and five in Bristol. Women accounted for two of the 10 new partners, a significant percentage decline from previous rounds when women accounted for two of three partners in 2025 and three out of five partners in 2024. From 2022 to 2023, there was gender parity.
Women, however, made up the majority of the of counsel promotions (three of four) compared to two of six in 2025 and three of six in 2024.
The latest promotions covered the firm’s insurance, technology, consumer brands, retail sector, financial services and professional advisory practices, with the accent firmly on contentious work. The largest cluster was in professional and financial risks, which accounted for four of the 10 partner promotions and two of counsel promotions.
Construction also featured prominently, with three new partners. Taken together, the promotions suggest a distinct nod towards two of RPC’s core sectors.
Tom Lloyd, James Ainsworth, Andrew Oberholzer and Tom Wild were all promoted in the firm’s professional and financial risks practice group, the largest group to be elevated.
Kirtan Prasad, one of the two women elevated, was promoted in commercial and banking litigation, the area in which the firm’s new senior partner, Simon Hart, specialises; Will Carter was promoted for his work in IP and technology disputes; and Oliver Bulleid, Chris Brewin and Ellen Ryan were all recognised for their work in construction law.
Will Jones was promoted for his expertise in property and casualty law, ensuring that risk-related practices accounted for the majority of promotions.
The of counsel promotions went to Tim Potts in commercial and banking litigation, Jo Makin and Susan Periselneris in the professional and financial risks practice group and Melanie Eales in property and casualty.
In his first partnership round since succeeding James Miller, RPC managing partner Antony Sassi said: “The bar is rightly set very high at RPC, so to see such an exceptional cohort coming through is a testament to the depth of quality that we are able to offer our clients, particularly across our core sectors."
Addressing the gender disparity in the latest round, Sassi said: “Women currently make up 32% of our partners, over half of our executive board are women, and two-thirds of those promoted last year were women, but we recognise there is still a long way to go to achieve complete equity and equality and remain firmly committed to building a more balanced and inclusive partnership over the long term.”
He added: “The success of our firm is founded as much on the ability to connect with clients and build relationships that endure over the long term as it is on the quality of commercial advice we deliver. I know all our new partners and of counsel have both in spades.”
At the same time as the promotions, the firm hired financial lines and D&O specialist Tom Mungovan as a partner from DWF.
He leaves DWF after 12 years, four of them as a partner. He joined the firm in 2014 after four years at the insurance boutique Robin Simon, having begun his career broking and underwriting for AON and Beazley.
Mungovan joins the insurance and reinsurance team led by James Wickes at a time of significant momentum, not least thanks to the partner promotions.
Simon Laird, global head of insurance, said: “We have bold plans to continue building our international insurance offering, and this marks another significant step towards realising that ambition. People of Tom’s calibre don’t come on the market that often, so the fact he has chosen to join RPC is a real testament to the strength of our brand and the culture we nurture.”
Wickes added: “Tom’s reputation, expertise and sector knowledge speak for themselves; he will add another dimension to how we can support our clients throughout the world. With a demonstrably strong track record of successfully managing multiple client relationships, he brings a collaborative, approachable and open way of operating which will complement the existing team dynamic brilliantly.”
RPC also recently made two lateral hires in Singapore: insurance partner Sumyutha Sivamani arrived this month from Clyde & Co and arbitration partner Ankit Goyal joined from Allen & Gledhill in February. This, in part, explains the absence of international promotions in this year’s cohort, with Hong Kong having featured in past rounds, alongside Hilda Chan’s lateral hire in August 2025.
The firm secured three lateral hires in January: Cavan Fabris joined as head of data & cyber in London, and professional practices partner Catrin Davis and commercial partner Alastair Mitton joined in Bristol
Those arrivals follow the earlier departure of prominent rainmaker Jeremy Drew to Taylor Wessing, after it suffered a team loss to rivals Clyde & Co last year.
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