Slaughter and May has made up six lawyers to partner in its latest promotions round. 

The round is in line with last year’s five-strong cohort, but down from 2023 when 10 lawyers made the cut. The firm’s flagship corporate practice has gained two new partners, with the rest of the promotions spread across competition, restructuring, disputes and energy. 

As of 1 May 2025 when the promotions come into effect, Slaughters’ partnership will stand at 110 – a handful more than at the same time last year. One hundred will be based in London and the rest across the firm’s offices in Brussels, Beijing and Hong Kong. Women will account for 29% of the partnership.

The latest cohort includes one woman, a smaller proportion than the previous two rounds which saw women make up 40% of the total. Slaughters unveiled an “ambitious” set of diversity targets in 2021 that included the aim for at least 40% of equity partner promotions globally to be women in the 10 years to 2027. The proportion has been tracked in two five-year cohorts, with the firm achieving 38% between 2018 and 2023. 

Alongside the gender target is a commitment that between May 2020 and April 2025, a minimum of 15% of equity partner promotions in London and Brussels will be from ethnic minority backgrounds. Slaughters has bettered that, saying that from 2020 to 2025 it achieved 23%. 

As in previous years the latest round is made up solely of lawyers based in London. In the corporate practice David Griffith-Jones, who is part of the Slaughters team guiding IDS on its £3.5bn recommended all cash offer by EP Group, got the nod alongside Jack Wharton. Wharton recently helped to advise Nationwide Building Society on its acquisition of Virgin Money UK. 

Also being promoted are Olga Ladrowska in the disputes and investigations team, Edward Couzens in the restructuring and insolvency practice and Daniel Mewton in the infrastructure, energy and natural resources team. The final promotion went to competition lawyer Alex Bulfin. 

Roland Turnill, Slaughter and May’s senior partner, commented: “I am delighted to announce the election of six new partners. They will each bring valued experience and insight to their respective practice areas, the firm and our clients.”

Turnill took over as senior partner last year from Steve Cooke, part of a wider shakeup in the structure of the firm’s executive function that also saw Deborah Finkler elected as its first managing partner and Jill Hoseason hired from Freshfields as its first chief operating officer. 

Last month Slaughters announced that M&A partner David Johnson would succeed Finkler as managing partner on 1 August.