Slaughter and May announce new heads of Corporate and M&A

Magic circle firm, Slaughter and May, has announced the appointment of Simon Nicholls and Richard Smith as heads of its corporate and M&A practice.

Both partners will commence their new roles on 1 May 2022. They succeed corporate head Andy Ryde and M&A head Roland Turnill. Turnill has been elected to succeed Steve Cooke as senior partner in May 2024.

Nicholls joined the firm in 1996 and was made partner in 2005. Notable clients include Diageo, GlaxoSmithKline, Whitbread, Babcock, Ultra Electronics, Wood and Morgan Advanced Materials.

Smith joined Slaughter and May in 2001 and became partner nine years later. His clients include Reckitt, Aviva, Landsec, United Utilities, Close Brothers, Equinix, The Walt Disney Company and Marsh McLennan.

Senior partner, Steve Cooke, said, “I would like to congratulate Simon and Richard on their new roles. Their energy, reputation and dedication to client relationships means they will be formidable leaders of our Corporate and M&A practice, which continues to grow from strength to strength.

“I would also like to thank Andy Ryde and Roland Turnill, the current practice heads, for their exceptional leadership and service to the firm and our clients over the last eight and six years respectively.”

Nicholls commented: “It will be a great privilege to lead the firm’s Corporate and M&A practice alongside Richard. The strength and depth of experience within our practice – and the talented lawyers at all levels in the team – allow us to deliver exceptional support and advice to clients across a broad spectrum of transactions and situations. That is a great platform and we will be focused on developing and enhancing it.”

Smith added: “I’m very excited to take on the role of leading our Corporate and M&A practice. We have an incredible team with strength in depth and long-term relationships with a wide range of clients around the world. I look forward to supporting everyone in our team and working closely with Simon to build on the great job that Andy and Roland have done.”