15 April 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – International law firm Lovells has chosen Andrew Skipper, currently head of the firm’s Corporate Commercial Team and recently a shortlisted candidate in the firm’s managing partner election, as Practice Stream Leader, Corporate, effective immediately. Andrew, who succeeds Hugh Nineham, will serve for a three year term as Practice Stream Leader. He will continue to head the Corporate Commercial Team.
As Practice Stream Leader, Corporate, Andrew Skipper becomes a member of the firm’s International Executive, which has responsibility for developing Lovells’ strategy across its practice areas and regions and for the full range of business driving issues. He has overall responsibility for the Corporate Stream, which now includes the Corporate Practice, the Competition, EU & Trade practice, the Tax Practice and the Share Incentives and Executive Compensation Team.
The Corporate Practice, which has recently been reorganised, brings together five distinct transactional teams:
# Corporate Finance, headed by Hugh Nineham;
# Corporate Commercial, headed by Andrew Skipper;
# Private Equity, headed by Marco Compagnoni;
# Energy, Power and Utilities, headed by John Cooper; and
# Financial Institutions, headed by John Young.
The Competition, EU & Trade Practice, headed by John Pheasant; the Tax Practice, headed by Philip Gershuny; and the Share Incentives and Executive Compensation Team, headed by Louise Whitewright; complete the Corporate Stream. The inclusion of the Competition, EU & Trade Practice in the stream was proposed by David Harris, Lovells’ new Managing Partner, to bring together complementary practice areas. The Competition, EU & Trade Practice has significant synergies with the reorganised Corporate Practice Stream, and the management of the stream on a unified basis will allow for better, coherent and more strategic operation of the business.
Andrew Skipper (43) has been a Lovells partner since 1995. As a member of the Corporate Practice, he has specialised in commercial law, becoming head of the Corporate Commercial Team in 1997 and turning it into one of the firm’s many success stories. His work has crossed traditional practice boundaries and plays to Lovells’ strengths as a broad based, integrated international firm.
The selection of Andrew Skipper as Practice Stream Leader, Corporate follows a consultation with the Partnership led by David Harris, and a vote by the partnership which closed 12 April 2005.
Commenting on the outcome, David Harris, Lovells’ new Managing Partner, said:
“Andrew has championed the delivery of a top quality and innovative service to clients of the corporate commercial team, with great success. He will bring the same commitment to the management of a key part of our transactional practice as Practice Stream Leader, Corporate. I am delighted we have such a strong successor to Hugh Nineham, who has led this part of the practice so well during a significant period in the firm’s development.”
Andrew Skipper added:
“I am delighted to be taking over as Practice Stream Leader, Corporate at this important time. We have reorganised ourselves to ensure that we focus internationally on our key areas of strength and work together more effectively. We will continue to build our practice on the foundations of a high quality, value added and client oriented service. I look forward to working with David Harris in bringing Lovells further international success.”
