UK-based Ashurst LLP will have a slightly more dominant board representation than legacy Blake Dawson, according to plans for a new global governance structure released by both firms. The structure has been designed in anticipation of a full financial merger between Ashurst LLP and legacy Blake Dawson (now Ashurst Australia) pending a partner vote which is likely to take place later this year.

According to the plan, Ashurst LLP will have four elected partners on the 14 member board, legacy Blake Dawson will have three elected partners and the combined Asia operation will have one elected partner. Two independent members and a non-voting CFO will also take their seats at the table. The elected chairman and vice chairman, who must come from alternate sides of the merger, and the global managing partner round out the board.  The global managing partner will be current LLP managing partner James Collis, while John Carrington will remain as Australian managing partner.

Carrington told ALB that the allocation of board seats between the two legacy firms was designed to reflect the geographical diversity of the respective firms. “From an Australia point of view, our practice is primarily domestic although prior to the combination of our respective regional practices we also operated in a number of countries in the region,” he said. “LLP on the other hand, while a large part of their practice has been UK-based, 40 percent of their revenue from my recollection comes from outside the UK from major centres in Germany, France, Spain, U.S. etc. So there was a need for not only representation from legacy Australia and legacy LLP but also the opportunity to provide representation from those parts of Asia and the LLP practice as well. We have to make sure we have coverage across the world.”

The firm is also introducing a new global divisional structure along four business lines, each co-led by Ashurst Australia and Ashurst LLP partners. The Australian heads will be Phil Breden (corporate, commercial, competition);  Lisa Ritson (disputes, IP, employment); Geoff Gishubl (resources, real estate and infrastructure) and Paul Jenkins (finance).

LLP managing partner James Collis said that the firms were anxious to conduct the merger vote by the end of the year.