Russell-Cooke elects new Senior Partner and Deputy Senior Partner
Law firm Russell-Cooke has announced the election of Jonathan Thornton as Senior Partner, and Matt Garrod as Deputy Senior Partner.
The appointments take effect from 1 July 2024.
Jonathan Thornton previously served as Deputy Senior Partner for three years following six years as Managing Partner, working closely with former Senior Partner John Gould, who has stepped down from the Senior Partner role after leading Russell-Cooke for 35 years – during which time the firm has grown from revenues of £1.35m to a business generating almost £50m. John remains a partner in the firm.
Having trained at the firm, qualifying in 1988, Jonathan was made partner in the corporate and commercial team at Russell-Cooke in 1991. Jonathan advises on a range of complex corporate deals and transactions, including acquisitions and disposals, company reorganisations, corporate finance, as well as shareholder, partnership, and LLP agreements.
Deputy Senior Partner Matt Garrod is a partner in the firm’s real estate team, advising on high-value real estate transactions, including investment acquisitions and disposals, premises acquisitions for major retail clients, landlord and tenant matters, development and real estate finance. He joined Russell-Cooke in 2005 and was promoted to the partnership in 2013.
The Senior Partner and Deputy Senior Partner are supported in their roles by the firm’s Managing Partner, James Carroll. James was re-elected for a second term as Managing Partner in February 2024.
Russell-Cooke’s Senior Partner, Deputy Senior Partner and Managing Partner continue to maintain their client-facing practices, alongside their leadership roles as part of the firm’s Board. They are supported by the wider leadership team, including the firm’s four operational Directors Anu Kapila (People, Risk and Standards); Sam Allen (Finance, Technology and Facilities); Emma Shipp (Client Service) and Simon Moffat (Marketing and Business Development).
John Gould has taken on the new role of Chair, alongside his regulatory law practice.
Jonathan Thornton said:
It is an extraordinary privilege to be given the opportunity by my colleagues to lead the firm which has been my professional home for over three decades, and to build on the growth that Russell-Cooke has achieved under John’s stewardship. Over recent years the firm’s development has been marked, in no small part due to the steadfast commitment we have to our values and culture. These inform all we do, from our business model and recruitment through to our responsible business strategy. I am looking forward to working with Matt, James, and the rest of the Board as we continue to deliver on our long-term strategy.”
Matt Garrod said:
Russell-Cooke continues to go from strength to strength, and our success is very much down to a vision and purpose that’s shared across the firm. Our breadth of expertise – spanning high-value corporate and real estate transactions, to sensitive private client and family negotiations, to complex charity governance issues – is unique. But it is our common culture that binds us together and has inspired the firm’s long-term, sustainable growth. I am excited about the future, and I thank my fellow partners for the trust they’ve put in me and the wider leadership team as we take the next step together.”
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