List celebrates Square Mile’s most influential women
A comprehensive roll-call of the most inspiring women in the City put together by business-focused newspaper City A.M. has been unveiled — and there’s a strong showing from the legal industry, with ten City lawyers making the cut.
The “Power 100 Women” list features lawyers from a range of top City firms, banking outfits and insurance organisations.
Recognition goes to Sonya Leydecker from global giant Herbert Smith Freehills made partner in 1991 and is the outfit’s joint chief executive officer. The list also contains a quartet of magic circle talent. Linklaters‘ Aedamar Comiskey, Freshfields‘ Deirdre Trapp, Slaughter and May’s Frances Murphy and Clifford Chance’s Jenine Hulsmann all feature on this years list.
Comiskey has been hotly tipped to fill the soon-to-be vacant senior partner position at Linklaters, meanwhile Oxford-educated Trapp is an award-winning antitrust lawyer. Murphy — who joined Slaughters in 1981 — has represented a plethora of high-profile clients including Burberry, Santander UK and Manchester Airport Group. Hulsmann has been at Wharf-based giant Clifford Chance for over 20 years and has degrees from the University of Queensland, Osaka University and the University of Oxford.
CMS Cameron McKenna’s Penelope Warne — who is chairman of the international law firm — also makes the cut. Warne, who joined the firm 1993, is head of CMS’ busy energy department and was responsible for setting up the outfit’s Aberdeen office. Meanwhile one associate, Sascha Grimm, gets a name check. Grimm, who works at Cooley, a Californian-headquartered law firm which opened an office in London last year, has penned a number of articles about women in the law whilst also working on glamorous deals such as the sale of Formula One.
Aside from City law firms, there are three female general counsel: Aviva’s Kirstine Cooper, HSBC Global Asset Management’s Sandie Okoro, and TSB’s Susan Crichton.
