Published in The Global Legal Post, 27th June 2017

High-profile employment lawyer Ronnie Fox is handing over the reins to a new generation.

Ronnie FoxFox, the firm of City lawyers founded by Ronnie Fox in 2006 and now established as a highly-regarded specialist firm in employment and partnership law and dispute resolution, will add three new partners on 30 June as part of a planned progression that will take the firm into its next phase of development. On 30 June Catriona Watt, Caroline Field and Dean Fuller, who lead the firm’s core practice areas, will become full equity partners in a new LLP which will practise under the name Fox & Partners. Ronnie Fox will remain with the firm as a consultant, sharing his management experience, providing strategic input and helping to build and strengthen client relationships.

Collegiate

Catriona Watt said: ‘This evolution of the firm reflects the success we’ve built under Ronnie’s leadership. It is a tribute to the collegiate approach he has taken in leading the firm and the effective way he has mentored us and encouraged us to develop our careers and experience. This is the next obvious step for Fox. We’re excited about building for the future as leaders in our own right, while both we and Fox’s clients will continue to benefit from Ronnie’s years of experience’.

Continuity of service

Ronnie Fox said: ‘I’ve always focused on the career development of the team. It has been a conscious effort over the last five years to ensure Catriona, Caroline and Dean have shared in the development of the practice to prepare for the future. We have worked closely together for our clients and we have got to where we are today largely on the strength of the new partners’ efforts. I am delighted that my colleagues are stepping up to the plate, that clients will benefit from continuity of service provided by the team they know and trust and that I will be able to continue to contribute to the success of the practice.’

Professional services

To date, the 12-strong team, including eight senior solicitors, has practised with Ronnie Fox as sole principal. Many of Fox’s clients are in professional services, including the legal sector. Catriona Watt concludes: ‘We are excited about the future of the firm and continuing to work with our fantastic team. In addition to our core work with law firms, companies and directors, and our particular expertise in City whistle-blowing cases, we believe there is a growing market for the specialist and expert advice Fox offers, not least from the increasing number of businesses in the financial sector that are set up as LLPs, notably hedge funds, venture capital, and private equity and asset management.’

Background

Mr Fox, the founder and Principal of Fox, is a well-known practitioner in employment and partnership law. His achievements include founding Fox Williams in 1989, founding the Association of Partnership Practitioners in 1997 and founding Fox in 2006. Ronnie chaired the Senior Lawyers’ Committee of the International Bar Association and was Master of the City of London Solicitors’ Company.