Financial News’ list of the 50 most influential people in European legal services will be revealed on 22 May.
As a sneak peek, FN is revealing three of the top lawyers who made the cut.
Sabina Comis, Global managing partner elect, Dechert
Sabina Comis is an Italian national who grew up in Switzerland, trained and qualified in the UK and now practises law in Paris with deep expertise in French tax and private equity fund formation.
A partner at Dechert for six years, she was appointed to the three-person management committee for the Paris office in 2021 before being elected to the firm’s global policy committee in 2022. Most recently, she was named global managing partner-elect for the firm, effective in July 2023.
Comis leads a team of six Paris-based lawyers advising French and international companies, family offices and private equity firms on fund formation and domestic and international tax structuring. Dual-qualified in French and English law, her clients include funds such as KKR, Archimed, Sun Capital and Sofinnova Partners, while she is a go-to adviser for the companies of two of France’s top billionaires on fund formation and tax issues. She recently worked for Sofinnova on the tax implications of a long-term strategic and financial partnership with Apollo and advised a major US global investment company on the creation of a European retail investment platform.
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As one of two new global managing partners, alongside Washington DC-based Vincent Cohen, Comis will focus on evolving the firm’s strategy to drive growth.
“In my job description it was very clear that the priority is building consensus around a strategy that allows us to connect the dots between our various offices,” she says.
Arun Birla, Second managing partner, Paul Hastings
Arun Birla was chair of the London office of Paul Hastings from 2018 to October 2022, before being elected to the position of second managing partner. Now tasked with a firmwide leadership role directing the growth, management and strategy at the 1,000-lawyer, 21-office business, he also continues to act for key clients as a leading tax adviser.
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Birla joined Paul Hastings in 2008 from Freshfields and was formerly vice chair of the global tax practice. He co-founded the London Diversity Network in 2009 and co-created PH Balanced, a global work-life balance initiative, in 2017.
As London office chair, he oversaw an increase in revenue of 189% and more than doubled the London headcount to over 40 partners and 150 fee-earners. In his new role, he is tasked with delivering on a strategy to become top three in several key practices globally and ultimately take Paul Hastings into the top 10 international law firms.#
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As a highly respected tax lawyer, Birla acts for clients including Abry Partners, Francisco Partners, PineBridge Benson Elliot and CVC Credit Partners. Since 2021, he has served as one of the Law Society’s Social Mobility Ambassadors, giving him an industry-wide platform to promote diversity in the profession. He is also the only non-US member of the firm’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council, working to review performance against diversity goals.
Charles Adams, Global managing partner, Clifford Chance
Charles Adams took over as Clifford Chance’s first global managing partner based outside the UK on 1 May 2022. Milan-based Adams had been the firm’s head of Europe since 2018 and prior to that led its Italian arm.
Since taking up his new post, Adams has revamped the firm’s leadership, creating a new role focused on enhancing client experience and one focused on business transformation. Other major changes for the firm under Adams include signing a lease for new London headquarters in the City, meaning the firm will leave its Canary Wharf base in 2028.
Clifford Chance has continued to expand in the US this year, with recent hires including a pair of antitrust partners from Baker Botts in Washington DC and an insurance partner from Mayer Brown in New York.
Outside the office, Adams is a keen cook and particularly enjoys baking for family and friends.
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