If you're going to lose your managing partner, you might as well lose him to one of your long-standing clients.
Linklater's Asia managing partner, Giles White, is to quit the firm in April and move to an in-house role at Asian multinational, Jardine Matheson.
He will join a number of other ex-Linklaters London partners, including Charles Allen-Jones who currently sits on the board and James Watkins, who held White's position until 2003. As group general counsel, White will join the management board and succeed the position held by former Allen & Overy partner, Jonathan Gould. White said that his move was motivated by the strong relationship and the conglomerate's historical links to Asia.
"Jardine has been a client of the firm for some 50 years and was a core client in the region when we [Linklaters] established our presence here in Hong Kong in 1976," said White. "We have a long history together and Jardine remains a deeply valued client. I look forward to maintaining that relationship and continuing the strong connection."
White said he felt privileged to count his 21 years at Linklaters, a career which began in 1988 as an assistant solicitor in the London office. "It was a tough decision to leave but this was a rare opportunity to change tack and take on a new challenge in a part of the world that my family and I love," he said.
A replacement for White has yet to be found, with the firm currently undergoing consultation discussions.
"We hope to be making an announcement in the coming weeks," said White.