Jeremy Sandelson has stepped down as Global Head of Litigation at Clifford Chance. It was all over The Lawyer yesterday, and it is FAKE NEWS. Well, it's not actually fake but it's certainly not news. He's done his eight years, the firm has term limits, he was always going to step down now.

What is much more interesting is that he may be the firm's next Senior Partner. A number of his colleagues tell me that he's expected to stand when Malcolm Sweeting reaches the end of his term next year. Although when I asked him he told me "my colleagues are winding you up".

They're not. In his favour is the fact that he's been a safe pair of hands as Head of Litigation, he's been on the board forever and he did a cracking job as London Managing Partner until stepping down eight years ago. He's also a very decent, convivial chap.

Against him is the fact that he's British, so some of his continental partners will vote for Horst from the Cologne office just out of spite. He also famously acts for weapons-grade spanner James Murdoch.


And since acting for him has acquired a wardrobe of highly doubtful black suits.

Still, Murdoch is one of the reasons that Sandelson's partners are currently pulling in £1.4m each so they can't really complain. And no doubt some of his more traditional partners will be able to take him under their wing and steer him in the direction of Huntsman for something more befitting of his new status.


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