Pinsent Masons appoints Andrew Masraf

Pinsent Masons appoints Andrew Masraf

Top corporate attorney Andrew Masraf will succeed Richard Foley as senior partner, according to Pinsent Masons.

Masraf will take over from October 1 after Foley's second four-year tenure comes to an end, which is the maximum permitted by the company.

Masraf began working with Pinsents in 1993 as a trainee and has since held a variety of executive positions, most recently serving as the global head of the company's transactions services group. Masraf, a private equity specialist, has spearheaded Pinsents' partnerships with three of its top clients in the infrastructure sector and has particular expertise in advising management teams on PE transactions.

His most recent work at Pinsents involved advising Exclaimer's management team on the MBO of the business and assisting M Group Services in its acquisition of the infrastructure services division of Skanska Construction UK.

Masraf declared, "I'm motivated about what we, as a firm, can accomplish together and thrilled to be taking on the senior partner role." Pinsent Masons has advanced considerably under Richard's direction. "As our customers' needs and the marketplaces they operate in change, we continuously strive to offer fresh solutions and create new working methods. Pinsent Masons is a company that never stands still as a result of this and the culture we have developed as a purpose-led organization."

Following Pinsents' eleventh consecutive year of revenue growth, Masraf will assume the senior partner position. The company said last week that fee income had increased by 6 percent to £531.1m for the 2022 financial year versus a 16 percent increase in PEP to £739,000.

As part of its efforts to reorient itself as "a purpose-led, professional services organization with the law at its centre," the firm updated its reporting metrics in 2020 to include a wider range of success indicators that more accurately represent its ideals outside of PEP.

The firm measures its success based on four key metrics: customer focus, people and promotion opportunities, ESG, and commercial results. The firm increased revenue generated by professional services offerings via Pinsent Masons Vario by 40.5 percent last year and became one of the first legal firms to have its net-zero target verified.

Pinsents also introduced 11 new customer solutions and products, as well as assisted over 100 clients with their responsible business and D&I strategies.

Refocusing our strategy on our purpose has allowed us to better serve our clients and employees and built a company we are proud of, according to Foley. "We've come a long way in eight years, and I'm looking forward to what Pinsent Masons has in store for the future. My sincere congratulations to Andrew; the firm will benefit greatly from having him as a senior partner could not be in more capable hands.

It is unknown what Foley will do next, but he is supposed to be concentrating on making sure a successful mission and seamless transition.

Before being named senior partner, Foley, who has been with Pinsents for more than 30 years, providing advice on projects involving rail, roads, airports, and ports across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He oversaw the firm's projects and construction team, Asia practice, and construction advisory and disputes group.

During Foley's tenure as senior partner, Pinsents' revenue increased by 47% while adding more than 300 lawyers to its current staff of almost 2,000.

Over the last eight years, it has opened offices in Europe (Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Dublin, and Madrid), South Africa (Johannesburg), and Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth).

Earlier July 2022, the firm established a presence in Luxembourg by hiring a team of 23 lawyers from local independent Wildgen, which later disbanded.