Slaughter and May names new managing partner

Joined MC firm as a trainee

Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May has elected corporate partner David Johnson as its next managing partner, succeeding Deborah Finkler when she retires from the partnership in July this year.

Johnson, a ‘lifer’ who joined the firm as a trainee in 1991 and made partner in 2000, will officially take up the role on 1 August 2025. He will continue full-time fee-earning until then.

He will succeed Deborah Finkler, who made history as Slaughters’ first-ever female managing partner in 2022. This was the first time the role of managing partner was introduced to the Magic Circle firm, previously headed by practice partner David Wittmann and executive partner Paul Stacey.

Finkler reflected on her time in the role, saying:

“I have enormously enjoyed the challenges of being Slaughter and May’s first managing partner, shaping the role and ensuring the firm is in the best possible position to deliver the highest quality legal services to our clients and remain an attractive and rewarding place to work. I am proud of what has been achieved in that time. I know I leave it in good hands and wish David every success.”

Commenting on his appointment, Johnson said: “Taking on the role of managing partner at Slaughter and May is a privilege and I am looking forward to building on the work that Deborah has done to deliver the strategic aims of the firm and ensure that clients are at the centre of everything we do.”

A famously tight-lipped firm when it comes to partner earnings, recent estimates suggest that Slaughters takes the lead as the top-earning UK law firm for partner pay — sitting at around £4 million per equity partner (PEP).