Russell-Cooke elects new senior partner and deputy senior partner

Jonathan Thornton, who has served as Deputy Senior Partner for three years and previously spent six years as Managing Partner, will take over from John Gould. Gould, who has led the firm for 35 years, oversaw its growth from revenues of £1.35m to nearly £50m. Although stepping down from the Senior Partner role, Gould will continue as a partner and assume the new role of Chair, alongside his regulatory law practice.

Having trained at Russell-Cooke and qualifying in 1988, Thornton became a partner in the corporate and commercial team in 1991. He advises on complex corporate deals and transactions, including acquisitions, disposals, company reorganisations, corporate finance, and shareholder, partnership, and LLP agreements.

Deputy Senior Partner Matthew (Matt) Garrod is a partner in the firm’s real estate team. He advises on high-value real estate transactions, including investment acquisitions and disposals, premises acquisitions for major retail clients, landlord and tenant matters, development, and real estate finance. Garrod joined Russell-Cooke in 2005 and was promoted to partner in 2013.

The firm’s leadership team also includes Managing Partner James Carroll, re-elected for a second term in February 2024. Thornton, Garrod, and Carroll will maintain their client-facing practices alongside their leadership roles as part of the firm’s Board. They are supported by four operational directors: Anu Kapila (People, Risk and Standards), Sam Allen (Finance, Technology and Facilities), Emma Shipp (Client Service), and Simon Moffat (Marketing and Business Development).

Jonathan Thornton expressed his gratitude and ambition for the firm: “It is an extraordinary privilege to be given the opportunity by my colleagues to lead the firm which has been my professional home for over three decades, and to build on the growth that Russell-Cooke has achieved under John’s stewardship. Over recent years the firm’s development has been marked, in no small part due to the steadfast commitment we have to our values and culture. These inform all we do, from our business model and recruitment through to our responsible business strategy. I am looking forward to working with Matt, James, and the rest of the Board as we continue to deliver on our long-term strategy.”

Matthew Garrod added: “Russell-Cooke continues to go from strength to strength, and our success is very much down to a vision and purpose that’s shared across the firm. Our breadth of expertise – spanning high-value corporate and real estate transactions, to sensitive private client and family negotiations, to complex charity governance issues – is unique. But it is our common culture that binds us together and has inspired the firm’s long-term, sustainable growth. I am excited about the future, and I thank my fellow partners for the trust they’ve put in me and the wider leadership team as we take the next step together.”

The appointments of Thornton and Garrod mark a new chapter for Russell-Cooke as it continues to build on its legacy of growth and excellence in the legal field.