Christopher Saul has been elected senior partner of Slaughter and May, the “magic circle” law firm announced today.

Mr Saul, 52, the current head of the firm’s corporate department, was elected by secret ballot earlier this week to replace Tim Clark, who is standing down after two terms at the end of April.

Mr Saul said: "It's a very exciting prospect. The way I look at it is that I just have to follow on from Tim, who has done a great job.

"There's a very special collegiality here and a lot of drive and ambition about the place. My job will be to keep that mix. I see it as more a cheerleading role than a development role."

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Slaughter and May is the UK’s most profitable law firm, with its 133 partners earning an average of £1.6 million last year, according to The Lawyer, a trade publication.

It is unusual among City law firms in that it rarely elevates its best-known fee earners to the role of senior partner.

Corporate partners such as Nigel Boardman, Steven Cooke and William Underhill enjoy higher profiles; however, Mr Saul is highly regarded by both colleagues and competitors and is an accomplished deal lawyer in his own right, having acted for the likes of Akzo Nobel, GE and Unilever.

He is also a member of The Times Law Panel.

Mr Saul was educated at Tiffin School, Kingston-upon-Thames and read law at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. He joined Slaughter and May in 1977 and became a partner in 1986.

Mr Clark is leaving the firm after 34 years but is believed to be taking his time before deciding his next move.

He joined Slaughter and May as a trainee solicitor in 1974, became a partner in 1983 and was elected senior partner in 2001.

As head of the firm, Mr Clark was instrumental in developing a loose network of top European firms, including Hengeller Mueller in Germany and Bredin Prat in France, while rivals invested heavily in opening their own offices around the world.

During his tenure, Slaughter and May also maintained its lead in profitability over other UK firms and closed the gap on the leading New York law firms. Last year it made a net profit of £207.9 million, according to The Lawyer.

An election to replace Mr Saul as head of the corporate department will be held later this year.

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