Two London Ashurst partners including former Slaughter and May partner Richard de Carle, have retired from the firm.
Corporate restructuring and insolvency partner Richard de Carle has retired after leaving Slaughters to join Ashurst in May 2020, in what was a major coup for the firm at the time.
A person familiar with his decision said de Carle has no plans to continue in the legal sector.
He has had a stellar legal career, having joined Slaughter and May in 1984 and promoted to partner in 1993. Standout mandates include advising BHP Billiton on U.K. matters for the acquisition of its U.S. onshore petroleum assets by oil and gas giant BP for £8 billion in 2018, and advising Iceland’s banks on insolvency proceedings following the global financial crash.
Retiring this month alongside de Carle is longtime financial regulatory partner James Perry, who is leaving after over 35 years at the firm, according to LinkedIn, with 24 of those spent as partner.
In 2016, Perry’s U-turn decision to remain at Ashurst despite previously handing in his notice to join Gibson Dunn’s London office captured the attention of the market at the time.
He has advised clients including Credit Agricole, Societe Generale and Royal & Sun Alliance throughout his career, while recent deal work includes advising AVEVA Group on its £2.8 billion rights issue, according to his Ashurst profile.
A London partner at the firm described Perry as somebody who will “go down in history as the first dedicated financial regulatory partner at Ashurst” and a “guy with real integrity”.
“He’s done a service that few people can aspire to have in their law firm career”, they added.
An Ashurst spokesperson said: “James Perry and Richard de Carle have retired from the firm. As a longstanding partner, James played a critical role in the success of the firm’s financial regulatory practice, while Richard joined the firm more recently, and we thank him for his contribution to the corporate team.
“Both the financial regulatory and corporate practices are key areas of strength for the firm and we have and continue to invest strongly in both teams. We wish James and Richard all the very best and thank them both for all they’ve helped us achieve.”
