Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer litigation and antitrust partner and global competition litigation co-head Mark Sansom has been appointed London dispute resolution head in addition to his current role.
He succeeds Sarah Parkes in the position, who was recently appointed as the firm’s global head of dispute resolution.
Sansom was promoted to partner in 2011 and has led for the firm in several high profile litigations, most recently advising Mastercard on the £15 billion collective action against it. Other key clients include ABB, Infineon and the Go-Ahead Group.
He will remain co-head of the firm’s global competition litigation group, a firm statement said. He has held the role since 2018 alongside Amsterdam and Brussels-based partner Onno Brouwer.
Speaking to Law.com International, Sansom said he is keen to build on Parkes’ initiative to improve gender and racial diversity when building teams for its major disputes cases, to reach all types of diversity.
“There is no excuse to have a lack of diverse representation in cases”, he said.
The practice leadership changes come as the firm has been building out its litigation platform, notably via the launch of its special claims unit in Germany to deal with mass ‘dieselgate’-style claims at the end of 2021.
In June, the firm further committed to this by opening presences in the German cities of Nuremberg, Mannheim and Hanover.
In the statement, Parkes said: “Mark has all the qualities to drive forward the success of our practice as a market-leading antitrust litigator advising our global clients on complex, cross-border disputes”.
Sansom added: “I look forward to working with London colleagues and leadership on ensuring the strategic growth of the practice, as well as driving forward our continued investment and development of the next generation of diverse talent at Freshfields.”
At the end of 2021, Freshfields also refreshed the management of its corporate disputes group in London, appointing Samantha Trevan to the top role.
