International construction law firm Fenwick Elliott says its senior partner Simon Tolson will step down on 1 April 2025, and will be replaced by Karen Gidwani.
Tolson will stay on as a partner at the firm he joined in 1987.
During more than 20 years as senior partner, the firm’s headcount doubled amid international expansion and the opening of an international hub in Dubai in 2015.
Karen Gidwani will have been at Fenwick Elliott for 25 years when the transition takes effect, having joined the firm in 2000 and been a partner since 2006.
In the UK, she led on a series of landmark disputes over the concept of Fitness for Purpose that went to the Supreme Court, and the Energy Works (Hull) termination case.
She is active on high-value, complex international arbitration work.
“When I joined FE in March 1987, I didn’t plan on staying 37 years, but being part of this firm’s journey continues to energise me to this day,” Tolson said.
“There have been defining periods, like when we branched into major Engineering Procurement Construction dispute work, a move that supported our expansion into key international markets and accompanied our growing reputation for winning cases and into international arbitration.”
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