Acting for both LLPs and partners, particularly across the professional and financial services sectors, the ‘highly focused boutique’ Fox & Partners has a ’very commercial and practical’ partnership team. The unit is jointly headed up by the ‘exceptionally talented’ Catriona Watt, who advises on issues including contentious departures and arrivals, and Caroline Field, an ’extremely competent and good strategist’ who has experience litigating in a broad range of dispute resolution forums. Founder of the Association of Partnership Practitioners Ronnie Fox is a ‘brilliant deal maker’ and is particularly known for negotiating departure arrangements. The ’responsive and helpful’ Shoshana Bacall offers extensive experience in advising on partner departures, contentious exit arrangements, partner investigations and disciplinary matters, an area of growth for the team. Dean Fuller advises on regulatory and corporate aspects of partnership law, while Ivor Adair has recent experience of advising international law firms in relation to contentious exits. Other key lawyers include senior associate Shiv Raja, who acts for partners, LLPs and partnerships in the professional services sector. Eleanor Diamond moved to Lewis Silkin in August 2023.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘This is a highly focused boutique team representing senior executives and employers in high value cases.’
- 'A very commercial and practical team with great client skills. Catriona Watt is strategically adept and commercially astute, with great client management skills. Shiv Raja is very approachable and practical.’
- 'Fox and Partners have built the leading partnership practice in the country, with deep knowledge of the issues, huge dedication to their clients, and a profile to be envied.’
- ‘Caroline Field is a wonderful lawyer. Ronnie Fox is a giant in the area. He has significant experience and is a brilliant deal maker. Ivor Adair is extremely bright and intellectually on the button. Shiv Raja is a fantastic associate, so efficient and capable.’
- ‘I sought advice on a partnership agreement under considerable time pressure. Fox & Partners accommodated my needs in a flexible and thoughtful manner and provided sound advice in a digestible format. Shoshana Bacall was particularly responsive and helpful.’
- ‘Caroline Field leads the team with effortless elan. She is very tough and commercial and ensures that her clients do not fight cases without coming out on top at the end of it. Ivor Adair is an excellent litigator.’
- ‘The team of Catriona Watt and Shoshana Bacall were exceptionally good, both personable and professional and appeared to collaborate well. Shoshana delves deep into issues with great attention to detail. She is very impressive.’
- ‘Caroline Field and Shiv Raja are both superlative and exceptional lawyers. They are exceptional legal analysts with brilliant reputations.’
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Fox & Partners
Shoshana is a highly experienced Senior Associate specialising in the full range of contentious and non - contentious employment law matters and legal issues relating to partnerships, LLPs and their members. Shoshana advises across a number of sectors, including the financial, legal and other professional services sectors. Shoshana has led high value, sensitive and highly charged matters to a successful conclusion through both the Employment Tribunals and alternative dispute resolution.
Shoshana is regularly instructed to advise on disputes arising out of breaches of partnership or members’ agreements, including the actual or threatened expulsion of partners/members from LLPs and traditional partnerships, changes to partners’ remuneration or other rights, decision-making processes and breaches of restrictive covenants. She advises employees and workers in relation to conduct investigations, performance management, reorganisations, restrictive covenants and dismissals. Bringing and defending discrimination and whistleblowing allegations is a core area of her practice. Shoshana often advises on misconduct investigations, including harassment, involving senior individuals in regulated sectors, working with regulatory and PR specialists where necessary. Shoshana also has experience being appointed as independent external investigator for sensitive confidential investigations.
Shoshana has significant experience negotiating and improving settlement terms and exit deeds in relation to sensitive disputes for senior executives and partners. She has also developed expertise in workplace disputes involving private members’ clubs and religious institutions.
Shoshana combines professionalism and commercial awareness with compassion. She focuses on understanding her clients’ goals so that she can provide tailored strategies to achieve their objectives.
Shoshana is recognised in the Legal 500 for her expertise in Partnership law. She has been ranked as a Rising Star by the Legal 500 since (2020).
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Fox & Partners
Caroline is a Partner and head of Fox & Partners’ litigation practice. Caroline frequently acts in high-value and sensitive City disputes arising from a fall-out between (i) employers or professional firms (LLPs and traditional partnerships) on the one hand and (ii) employees, shareholders and directors or LLP members/partners on the other, and in senior executive and partner moves.
Advising partners and firms, typically in the professional services and financial services sector, such as complex hedge fund and private equity structures, is the cornerstone of Fox & Partners’ practice. A great deal of Caroline’s time is spent acting on disputes arising out of breaches of partnership agreements (often relating to actual and threatened expulsions or compulsory retirements, changes to remuneration and decision-making processes), performance and misconduct investigations, unfairly prejudicial conduct, alleged discrimination and whistleblowing.
Caroline regularly advises on business protection cases, providing strategic advice in relation to team moves, restrictive covenants, fiduciary obligations and duties of confidentiality. She has significant experience defending and enforcing such provisions, including by obtaining and defending interim injunctions. With experience acting for employers/firms (former and recruiting employers) and moving employees or partners, she offers a unique perspective and understanding of the pressures on both sides.
Caroline is recognised by the independent guides to the legal profession for her work representing employees and partners before the employment tribunal and courts. Restrictive covenants are a noted area of strength. One client observed: “she is strategically astute and does not neglect any aspect of the case before her…she is also very supportive and empathetic, making her an ideal legal adviser to navigate uniquely complex legal situations” (Chambers UK 2021).
Caroline was included in Management Today’s prestigious 35 women under 35 list in 2018.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Fox & Partners
Catriona Watt is a Partner specialising in contentious partnership law as well as employment and discrimination law. She advises professional firms, partners, senior executives and employers, focusing primarily on the financial, insurance, private equity and professional services sectors. Her unique experience of acting on both sides of disputes stands her in good stead to understand the pressures and leverage of each.
Catriona has a wealth of experience in advising on complex team move situations in which there are usually allegations of breach of restrictive covenants and fiduciary duties and potential forfeiture claims. Catriona brings a strategic and commercial approach to advising on senior and board level disputes and contentious exits from partnership structures. She advises on other contentious senior level employment and partnership issues and has particular experience in dealing with private equity partnership disputes. Catriona often advises on misconduct investigations, including harassment, involving senior individuals in regulated sectors including legal and financial services, working with regulatory and PR specialists where necessary.
Where litigation cannot be avoided, Catriona draws on her varied experience of litigating partnership and employment disputes in the High Court, Employment Tribunal and in arbitration.
Catriona is recognised in Chambers UK and the Legal 500 for her expertise in contentious partnership and employment law: “She’s good at developing strategy for litigation and is creative about identifying legal avenues we can use in addition to being very thorough with her preparation. “Catriona is endlessly patient with clients and really takes her time to find out what they need or want to achieve in litigation, as well as being intelligent and creative in getting them to the position they need to be in.” “She is very calm, sees the bigger picture and takes strategic oversight of the matter.” (Chambers 2022)
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Catriona Watt, Caroline Field