DWF has appointed a group general counsel (GC) ahead of its reported London Stock Exchange (LSE) listing early next year, the latest in a string of appointments which includes two former DLA Piper executives and the head of Freshfield's Manchester Managed Services operation.  Former Lucozade Ribena Suntory GC Mollie Stoker heads for the law firm in January joining its  executive board. The respected GC will act as counsel to senior management on the firm’s M&A activity as well as providing strategic legal advice and overseeing legal compliance and risk. She will also become company secretary if DWF moves forward with its LSE listing which could value the firm at around £250 million. 

In-house experience

Ms Stoker is currently director of business development at Lucozade Ribena Suntory with responsibility for M&A in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and was GC for Lucozade Ribena Suntory from 2014 to 2017. Prior to joining Lucozade she worked for more than a decade in private practice at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, K&L Gates and Slaughter and May. Andrew Leaitherland, CEO and managing partner of DWF, said: 'Mollie is an excellent addition to our executive board, bringing more than 17 years of private practice and in-house experience in a diverse range of roles. Her strong background in corporate law, M&A and corporate governance, coupled with a high degree of commercial acumen will be valuable as we continue to grow the business globally.' Commenting on her appointment, Ms Stoker said:'This is an exciting time to join DWF. It is one of the most innovative legal businesses in Europe, is growing quickly and has expanded significantly into new markets in recent years. I look forward to supporting the business as it prepares for the next phase of its development.'

Top executives

The appointment is the latest in a series of senior hires by DWF and follows the arrival of DLA Piper chief information officer Daniel Pollick, CEO of managed services Anup Kollanethu who joined the business earlier this year from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and director of marketing Zelinda Bennett, also from DLA Piper, who joins in January. The firm has also entered an exclusive relationship with $81m-revenue US firm Wood Smith Henning & Berman.