Travers Smith Senior Partner Challenger Latest To Leave Firm

A Travers Smith partner who ran to become leader of the firm has become the latest exit to join another outfit.

Tom Purton, who headed up the firm’s commercial, IP and technology department for 10 years until 2018, has joined RPC as a partner after 23 years at Travers Smith, according to his LinkedIn profile

He was one of three partners in the running for the role of senior partner during Travers’ 2018 election period, with tax partner Kathleen Russ winning the race.

In December, private equity leader Paul Dolman left Travers to join Latham & Watkins’s London office, in a move that shocked the U.K. legal market.

It is the first significant hire for RPC in some time. The firm brought on a DWF restructuring team into its London base in January last year.

RPC and Travers Smith did not respond to requests for comment.

With reporting from Simon Lock.

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