KWM global head to step down

King & Wood Mallesons global managing partner Stuart Fuller will step down at the end of the year, the firm said on Thursday.

He will remain at the firm as a partner and intends to return to full-time practice in Sydney in early 2017.

A process is underway to select his successor, according to a statement from KWM.

Fuller has worked at the firm for 16 years. He has served as global managing partner for nearly five years, based in its Hong Kong office. He is responsible for KWM’s overall market and business strategy, and for the integration and overall leadership of the firm.

During his career he has held a number of leadership roles, including chief executive partner of KWM Australia, and managing partner of Mallesons Stephen Jaques in Australia, before it merged with King & Wood PRC Lawyers to become KWM.

“After over a decade in leadership roles in Australia, and almost five years as global managing partner, I believe it’s the right time for a change for me, my family and the firm,” said Fuller.

Fuller’s decision to step down follows a series of departures from KWM this year. In April, a team of Paris-based private equity partners, headed by Richard Lever, left for Goodwin. As a result, KWM is suing its former co-head of corporate Lever and his new firm.

In November, the firm lost two private equity lawyers and three other members of its German banking team to rival firm Taylor Wessing, as reported by pfm.