Spear’s Review

A corporate lawyer and formerly head of the firm’s business services division, Helen Drayton was named chief executive of Penningtons Manches Cooper in 2022 and was ‘elected unopposed and unanimously supported’ for a second three-year term in 2025.

The full-service law firm is recognised as a leading light in several key fields, not least its celebrated family law and private client teams. 

Drayton has overseen ‘robust performance and strategic progress’, according to the firm, including the firm’s 16th consecutive year of growth. As part of a 2023-2026 strategic plan, she has appointed 23 new partners, overhauled the training academy for associates, and restructured the firm’s executive and strategy board.

Prior to taking the top job, Drayton sat on Penningtons Manches Cooper’s management board for four years, playing a particularly active role in the firm’s international expansion.

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