Jo Farmer and Richard Miskella elected as Joint Managing Partners

We are pleased to announce that Jo Farmer and Richard Miskella have been elected to the role of Joint Managing Partner.

Giles Crown, who served as Joint Managing Partner alongside Richard Miskella between 2019 and 2023, decided not to stand for re-election for 2023-26. After 15 years in leadership roles at Lewis Silkin he will now chiefly focus on client relationships and delivery, along with strategy development.

Jo Farmer has been with the firm for almost two decades. She was made partner in 2008, and was joint head of its Digital, Commerce and Creative group before her election to Joint Managing Partner.

An industry heavyweight in IP and rights-heavy deals, media buying contracts and advertising law, she gives strategic commercial advice to innovative and creative businesses seeking to exploit their ideas. Her clients include global FMCG and other consumer brands, content creators, media platforms and agencies and she is a go-to lawyer for many industry trade bodies including Equity and ISBA – with whom Jo has worked to develop templates and best practice guides on influencer marketing. Jo has been ranked as a leading individual in Chambers and Legal 500 for many years for her work in advertising law and commercial contracts.

Richard Miskella, meanwhile, has been re-elected for a second term as Joint Managing Partner, having served in the role since its creation in 2019.

Widely recognised as one of the UK’s foremost employment law experts, Richard’s practice has a particular focus on the media, professional services and financial services industries – including advising both companies and senior executives on issues ranging from major corporate projects to high value litigation in the High Court and Employment Tribunals. Richard is a former Legal Business ‘Lawyer of the Year’ and has been included in The Lawyer’s Hot 100. He is listed in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame.

The Joint Managing Partners’ three-year term commences from the 1st of April 2023.

Jo Evans, Chair of the Partnership at Lewis Silkin, said:

“I am very pleased to confirm the unanimous election of Jo and Richard to Joint Managing Partner. Richard has, alongside Giles and the rest of the leadership team, spearheaded the firm through a transformative period of substantial growth over the past three years – which has seen us expand our footprint in key jurisdictions, deepen our focus on our core specialist areas of people and ideas, and evolve our way of working while defending, and enhancing, our precious culture - which is encapsulated in our imminent move to our new London HQ. It is incredibly exciting to have Jo jointly at the helm with Richard as we continue to evolve our firm. Her experience, insight and energy will bring huge value to the leadership team and to the firm. She is a great friend and colleague and I warmly congratulate her on her election.

I would also like to offer huge thanks to Giles for his service and guidance over the past years as he steps down from the role of Joint Managing Partner. He has brought so much to the leadership roles he has undertaken with us, but I also know that he is looking forward to continuing with the IP, media and regulatory work that he so enjoys, and to helping us push forward the Ideas element of our ‘Ideas, People, Possibilities’ strategy.”