International law firm Hogan Lovells has appointed Hamburg-based partner Leopold von Gerlach as Chair of its Board from 1 May 2018.

Leo will serve in the post for three years. He takes over from London real estate partner Nicholas Cheffings who will have served two full terms as Chair, starting in May 2012. Nicholas will continue with his market-leading commercial real estate practice. Prior to Nicholas Cheffings the previous Co-Chairs were Claudette Christian and John Young who held the post from 2010 to 2012.

The Chair is a member of the Hogan Lovells Board and oversees the ethos and standards of Hogan Lovells and can be held for up to two three-year terms. The Board comprises 12 members in total and has supervisory responsibility for overseeing the affairs of the firm, but without executive responsibility for strategy, management, and operating decisions. It provides input to the CEO and Hogan Lovells' International Management Committee. Members of the Board make up the Compensation Committee and are part of the Equity Elevation and Partner Advancement Committees which they chair. Membership of the Board is designed to reflect the broad scope of the business, with members representing a combination of geographic and other backgrounds.

Leo first joined the Board in May 2014 as the representative for Continental Europe and is an Intellectual Property, Media and Technology partner. As an accomplished IP litigator with extensive trial experience, Leo mainly acts against counterfeit and grey market goods, look-alikes, and other types of IP infringements. His clients from various industries include The LEGO Group, Citi, eBay, PayPal, Estee Lauder and Gibson Brands. He has been named as 'one of the leading names in trademark law' by the World Trademark Review 1000 report and has also been commended by Chambers for his strategic approach to IP litigation. He and Washington, DC partner Cate Stetson led the 2015-2016 project to produce the consolidated history of the firm.

As a member of the Board Leo has served on the Partner Advancement Committee, working with other members of the Board and members of the firm's International Management Committee on the promotion of associates and counsel to the partnership.

Commenting on the appointment of Leo, Hogan Lovells' current Chairs Nicholas Cheffings said: "Leo taking on the role of Chair is a natural step for him and for Hogan Lovells. Leo has been an excellent contributor to the Board as the elected representative for Continental Europe and he has a very deep sense of the culture, ethos and heritage of our firm."

Says Leo von Gerlach:

"Hogan Lovells is uniquely positioned in the market – it has unrivalled strengths on both sides of the Atlantic and a strong shared single sense of identity based on common values which transcend national boundaries. As the elected Board member for Continental Europe it has been very impressive to see just how cohesive we are as a firm and how well we collaborate and innovate for the benefit of our clients – something which they see as truly distinctive for us."

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"Hogan Lovells" or the "firm" is an international legal practice that includes Hogan Lovells US LLP and Hogan Lovells International LLP. For more information, see www.hoganlovells.com.