Legal Private Practice

Matthew founded Simmons & Hanbury in 2018. He has advised on executive search and legal consultancy services for many global listed corporations over the last two decades. Prior to establishing Simmons & Hanbury, Matthew held various senior leadership positions, including head of legal practice and head of legal consulting practice at other global search firms. Over the course of his career he has developed an extensive network of cross-border candidates and clients within financial services.

Matthew has in-depth expertise within the financial services sector and has successfully completed search assignments for some of the most prestigious financial services firms in the world. This includes banks, investment funds, private equity houses and leading law firms. In addition, he has completed numerous assignments for corporations across a range of industries. He also leads several high-profile general counsel networking events.

Before moving into executive search, Matthew obtained a Master’s degree in Business Management & Marketing at the University of Westminster.

Jonathan joined Simmons & Hanbury in 2021 to lead and grow the commerce and industry practice. He has specialised within in-house legal search for several years, completing numerous retained search assignments for global multinationals, SMEs and UK based businesses. He works with some of the most well-known and recognised brands in the world. Jonathan has also successfully worked with law firms and consultancies in relevant areas such as IP, Technology and Data Protection.

Jonathan is adept at assisting private equity portfolio companies with the placement of their first In-house Counsel, as well as functional Heads of Legal and General Counsel appointments. Jonathan leads General Counsel networking events, partnering with top tier law firms to deliver industry leading content for a variety of in-house legal disciplines. 

Prior to joining Simmons & Hanbury Jonathan was Head of Commerce & Industry for a leading governance search firm and studied English at the University of Birmingham.

Matthew is a Lawyer with over 3 decades of experience in the commercial and financial services sectors. He has worked as a Partner in the ‘Magic Circle’ and another major global law firm, leading teams that specialise in complex cross-border commercial work, with a particular emphasis on finance and structured investment, both in the UK and US.

During Matthew’s time as Managing Partner for financial services at BCLP, the firm was responsible for the highest number of lateral partner hires. In addition, he ran a large business in a global bank and later established the client-facing arm of a ‘Big Four’ global professional services firm together with a legal consultancy team.