Berwin Leighton Paisner to weigh in heavy on one side MERGER: new corporate identity and reshuffle of partnersThe merger of City firms Berwin Leighton and Paisner & Co officially took place this week, with Berwin Leighton Paisner revealing a new management board tilted in favour of Berwins partners, and a new corporate identity.The firm will be managed by 15 practice groups each headed by a partner, and together forming four main departments: corporate, property, finance and litigation.Although the leading positions had already been announced, with former Paisner senior partner Harold Paisner, and Berwin Leighton managing partner Neville Eisenberg, retaining their positions, the balance of power among the newly announced heads of groups is in favour of Berwins.Of 24 work group heads,15 are former Berwins partners, while nine are from Paisners.

All four managing partners of the main practice groups are former Berwins partners.

The firm said the balance reflects the relative sizes of the firms pre-merger.Berwins had a total of 265 fee-earners including 60 partners.

Paisners had 56 partners, but only 162 fee-earners.

The management board slightly redresses the balance, with seven Paisners partners and nine from Berwins.Meanwhile, the firm has launched a corporate identity using a typeface especially designed for its use called asterisk.To raise awareness of its new name, the firm is using a series of word and number puzzles including anagrams playing on the letters of the firms name.The firm also launched a Web site: www.berwinleightonpaisner.comJeremy Fleming