Freehills managing partner Peter Butler has resigned his post after nearly five years leading the firm with co-managing partner Gavin Bell. Butler will transfer to Freehills' Sydney-based litigation group and will not be replaced, leaving Bell as the head of the firm.

“I wanted to let you know Peter Butler has decided to return to his roots as a commercial litigator,” Bell said in an e-mail to Freehills staff. “He has always maintained a practice during his period as managing partner and will now focus on building it.”

Bell commended Butler for his dedication to developing the firm and taking lead roles in initiatives such as integration and the rebranding of the firm from Freehill, Hollingdale & Page. Butler will continue to hold a number of management roles, including chair of the partnership candidate evaluation panel. “I’m still fascinated by the strategy and management of a professional services business and I’m very keen to stay involved in that,” Butler said.

Butler’s decision to step down from the responsibilities of managing partner stems from his belief that a law firm’s managing partner has a use-by-date. “You’ve got five years to have your ideas to try and put them into place and really after that you just don’t need the sort of skills I’ve got to administer them,” he said. “Fundamentally I’m really happy to get back to practice.”