London, England, United Kingdom
Justin Farrance oversees client engagement at A&O Shearman, working with senior management, clients and partners to harness responsible business strategy as a driver of commercial growth, trust and stronger client relationships. His focus is on aligning the firm’s global responsible business strategy with client priorities, strengthening the firm’s reputation and helping clients navigate the complex expectations placed on businesses. Justin began his career as an employment litigation lawyer at Allen & Overy and maintains his practising certificate. His experience includes a client secondment with the employment investigations team of a global tech company in London and an international role based in Dubai, leading responsible business across the META region. In 2025, he was named Emerging Leader of the Year at the EMEA Legal Benchmarking Group Awards. Outside of work, Justin founded GROW Mentoring, a registered charity recognised by the UK Prime Minister and McKinsey & Company. As Chairman of the Board of Trustees, he continues to support the organisation’s mission to widen access to the legal profession, benefitting 15,000 young people globally.
Leading client projects and responsible business engagement across inclusion, wellbeing, social impact and sustainability. Based in London with a global remit across 40+ offices. Six months spent on international secondment living and working across the firm’s Middle East business.
Visited 20 international offices in-person to lead and implement global DE&I initiatives internally and with clients.
Founded and scaled GROW Mentoring, a charity supporting more than 15,000 young people globally as they take their first steps into employment. Our work focuses on three areas: one‑to‑one mentoring, accessible events and career‑building opportunities. As CEO, I led a 40‑strong volunteer team, built partnerships with 50+ leading law firms and organisations, and grew annual revenue beyond £100,000. After six years leading the organisation, I stepped back from day‑to‑day management and now serve as Chair of the Board of Trustees, focusing on strategy, governance and long‑term partnerships.
Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling merged law firms on 1 May 2024.
Associate in the Employment Litigation team. Six months spent on secondment in Big Tech working as part of the Employment Law and Investigations team. Experience in workplace investigations, whistleblowing, discrimination claims and due diligence reviews.
1st seat - Corporate M&A 2nd seat - Employment litigation 3rd seat - International Capital Markets, Corp’ Trustee 4th seat - Employment secondment, Meta (Facebook)