Mr Doyle succeeds outgoing department head Andreas McConnell, a senior partner at the firm for the past 15 years who remains centrally involved in the business.

He has been a partner at the firm for the past nine years and is the co-author of the bi-annual Philip Lee M&A Insights Guide published in association with Experian.

Mr Doyle said: “We have a philosophy of ‘leading the way’, by building expert teams to deliver for our valued clients. Through the leadership of our partners, our teams think creatively and work collaboratively, with our clients at the core of everything we do.

“We are looking forward to continuing to invest in, and expand, our talent offering in corporate and M&A.”

The appointment comes as the firm says it plans to double the size of its corporate and M&A team — currently consisting of 10 M&A partners and a total team of 25 in corporate — over the next three years.

Founded in 1993, Philip Lee has a total staff of 180, including 40 partners and 40 lawyers.