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NYLJ.COM | Partnership | MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2014 | 3

INSIDE

New York Sees Growth in Partner Promotions,

While Firmwide Numbers Remain Steady

2012. Sullivan & Cromwell promoted seven “In the last several years, the legal
BY CHRISTINE SIMMONS
New York lawyers, up by four promotions market is not growing. Revenue has been
in the city.
a challenge for every firm,” he said, get-
A SURVEY of New York’s largest firms The NYLJ’s analysis of firm-wide and ting better only “to a modest degree”
shows a slight uptick in the number of New York figures do not include Fried, lately.

lawyers promoted to partner last year.
Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, ranked “Generally, law firms are much more
But the relatively low number of pro- No. 18 in the New York Law Journal 100. disciplined about more partners and
motions overall reflects a post-recession The firm, which last announced new that includes us. So in some respects,
trend of firms closely managing their partner promotions in August 2012, will it’s harder to make partner,” Gartner
equity partnership ranks while demand announce promotions in March, a spokes- said.
for legal services remains flat.
woman said.
Gibson Dunn’s new partner class includ-
The 24 law firms employing the most Firms generally didn’t indicate whether ed no Manhattan-based lawyers. Shearman
lawyers in the state—the top quarter their promotions were to equity partner- & Sterling and Schulte Roth & Zabel each
S6 A Behind-the-Scenes of the New York Law Journal 100 rank- ship. Thirteen of the top quarter firms promoted only one New York partner, like
Look at Partner Recruiting
ings—promoted 100 New York lawyers have nonequity partners, according to the year before.
BY JENNIFER MARKMAN in 2013, compared with 84 in 2012 and data from the National Law Journal 350 Ken Doran, Gibson Dunn chairman and
AND KATHERINE BRANDT
93 in 2011.
survey. Firms with only equity partners managing partner, said partnership classes
“We’ve seen very careful management include Skadden, Paul Weiss, Davis Polk, vary each year. He said the New York office
Best Practices of equity partnership head count,” said Simpson Thacher, Sullivan & Cromwell, had four promotions the year before, and
S8 Gretta Rusanow, senior client adviser at Cleary Gottlieb, Debevoise & Plimpton, it added four lateral partners in 2013. “New
For Integrating Diverse Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group,
Cravath, Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Kirkland, York is our largest office and one of our
And Women Laterals Based on 2013 third quarter data, equity Schulte and Jones Day, according to the fastest growing offices,” he said.
BY JEREMIAH A. DeBERRY
partner head count at Am Law 100 firms, NLJ data.
Addressing Shearman’s figures, Doreen

which includes nearly all of the 24 firms, Lilienfeld, a Shearman partner and co-
S10 Partnership Succession: was down about 0.5 percent, a larger Promotions in New York
adviser of its WISER initiative, which
How to Protect Clients drop than in firms with fewer attorneys, promotes women’s success and retention,
And Save Your Firm Rusanow said.
At Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sulli- said more than half of its attorneys reside
“There are more partners leaving van, seven of the firm’s 13 new partners outside the United States.
BY ED POLL
[large law firm partnerships] than being are in New York, an increase firmwide Lilienfeld joined the firm’s New York
promoted,” either through retirements or and in Manhattan. Peter Calamari, man- office, transferred to California and
S11 Launch and Build attrition, Rusanow said.
aging partner of the New York office, made partner on the heels of the dot-

A Flourishing
“Firms are very focused on running said the firm increased its new partner com bubble, then moved back to New
Boutique Firm
a tight ship and this is a reflection of class because it had a “talented class York. “At Shearman, making partner in a
BY BRUCE B. BARKET
that—that performance is important in an of people” last year. “We just happened particular office doesn’t mean you’re in
environment where demand and revenue to have quite a number in the New York a career path at that office,” Lilienfeld.
growth are hard to come by,” she said.
office,” he said.
“We have a lot more fluidity than other
S12 At What Price Many of the gains in New York partner “Our practice is international and there- firms.”
A Big Law Partnership? promotions were slight. For instance, Paul, fore people who are in New York might be A Schulte spokeswoman declined to
BY WILLIAM McGRANE Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Davis working on a case in California and vice comment.
Polk & Wardwell; Weil, Gotshal & Manges; versa,” Calamari said.
AND GEORGE McKEEGAN
Cravath, Swaine & Moore; and Proskauer The firm’s growing head count and Women Partners
Rose increased their partner promotions expansion into practice areas such as
in New York by one in 2013.
international arbitration and products Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman &
Kris Fischer, Editor-In-Chief Six of the 24 firms promoted fewer liability also makes more lawyers eligible Dicker announced six attorneys were pro-
Angela Turturro, Sections Editor New York partners, including Skadden, for partnership, he said.
moted to partner for 2014, a drop from
Rafal Pytel, Designer
Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Cleary Got- Willkie Farr & Gallagher also moderately 17 two years ago. The promotions were
tlieb Steen & Hamilton; White & Case; increased its New York and firmwide pro- to contract partner positions, said Julie
Kirkland & Ellis; and Gibson, Dunn & motions. A combination of talented law- Evans, managing partner of the firm’s New S
S
Crutcher.
yers, “a good year” and some retirements York City office.
© 2014 ALM MEDIA PROPERTIES, LLC.
THE NEW YORK LAW JOURNAL ® Meanwhile, firms in the top quarter of led to the new partner class, said Willkie Evans said a total of 16 other attorneys
IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK the NYLJ 100 promoted 88 women firm- co-chairman Steven Gartner.
were promoted to of counsel and equity
OF ALM MEDIA PROPERTIES, LLC.
wide, about 29 percent of new partners “Retirements are one factor in the partner positions last year, changes typi-
made in all offices.
decision to make new partners because cally announced internally. The firm has
COVER: ISTOCK, RAFAL PYTEL
As Am Law Daily noted this year, several we look at overall year-to-year partner the same quality standards for of counsel
large firms promoted no women to partner growth. They are not dispositive, nor is and contract partners, Evans said.
in their latest promotions. Among them it the case that very talented associates Two-thirds of Wilson Elser’s new con-
are Davis Polk, Cleary Gottlieb, Gibson cannot make partner if there are no retire- tract partners are women. Evans said the Not exactly the position
you had in mind?
Dunn, and Schulte Roth & Zabel.
ments,” he said.
firm has mentoring and support programs Start your search.
A few firms boosted their numbers of Gartner acknowledged that the sluggish and multiple firm offices are led by women, Vist Lawjobs.com today.
new partners. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett legal market in recent years and the tradi- all of which “creates a great environment
and Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman tional “up or out” policy for associates of for women to succeed.”
each promoted six new partners in New New York-based firms has made the road At Willkie, the firm’s new partner class
York last year, a significant increase from
to partnership a steep climb.
included one woman, Maria- » Page S5
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