Global law firm unveils 2022 partner class, comprises 54 distinguished lawyers from around the world.
A global law firm has announced the promotion of 54 lawyers to partners and directors on January 1, 2022. The promotions span 11 practice areas and cover various locations worldwide, reflecting the firm's commitment to fostering talent and diversity.
In the United States, Jared Kaplan was promoted in the corporate, M&A, and securities practice area, based in New York. Meanwhile, Joseph Drapalski and Rafe Schaefer were promoted in the litigation and disputes practice area, based in Los Angeles and Houston, respectively. Additionally, Eric Green was promoted in the intellectual property practice area, based in Austin.
Across the border in Canada, Robin Acworth, Veronique Barry, Scott Boucher, Brian Chau, Matthew Choi, Jenna Anne de Jong, Russell Dufault, Alison FitzGerald, Caroline Jodoin, Jonathan Lafrance, Brigitte LeBlanc-Lapointe, Jennifer McPherson, Brian Milne, Fahad Siddiqui, Joshua Sprague, Nikita Stepin, and Tim Stewart were promoted in various practice areas.
In the United Kingdom, Marianne McMahon was promoted to the general counsel position, while Nicolas Sirtoli was promoted in the corporate, M&A, and securities practice area, both based in London. Louisa Roe was promoted in the real estate practice area, also based in London. Furthermore, James Lockwood was promoted in the litigation and disputes practice area.
Internationally, Rachel Chan was promoted in the corporate, M&A, and securities practice area, based in Hong Kong. Gerry Pecht, the Global Chief Executive of the law firm, congratulated the promoted lawyers for their industry knowledge, business acumen, and innovative solutions.
In Australia, Kate Green and Harriet Oldmeadow were promoted in the litigation and disputes practice area, based in Sydney. In South Africa, Paul Cartwright was promoted to the director position in the litigation and disputes practice area, based in Johannesburg.
The promotions also include lawyers in the banking and finance practice area. Dimitri Millas was promoted in Houston, United States, while Fiona Henderson was promoted in New York, United States. Alex Zekkos was promoted in London, United Kingdom, and Veit Sahlfeld was promoted in Hamburg.
In the antitrust and competition practice area, Helen Fairhead was promoted in London, United Kingdom. In the employment and labor practice area, Claudia Posluschny was promoted in Munich, and Kimberly Cheeseman was promoted in Houston, United States. Darren Smith was promoted in the intellectual property practice area, also based in Houston.
In the projects practice area, Laura Kiwelu was promoted in London, United Kingdom, and Rebecca Abou-Chedid was promoted in Washington, DC, United States. Blake Redwine was promoted in the corporate, M&A, and securities practice area, based in Dallas, United States. Matthew Buckle, Geraldine Young, Anna Rudawski, Denton Nichols, Daniel Ng, Victoria Corder, Alberta Yan, Bernd Dreier, and Zayba Drabu were promoted in the litigation and disputes practice area. Rebecca Winthrop was promoted in the bankruptcy, financial restructuring, and insolvency practice area, based in Los Angeles, United States.
The promotions reflect the firm's ongoing commitment to gender diversity. Twenty-three of the 54 promoted lawyers are women, representing 43 percent of the total. The firm has a gender diversity target of 40 percent women in its partnership, leadership roles, lawyer promotions, lateral additions, and senior business services hires. This target aligns with evolving regulations and the expectations of newer legal talent generations, who prioritize equitable and inclusive workplaces.
[1] Irish Gender Balance on Boards regulations [2] Baker McKenzie's gender diversity targets [3] Morgan Lewis's diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy [4] The role of law firms in promoting gender diversity
