Globally, our site spotlights 54 lawyers in its 2022 partner cohort.
In a significant move, global law firm Baker McKenzie has promoted 54 lawyers to partner and director positions across 11 practice areas worldwide, effective January 1, 2022. The promotions span various regions, including Munich, London, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney, Perth, Houston, Johannesburg, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Dallas, and Hamburg.
The promotions are as follows:
Litigation and Disputes Practice Area - Annabelle Wheeler (Munich/London) - James Lockwood (London) - Matthew Buckle (London) - Geraldine Young (Houston) - Paul Cartwright (Johannesburg) - Joseph Drapalski (Los Angeles) - Zayba Drabu (London) - Nathan Baum (Dallas) - Rafe Schaefer (Houston) - James Lockwood (London)
Corporate, M&A and Securities Practice Area - Nicolas Sirtoli (London) - Jared Kaplan (New York) - Blake Redwine (Dallas) - Bernd Dreier (Munich) - Alberta Yan (New York) - Rachel Chan (Hong Kong) - Robin Acworth (Canada) (Details of practice area not specified) - Nikita Stepin (Canada) (Details of practice area not specified) - Tim Stewart (Canada) (Details of practice area not specified) - Scott Boucher (Canada) (Details of practice area not specified) - Laura Kiwelu (London) - Justin Coddington (Houston) - Dimitri Millas (Houston) - Klake Redwine (Dallas)
Banking and Finance Practice Area - Alex Zekkos (London) - Fiona Henderson (New York) - Veit Sahlfeld (Hamburg) - Dimitri Millas (Houston)
Projects Practice Area - Laura Kiwelu (London) - Rebecca Abou-Chedid (Washington D.C.)
Antitrust and Competition Practice Area - Helen Fairhead (London)
Real Estate Practice Area - Louisa Roe (London)
Bankruptcy, Financial Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Area - Rebecca Winthrop (Los Angeles)
Information Governance, Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Area - Anna Rudawski (New York)
Employment and Labor Practice Area - Claudia Posluschny (Munich) - Kimberly Cheeseman (Houston)
Tax Practice Area - Jennifer McPherson (Canada) (Details of practice area not specified) - Brian Milne (Canada) (Details of practice area not specified) - Jonathan Lafrance (Canada) (Details of practice area not specified)
General Counsel - Marianne McMahon (London)
The promoted lawyers represent a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise, reflecting the firm's commitment to delivering high-quality legal services to its clients.
Gerry Pecht, the Global Chief Executive of Baker McKenzie, congratulated the promoted lawyers for their industry knowledge, business acumen, and innovative solutions. He emphasized the firm's ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, with a specific gender diversity target of 40% women, 40% men, and 20% flexible (including women, men, or non-binary persons) by 2025.
Twenty-three of the 54 promoted lawyers are women, constituting 43% of the total. However, the exact alignment of these promotions with the firm's 2025 gender diversity target is not yet clear from the available data.
As the legal industry continues to grapple with closing the gender gap at the partner level, despite significant improvements among associates, Baker McKenzie's promotions represent a step towards a more inclusive and diverse legal profession.
Sources: 1. Law360 2. Baker McKenzie 3. The American Lawyer
- These promotions within Baker McKenzie, spanning various practice areas such as finance, business, and careers, are a testament to the diverse range of expertise and commitment towards delivering high-quality legal services.
- With an impressive 43% of the promoted lawyers being women, the recent partnership and director promotions at Baker McKenzie are significant strides towards achieving gender diversity in the legal profession.
