Mayer Brown promotes 39 lawyers to partner in US-focused round

Mayer Brown promotes 39 lawyers to partner in US-focused round

The Chicago firm joins a host of rivals increasing the partner ranks

Mayer Brown (MB) has promoted 39 lawyers to partner class, as it becomes the latest US firm to unveil a large number of promotions buoyed by strong financial performances and surging activity levels over the course of the pandemic.

Congratulating the new team, Mayer Brown's global chair Jon Van Gorp said, "This talented group of lawyers crosses multiple practice areas and geographies and certainly demonstrates that even in the light of the challenges of the last 18 months, they continue to deliver superior legal services."

The Chicago firm's latest promotions mark a significant increase from last year's round when it promoted 27 lawyers across its international network. It also sees 26 lawyers promoted to the position of counsel.

However, the gender balance ratio has slipped slightly this year from 29 per cent to 25 per cent, with 10 out of the 39 new partner slots going to women.

The majority of promotions have come from its US network, elevating a total of 26 lawyers, including 10 in Chicago, nine in New York and two in Washington DC. The numbers were similar to last year when almost a third (29 per cent) of the promotions came from its Chicago headquarters, while five moved up in New York and three made the cut in Washington.

Real estate expert Alexander Davis and corporate lawyer Stephanie Hurst were appointed in the firm's Los Angeles office, while corporate specialist Michael Cangolosi, dispute resolution lawyer Elspeth Hansen and banking associate Glenn Kunkes were the sole partner promotions in Houston, Northern California and Charlotte, respectively.

Real estate markets lawyer Wayne Cheng and litigation lawyer Wilson Fung moved up in the firm's Hong Kong office, which received a big boost over the summer with the arrival of a four-partner corporate and securities group from K&L Gates and LC Lawyers, Ernst & Young's Hong Kong legal arm.

The firm's Asia Pacific promotions were on par with last year when it promoted three lawyers. This year also saw banking and finance lawyer Sean Prior move up the ranks in Singapore.

Two lawyers, Priscilla Santos (banking) and Gustavo Scheffer da Silveira (dispute resolution) got the nod in Brazil a month after the firm's local affiliate Tauil & Chequer Advogados was raided by DLA Piper's Brazil-affiliate Campos Mellos for a five-lawyer team that included four partners.

The European promotions included five in London compared to just two last year, with two moving up in Paris and one in Dusseldorf.