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3. 59 partners leave A&O Shearman outside Asia…

Layoffs

59 partners leave A&O Shearman outside Asia since decision to trim 10% of equity partnership

By Debra Cassens Weiss

April 28, 2025, 3:19 pm CDT

Twenty-five U.S. partners are among the 59 partners who left A&O Shearman since its decision last year to trim 10% of its global equity partnership, according to a count by Law.com.

The count does not include 15 partners who left A&O Shearman in Asia, as previously reported by Law.com. Butit does include partners who left in the United States, London, Europe, Africa and Australia.

A&O Shearman said last year the partner cuts were “a difficult but necessary step forward” following the merger between Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. About 45 partners who left joined other law firms.

A&O Shearman said it currently has around 800 partners worldwide, which is about the same number that it had when it announced the cuts. It is unclear why the current number isn’t lower, according to Law.com.

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3. Nearly 30 legal entities may leave Utah’s…

Access to Justice

Nearly 30 legal entities may leave Utah’s regulatory sandbox program after state tightens rules

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 4, 2025, 1:45 pm CST

At least 27 law firms and businesses may be leaving a Utah program that permits nontraditional legal services providers to operate in the state, including firms operated by nonlawyers, according to a published report.

The exodus follows a tightening of regulations governing the program, Reuters reports.

Under the new rules, program participants must show that they will reach Utah consumers currently underserved by the legal market, and that the impact is substantial compared to an entity’s overall reach. National and international companies serving only a small number of Utah residents don’t qualify.

Utah appellate court administrator Nick Stiles told Reuters that at least 27 participants in the program have left or may be leaving because they are withdrawing or being terminated because of the changes.

Only about a dozen participants remain in the program, according to Reuters. Records indicate that those companies use technology to lower legal costs or use nonlawyers to provide legal services in areas such as medical debt and domestic violence, the article reports.

Rocket Lawyer is among the companies withdrawing from the program, Reuters reports. The online legal services company is shifting efforts to Arizona after it won approval in the state’s program, said Jack Rives, president of Rocket Lawyer subsidiary Rocket Legal Professional Services, in a statement to Reuters. Rives is the former executive director of the ABA.

Rocket Lawyer was one of the first entities approved to participate in the Utah program.

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3. A few partners leave Cravath despite changes…

Law Firms

A few partners leave Cravath despite changes that generate more money for superstars

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 8, 2024, 10:53 am CST

Updated: Cravath, Swaine & Moore lost three partners to competitor law firms in January, illustrating that “Cravath is now in the ranks of other New York firms that routinely see partnership shuffles,” according to an article from Law.com.

“Cravath is entering a critical time, where its traditional approaches to retaining talent are being tested and its hiring strategy questioned,” the article reports.

The new period begins following the retirement of Evan Chesler from the firm’s litigation department at the end of 2023. He was head of the litigation department from 1996 to 2005, the firm’s presiding partner from 2007 to 2012, and firm chairman from 2013 to 2021, according to a firm bio.

In the past few years, Cravath has eliminated lockstep partner compensation, a move that can help retain and recruit top performers, and it has created a new nonequity partnership tier, which can free up more money for star lawyers. The firm also added a Washington, D.C., office in 2022, staffed with “top government hires,” according to Law.com.

But Cravath has hired few partners from competitor firms. That could explain why competitors who made similar structural changes while poaching talent are seeing good financial results, according to Law.com. Cravath’s chief competitors are in the top five for average profits per equity partner, while Cravath was No. 13 in the most recent rankings from 2022.

“In an otherwise-zero-sum game for macro-environment legal services, if you are going to grow, you have to go and take market share from others,” said recruiter Scott Yaccarino, co-founder of Empire Search, in an interview with Law.com. “It is tough to do organically.”

Several experts who spoke with Law.com pointed out, however, that Cravath has an “enviable client base,” it is involved in many big cases and deals, and it is an “elite brand” known for it’s top-quality lawyering. It is also one of the most profitable firms of its size.

“Cravath isn’t out to prove anything to anyone,” said recruiter Alisa Levin, founder of Greene-Levin-Snyder, in an interview with Law.com. “They don’t feel they need to. They still have an amazing franchise that they are relying on.”

Updated Feb. 8 at 1:40 p.m. to correctly state Evan Chesler’s positions at Cravath, Swaine & Moore.