Keker & Van Nest to get a new name partner
From left: John Keker, Bob Van Nest and Elliot Peters.
Keker & Van Nest will be getting a makeover thanks to its decision to elevate a longtime partner to shingle status.
The firm announced Monday that, as of Jan.1, 2017, the firm will be known as Keker Van Nest & Peters in recognition of litigation partner Elliot Peters. A former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Peters joined Keker & Van Nest in 1991 and has represented a number of high-profile clients, including Lance Armstrong, the Major League Baseball Players Association and Twitter.
“Elliot embodies the values of this firm: he’s an outstanding trial lawyer, a tenacious fighter, and caring friend and colleague. I am delighted for him and our firm,” founding partner John Keker said in a statement.
Peters, for his part, was excited by the move. “This is the best law firm in America, and to have my name associated with it in this way is incredible,” said Peters in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to practice here for decades.”
According to The Recorder, the move was more about recognizing Peters than establishing who will succeed founding partners Keker and Robert Van Nest, both of whom are nearing retirement age.
“It was based on Elliot’s accomplishments,” firm managing partner Steven Taylor told the Recorder. “He’s earned it. That being said, Elliot is not John and Bob. They’ve got full plates, they’re going to be around for a long time, but he’s a little bit younger. But it wasn’t for that reason.” Taylor also told the Recorder that Peters’s elevation sends out a signal that the firm will remain committed to high-level litigation and taking cases to trial.
Keker & Van Nest’s name expansion flies in the face of the recent trend of large law firms going with shorter names for branding purposes.
