Longtime Akin Gump Leader to Step Aside Next Year; MP Kim Koopersmith Will Be First Female Chair
Photo of Kim Koopersmith
courtesy of Akin Gump.
After 20 years at the helm, a longtime leader of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld will step aside in March, the firm announced Monday.
Chairman R. Bruce McLean, 65, will be replaced by New York litigator Kim Koopersmith, 53. Currently the firm’s United States managing partner, she will be its first woman to chair the 850-attorney law firm, reports Reuters.
McLean, who oversaw Akin Gump’s growth from a 300-attorney Texas regional firm to an international operation with 17 offices, will remain as senior executive partner.
He and Koopersmith said the firm is also considering downsizing its management committee, which currently has some 20 members, in the interest of efficiency.
A law firm press release provides additional details.
The Blog of Legal Times also has a story.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Akin Gump Appoints Female Litigator as First Managing Partner”
Inside Counsel: “7 transformative leaders in the legal profession”
