Meet Eduardo Leite: Brazil-Based Energy Lawyer Set to Lead Baker & McKenzie
In an unusual move for a United States-based law firm, Baker & McKenzie has appointed a Brazilian energy lawyer as its global chairman.
Eduardo Leite will take up his position at the helm of the Chicago-based international megafirm at the end of October. He presently works out of the Sao Paulo office and heads the firm’s international energy and mining practice as well as its Brazilian offices, reports the London Times.
He replaces John Conroy Jr., an American lawyer who held the firm’s top job for the last eight years. It hasn’t yet been decided whether Leite will relocate to Chicago, according to the newspaper.
“Given our brand, our people and our clients expect our leadership to be global,” Conroy tells the Am Law Daily. “There’s some additional excitement because we’ve never had a chair out of Latin America.”
In his new role, Leite will be in charge of day-to-day operations, chair Baker & McKenzie’s eight-member executive committee and oversee the firm’s international strategy.
Last updated at 10 a.m. CT Friday to correct the spelling of Sao Paulo.
