K&L Gates announces two successors to longtime leader Peter Kalis
Two lawyers have been named to replace Peter Kalis, the chairman and global managing partner of K&L Gates, the law firm announced on Monday.
Beginning in March 2017, Michael Caccese will become firm chairman and James Segerdahl will become global managing partner, according to a press release.
The firm announced earlier this month that Kalis, who has led the firm since 1997, would not seek a sixth term. During that time, the firm grew from 400 lawyers in six offices to nearly 2,000 lawyers in 46 offices here and abroad. More recently, the firm has experienced declining revenues and partner defections that some attributed to a management autocracy.
Segerdahl is “extremely well-liked” and was seen as a consensus candidate, according to a Sept. 6 story by Law.com (sub. req.) that took a look at potential successors to Kalis. He is an insurance coverage lawyer who is vice chairman and general counsel of the law firm.
Caccese, on the other hand, is a rainmaking partner “in the mold of Kalis,” according to the Law.com story. He is currently vice chairman for practice management and is a global leader of the firm’s financial services practice.
