Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
It doesn’t just mean people with the biggest books of business, but the ones who can get the most out of the power of the blend. That blend together is going to be more than the sum of its parts.
If you’re a tough firm with sharp elbows, bringing on a [different type of] group … might not be the right fit for you. If you’re like us, who like to focus a lot on being energized at work and having happy teams, we put a higher value on the individual’s personality. Are they nice, are they humble, are they collaborative? Those are important characteristics for us.
— Ira Coleman, chairman of McDermott Will & Emery, in comments given to the American Lawyer, on why it’s just as important to find lateral partner candidates who fit in with a firm’s business model and culture as it is to find lateral partner candidates with big books of business. McDermott made 40 lateral partner additions over the course of the 2024.
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
