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By Julia Berris
US FIRM McDermott Will
& Emery is gearing up for a
leadership election. But the
firm is not facing a revolution
any time soon – all
three candidates vying to
replace chairman Harvey
Freishtat form part of the
firm’s traditional core.
As reported on The
Lawyer.com last week (17
March), New York head and
litigation partner Peter
Sacripanti, Chicago litigation
head Jeff Stone and
Washington DC litigation
partner Bobby Burchfield all
have their eyes on becoming
Freishtat’s successor.
Burchfield is a solo
competitor, but it is thought
that Stone and Sacripanti
are making a joint bid for
the chairman role.
Although the new term
will not begin until next
year, the firm’s 21-strong
management committee
will make its final decision
on the appointment later
this month and will
announce the result to the
wider partnership at the
beginning of April.
But with the firm’s international
network, and London
in particular, appearing
sidelined under Freishtat’s
tenure, do any of the three
candidates have the vision
to revitalise the firm’s
international strategy?
“I suspect all three will pay
lip service to international
growth,” says one former
London partner. “Ultimately
the firm hasn’t got the
flexibility to create a credible
international firm. I’m not
even sure they want that.”
McDermott’s London
office has suffered a string
of defections in recent years.
They include employment
head Fraser Younson, who
joined Berwin Leighton
Paisner in 2006; head of
corporate William Charnley,
who defected to Mayer
Brown in 2007; and IP head
Larry Cohen, who joined
Latham & Watkins in 2007.
Freishtat and the firm’s
management committee
have been criticised for their
handling of McDermott’s
international practice after
previous chairman Larry
Gerber kick-started the
firm’s overseas efforts during
his 13-year tenure.
“The firm has attempted
to expand, but London’s
been run into the ground,”
says a source close to the
firm. “Freishtat hasn’t been a
dynamic leader. That’s what
the firm needs next.”
After five years under
Freishtat, McDermott
certainly needs some new
life injected into its global
capabilities. But with only
one London partner, Peter
Nias, on the management
committee, the UK
partnership has limited
influence on decisions that
are made largely in the US.
“London’s voice isn’t
heard,” insists a former
lawyer. “The old-guard
Chicago partners are the
most influential. None of
these candidates has a particular
international focus
as it is, so who they select is
irrelevant to London.”
All three litigators standing
for election are prominent
figures on the US side
of McDermott’s practice.
As New York head, Sacripanti
was responsible for
building up the firm’s Manhattan
office, hiring a number
of former colleagues from
his previous firm Dewey
Ballantine (now Dewey &
LeBoeuf), including corporate
partner Timothy Alvino.
Stone, meanwhile, represents
the firm’s traditional
Chicago-centric faction.
“If you’d asked me five
years ago who’d be likely to
stand for election in 2009, I
would have said these two,”
says a former partner. “Both
have a traditional McDermott
perspective and are
likely to focus on the
domestic market during the
downturn.”
In contrast, Burchfield is
a reasonably new recruit to
the firm, having moved from
Covington & Burling in 2004
to co-head the firm’s DC
office. A well-known Republican
adviser, Burchfield has a
strong relationship with both
George Bush senior and
junior.
Although all the candidates
are formidable figures,
none have inspired much
confidence about the fate of
the London office.
“I don’t know [Burchfield]
well, but Stone and
Sacripanti have barely
visited London at all,” says a
London partner. “Considering
they’re important
management figures
gunning for the chairman
role, this isn’t a good sign.”
Each candidate is thought
to have visited McDermott’s
network of offices to canvass
THE LAWYER
23 MARCH 2009
McDermott City partners anticipate cold
shoulder as trio vie for chairman post
London’s been
run into the ground.
Freishtat hasn’t been
a dynamic leader.
That’s what the firm
needs next
Bobby Burchfield
Burchfield joined
McDermott from
Covington & Burling in
2004 to become co-head
of the Washington DC
office and head of the
complex litigation
group.
Serving on the firm’s
executive committee
along with holding a
place on the firmwide
management committee
makes Burchfield an
influential figure in the
Chicago-based firm.
Burchfield is a regular
Burchfield:
influential figure
REUTERS
Call us.
Because you don’t
want us calling you.
adviser to Republican
politicians and was
general counsel to
President George Bush
senior during his 1992
re-election campaign.
More recently George
Bush junior appointed
Burchfield to serve as
#THE CONTENDERS
commissioner on the
Antitrust Modernisation
Commission.
“He’s a very political
person and made a big
splash by coming into
the firm as co-head of
DC,” says a former
partner. “While he’s a
relatively new partner, he
represents a traditional
domestic focus at
McDermott.”
Peter Sacripanti
Sacripanti’s practice
focuses on corporates in
the energy sector. A
longstanding adviser of
Exxon, Sacripanti acts as
national trial counsel on
product liability matters.
As well as heading
the New York office,
Sacripanti sits on both
the executive and
management
committees.
Well known for
McDermott leadership
aspirations, Sacripanti
played a crucial role in
incumbent chairman
Harvey Freishtat’s 2004
election campaign,
acting as an unofficial
campaign leader.
Jeff Stone
A partner since 1991,
Stone represents the
Chicago headquarters
in the leadership battle.
Like Sacripanti, Stone’s
leadership desires have
been clear, and he was
an expected candidate.
Stone is head of
the trial department,
focusing on white-collar
criminal defence,
complex commercial
cases and internal
investigations.
support in recent months.
Taking the role in 2010 will
be a challenge for any of
the three, with the global
economy showing no signs
of immediate recovery.
“Changing leadership is
disruptive for any firm,”
explains a former partner.
“McDermott needs a
dynamic leader to bring it
back to life in the US and
internationally.”
McDermott declined to
comment on the election,
with a spokesperson saying:
“The firm’s election process
is a private partnership
matter on which we’re not
able to comment.”
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