Well, it’s been a tough few months for Mayer Brown. And now we are looking at the biggest casualty of all. Mayer Brown chairman James Holzhauer informed the firm that he would be stepping down at the end of the year. From the firm wide email:

Thus, it was with great difficulty that I informed the partnership at a meeting this morning that I intend to step down as Chairman effective at the end of the year, or earlier if a successor is chosen and ready to take over.

AmLaw Daily reports some recent facts from Holzhauer’s tenure:

Mayer Brown has certainly had more than its fair share of upheaval in recent years. Within the past two years alone, more than 100 partners have left the firm, 45 through a mass de-equitization in March 2007.

The firm has lost at least 15 partners since last August, when restructuring group cochair Raniero “Ron” D’Aversa, Jr., defected for Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

But there were lots of positives too:

“The firm is going to move forward quite well, and we’ve actually weathered some of the financial storms better than our competitors because we are geographically and practice area diversified,” he says. “We’re going to feel some bumps, sure, but our litigation practice is actually quite busy.”

Read the full departure memo after the jump.

MAYER BROWN — STATEMENT — CHAIRMAN STEPPING DOWN

It has been my privilege to serve as Mayer Brown’s Chairman for the past two years, to serve as a member of P&P for 11 years and to be involved in various positions of firm management for even longer. While the Chairman’s role has often been challenging, it has also been rewarding beyond my expectations. I am honored and humbled to have been entrusted with the leadership of our firm.

Thus, it was with great difficulty that I informed the partnership at a meeting this morning that I intend to step down as Chairman effective at the end of the year, or earlier if a successor is chosen and ready to take over.

I have been working diligently during the past year to deal with some health issues. Most of them have been put to rest, but a few have lingered. While these issues are serious, they are manageable with the proper care and attention, which I intend to devote to them. After I step down, I will continue as a partner with the firm’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group.

It has been my great pleasure and honor to lead this outstanding law firm. I am proud of what we have accomplished together, and I am confident that the firm will thrive in the years ahead. We have broadened our geographic and practice area diversity, thereby enhancing our ability to serve client needs on a truly global basis. We have taken great strides in working together across practice and geographic boundaries, to the benefit of both our clients and the firm. And we have continued to attract and promote the best and brightest lawyers, thereby helping to assure the firm’s future.

These are uncertain times for the legal profession, and for the world economy. But one thing about which I have no doubt is Mayer Brown’s future. This is a firm of exceptional strengths, capabilities and resilience. While those attributes will be tested by the difficult days and choices that lie ahead, I am certain we will not be found wanting.

I am proud to have played my part in making Mayer Brown what it is today and helping to build the foundation for what it will become tomorrow. I enthusiastically look forward to continuing my career as a partner at Mayer Brown.

Jim

Mayer Brown Chairman to Step Down [AmLaw Daily]