Biglaw, Partner Issues

Kasowitz Benson Gets Two New Co-Managing Partners After A Year Of Insanity

Could this be related to all of the negative press the firm has received lately?

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Marc Kasowitz (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

Since taking on President Trump’s defense in the Russia probe — which exposed Marc Kasowitz of Kasowitz Benson to an ethics complaint, a scathing investigative report,[1] and an embarrassing public squabble with a critic — to later leaving the defense team, Kasowitz Benson has had quite the interesting year. Amid all of this lunacy, a former name partner left the firm to become a U.S. ambassador, and another top partner moved to a rival firm. That all said, the firm decided that it was due time to make some changes to its management team.

Marc Kasowitz isn’t going anywhere, but he’s getting some assistance in the form of two co-managing partners. Cindy Caranella Kelly, who focuses on civil litigation, and Wallace Schwartz, head of the firm’s real estate transactional group, have been appointed to oversee the administration of the firm. They will handle recruiting, lateral hiring, personel matters, business development plans, firm spending, and the summer associate program. Kelly and Schwartz will report directly to Kasowitz to “get[] him the information that he needs.”

Kelly and Schwartz claim their appointment is completely unrelated to the negative scrutiny the firm has been under since the beginning of the year. Here’s more information from the New York Law Journal:

“All decisions are ultimately Marc’s decisions, but with help and advice of the management committee,” Schwartz said, when asked how the appointments were made.

Still, the changes for Kasowitz Benson—where Kasowitz has been referred to as a benevolent dictator—suggest a shift toward the kind of management infrastructure that has long been routine at other Am Law 200 firms.

“The concept of institutionalizing some of these management tasks and positions I think is the goal here,” Schwartz said.

For what it’s worth, this is what Marc Kasowitz had to say about his two co-managing partners in a statement: “We are delighted that they have agreed to assume a greater leadership role within the firm, and we are all looking forward to their positive influence going forward.”

Congratulations to Cindy Caranella Kelly and Wallace Schwartz on their new roles at the firm — and good luck.

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[1] With regard to the ProPublica report, the firm has denied all material factual allegations, and maintains that the article is replete with inaccuracies.

Kasowitz Benson Adjusts Management Team Amid Tumultuous Year [New York Law Journal]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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