4 Leading Litigators Leave Cadwalader For Greenberg Traurig
The head of this group is a major rainmaker, but not necessarily fun to work for.
We recently reported on a slowdown in litigation at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, causing litigation associates to “drop[] like flies.” And they’re not the only ones leaving (some of them involuntarily, or so we hear); partners are heading for the exits as well.
Earlier this week, four CWT litigation partners announced their departure for Greenberg Traurig. The GT-bound partners are Louis Solomon, Colin Underwood, Michael Lazaroff, and Hal Shaftel. Solomon, a significant rainmaker, is the most prominent of the four; he served as co-chair of Cadwalader’s litigation department, and he will serve as global co-head of the international litigation practice at GT. We understand that they’ll be joined by several associates.
If the names of all four sound familiar, they should; we covered their move to Cadwalader from Proskauer back in 2010. Some viewed their hiring as a coup for Cadwalader, while others weren’t sad to see them go — basically because, in the opinion of some, Lou Solomon can be difficult to work for.
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And one of our Cadwalader sources also isn’t a fan, sharing these opinions about Solomon:
Lou Solomon took over litigation a few years ago in a coup d’etat of sorts. [Ed. note: for more on that coup, see this prior post.] He promised to revitalize the practice group and make it more well respected, a tough challenge given that CWT is overwhelmingly transactional.
But he was a major problem internally re: CWT’s increasingly ambitious diversity agenda. He actively tried to sabotage the CWT’s women sponsorship program (which resulted in three women making partner this past year). Male partners gave him leeway on his anti-diversity views, chalking it up to his orthodox religious identity.
What effect, if any, will Solomon have on diversity at Greenberg Traurig? Time will tell.
This isn’t the firm time GT has nabbed a notable rainmaker with a challenging personality from CWT. Back in 2011, Dennis Block made the same move (and remains at Greenberg Traurig today, where he serves as senior chairman of the firm’s global corporate M&A practice).
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We reached out to both firms for comment yesterday, after noticing the four partners vanished from Cadwalader’s website (although not yet up on Greenberg Traurig’s). CWT confirmed receipt of our inquiry; if we get a response, we will add it to this story as an update.
UPDATE (1:45 p.m.): Here is the Cadwalader statement: “Cadwalader’s strong and diverse litigation practice includes more than 40 partners and counsel and is highly ranked by major legal publications. The firm will continue to invest in building upon this strength. We wish our former partners success in the future.”
GT sent us a copy of their press release about the new partners — who are now up on the firm’s website — and we’ve posted the release on the next page. As it notes, these arrivals are just the latest additions to Greenberg Traurig’s talent stable:
The new team follows on the heels of the firm adding former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, a litigation shareholder who leads the firm’s Cybersecurity and Crisis Management Practice; new Co-Chair of the White Collar Criminal Defense Practice, Marc Mukasey; Litigation Shareholder Robert Frenchman; and former Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Susan Phillips Read, who also joined the firm’s New York office in 2016. Greenberg Traurig is the only law firm in New York State with two former New York Court of Appeals judges.
Greenberg Traurig is sticking to its historical practice of growth through the addition of specific lawyers and groups as opposed to growth via merger. As you may have noticed in today’s Morning Docket, it has decided not to go forward with any merger with London-based Berwin Leighton Paisner.
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If you have interesting information to share with us about Cadwalader, Greenberg Traurig, or any other leading law firm, please email us or text us (646-820-8477). Yes, Supreme Court nominations and presidential elections are fun, but let’s not neglect Biglaw during these exciting times.
