Why White & Case is leaning into lateral partner teams

White & Case Chair Heather McDevitt spoke with The American Lawyer about the Firm's recent history of group lateral hiring and how the Firm integrates lateral partners into its global platform.

"We think multiple partners can make a lot of sense to make the transition to new firms easier," McDevitt said. "They can accelerate integration because a team will necessarily have multiple points of contact. They can meet a larger number of partners. And clients may be more comfortable with an entire team or a critical mass of a team that remains together and is more easily integrated into the firm."

"The people joining us put a lot of trust in us, and we put a lot of trust in them," McDevitt said. "So to have processes in place to maximize their success is really important to us."

Richard Brand, Jonathan Polkes and Elizabeth Holland, all of whom joined the Firm with lateral teams in 2025 and early 2026, also spoke about the value of moving to White & Case with a group of other partners, and how the Firm's bespoke integration process benefits clients, their teams and the Firm.

Of the 63 lateral partners hired by White & Case since January 2025, 24 have come in eight groups ranging from two to four partners each.

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