Steptoe & Johnson Names Renigar Law Firm's First Woman Chair (1) - Bloomberg Law
Steptoe & Johnson has elected Washington litigation partner Gwendolyn Prothro Renigar as its executive committee chair, the first woman and youngest lawyer to hold the role.
Renigar, currently the firm’s 48-year-old vice chair and general counsel, will take over as chair effective Jan. 1, 2022. She succeeds Philip West, who has held the chair position for eight years and will remain with the firm as partner and co-head of the firm’s tax practice group after stepping down.
“I may be the first woman chair,” Renigar told Bloomberg Law, “but I really follow multiple generations of women leaders at the firm. Steptoe had a women vice chair long before I was a lawyer and long before other firms had a critical mass of women partners.”
Steptoe, based in Washington, is one of the largest firms in the U.S. It brought in more than $393 million in revenue last year from about 500 lawyers, according to American Lawyer data and the firm’s website. The firm has nine offices globally.
Renigar first joined Steptoe in December 1997. She represents law firms, healthcare organizations, financial service providers, and government corporations on matters such as professional liability and fiduciary counseling and litigation, the statement said.
“Gwen has worked closely with me to keep our firm focused and thriving during the pandemic,” said outgoing chair West. “She will build on what we’ve achieved so far and keep us moving forward.”
As chair, West maintained an open-door policy that involved literally removing his office doors. West said he’s proud of the firm’s strength, the expansion of various practice groups, the empowerment of the firm’s younger lawyers, and the firm’s strategic geographic footprint.
Under Renigar’s leadership, West said he expects the firm to continue growing its three core practice areas—investigations, government regulations, and complex litigation. The firm will also focus on new areas such as supply chain, climate change, digital currencies and financial services, he said.
“If you rest on your laurels, you’re not going to be successful,” West said.
Intellectual property partner Alfred Mamlet was the firm’s elected vice chair. His practice covers regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters, according to the statement. Mamlet also led lateral growth department, bringing in around 50 partners over a four-year period, Renigar said.
Multiple firms have announced leadership changes in recent weeks.
Barnes & Thornburg announced litigation partner Andrew Detherage as its new managing partner on Monday, replacing Robert Grand after seven years. Paul Hastings last month announced that longtime chairman Seth Zachary will step down in October 2022 after more than two decades leading the firm. Leverage partner Frank Lopez will succeed Zachary next year.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ruiqi Chen in Washington, D.C. at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chris Opfer at [email protected]
source: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/steptoe-johnson-names-renigar-law-firms-first-woman-chair
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