International law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is pleased to
announce the creation of an Office of the Chairman to replace Chairman
Ty Fahner when he steps down in Spring 2007. The Office of the
Chairman includes:
-- James D. Holzhauer, Chicago and New York, Chairman
-- Kenneth S. Geller, Washington, D.C., Vice Chairman
-- Paul Maher, London, Vice Chairman
The members of the new leadership team were selected by the firm's
Policy & Planning Committee and will each have principal, though not
exclusive, responsibility for certain areas. The firm believes that
the new leadership structure and the three distinguished partners
chosen from diverse geographic and practice areas that comprise it,
position the firm to build on its unparalleled international platform,
to grow its business and to maintain its status as one of the world's
top-tier global law firms.
"Clients expect a firm to provide truly global capabilities, and
Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw is committed to meeting the complex needs of
our clients in today's global business and regulatory environment,"
said Mr. Fahner. "This new leadership structure reflects our
commitment to ensuring that client needs are met - and that we have
the strong blend of skills to take our firm forward."
The new team will take office on June 1, 2007, allowing adequate
time to ensure continuity with the firm's existing leadership. Mr.
Fahner will step down pursuant to the Partnership Agreement's
provisions requiring partners to relinquish leadership positions upon
reaching age 64.
Mr. Fahner became a member of the Policy & Planning Committee in
1985 and Chairman in 1998. During Mr. Fahner's tenure as Chairman, the
firm has grown from approximately 800 attorneys to nearly 1,400
worldwide. His time leading the firm included the 2002 merger of
Mayer, Brown & Platt with Rowe & Maw in London, which has been hailed
as one of the most successful trans-Atlantic mergers to date. This
merger followed Mayer, Brown & Platt's combination with Blanchfield,
Cordle & Moore in Charlotte in 1998, and mergers in 2001 with Lambert
& Lee in Paris and the Frankfurt partners of the Gaedertz firm in
Germany. Since that time, the firm has strengthened its position in
key U.S. and European markets. It is anticipated that the firm will
exceed US$1 billion in revenue this year.
In a recent survey by Corporate Counsel of the General Counsels of
the Fortune 250 companies Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw was the only firm
ranked among the top three in both areas of Litigation and Corporate
Transactions. Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw was one of six firms that
remained in the top 10 ranking in both 2002 (when the survey was
introduced) and in 2006.
"Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw has expanded its capability and
resources in delivering a full range of services across practices and
borders," said Mr. Holzhauer. "Ken, Paul and I look forward to working
together to further the vision of global integration and growth to
meet our clients evolving needs."
Office of the Chairman - Roles and Responsibilities
James D. Holzhauer, 58, is an appellate litigator well known for
his work in the U.S. Supreme Court, his labor and employment work, as
well as lawyers' professional liability work. In his early career he
served as Law Clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger of the Supreme
Court of the United States. He joined the firm in 1988 from the
faculty of the University of Chicago Law School. He has served on the
firm's Policy & Planning Committee since 1998, and is the firm's
General Counsel. Jim retains principal responsibility for risk
management, will lead global integration efforts, and will be
primarily responsible for driving key operational and strategic
initiatives adopted by the Policy & Planning Committee.
Kenneth S. Geller, 59, is an appellate litigator known for his
work in the U.S. Supreme Court. He has been a member of the Policy &
Planning Committee and the partner-in-charge of the firm's Washington
office since 1995. Prior to joining Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw in 1986,
Ken served as Deputy Solicitor General in the United States Department
of Justice and as an Assistant Special Prosecutor in the Watergate
Special Prosecution Force. Ken has argued more than 40 cases in the
Supreme Court and is co-author of Supreme Court Practice, the
definitive treatise on practice before the Court. Chambers USA
recently recognized him as "extremely experienced and seasoned, with
superb judgment." He will have principal responsibility for global
operations.
Paul Maher, 47, is acknowledged as one of the architects of the
combination that created Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP in 2002. He has
been the Senior Partner in London since 2001 and has served on the
firm's Policy & Planning Committee since its combination. He has been
the head of the London office corporate group since 1996 and is
recognized as a highly commercial, tenacious and dynamic transactional
lawyer and a leader in his field. He was recently ranked as one of the
three most innovative lawyers in the UK in a recent Financial Times
poll. Paul will take the lead on global strategy.
Each Office of the Chairman member will divide much of their time
among the various offices, and each will maintain offices in New York,
Chicago, and London.
"Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw is moving into a new phase and it makes
sense to align primary responsibilities with individual leader's
strengths," commented Mr. Fahner. "When a firm is as ambitious and
geographically diverse as ours, it needs to have strong leadership.
With these three truly motivated partners working with our Policy &
Planning Committee, and all the partners and staff of the firm, we are
strongly positioned to be highly competitive and successful moving
forward."
Founded in 1881, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw is among the largest law
firms in the world with more than 1,400 lawyers practicing in seven
U.S. cities (Chicago, Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Palo
Alto and Washington) and six European cities (Berlin, Brussels,
Cologne, Frankfurt, London and Paris). For more information on the
firm, please visit www.mayerbrownrowe.com.
Notes to editors:
-- Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is an international legal
practice delivering advice to leading companies, financial
institutions and multi-national businesses in 13 major cities
worldwide, including London, Chicago, New York, Washington,
Frankfurt and Paris.
-- The international reach of the firm is further enhanced
through associated offices in China, a correspondent
relationship in Mexico and an alliance with a leading Italian
law firm giving access to both Italian and Eastern European
markets.
-- The firm has over 500 partners and 1,400 lawyers working
together to focus its global legal provision around primary
industry and practice groups. Working collaboratively with
clients to understand the business environment in which they
operate ensures that they receive commercial legal solutions
that help them achieve their objectives and success in their
businesses.
-- Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is a combination of two limited
liability partnerships, each named Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw
LLP, one incorporated in England and one established in
Illinois, USA.
-- For further information please visit: www.mayerbrownrowe.com
or www.mayerbrownrowe.com/london.
