Like proper Jerry Bruckheimer action stars, David Esseks and Eugene Ingoglia just walked out of A&O Shearman leaving explosions in their wake. Esseks, A&O Shearman’s co-head of investigations & white-collar, will join Ingoglia in a new litigation outfit, Essecks Ingoglia.
As the American Lawyer notes:
Esseks and Ingoglia are the latest partners to leave A&O Shearman, which has experienced fairly consistent departures since the firm’s merger took effect in May 2024. Many, but not all, of these are likely to be connected to the firm’s plans, reported on by Law.com in September 2024, to cut 10% of its equity partnership.
Yeah, that’s one theory.
The merger of Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling brought a lot of collateral damage, with a promised 10 percent cut to the equity partner ranks and some 59 partners departing since then.
But that’s been cooking since late last year and the firm’s co-head of white-collar probably wasn’t on the chopping block. If only something much more recently transpired that might convince attorneys to cut ties with the firm…
Like, committing $125 million in pro bono legal services to the Trump administration amid outright revolt from rank-and-file attorneys who put together an open letter with hundreds of signatures begging firm leadership not to cave. [Ed. Note: A total of 9 firms signed those deals… hence the headline] Lawyers, particularly litigators with practices based on constantly opposing the federal government, face serious obstacles living under a deal that the White House certainly believes commits them to volunteer their services directly to the administration.
It’s not like we haven’t already seen this play out elsewhere. Paul Weiss suffered a huge litigation loss when many of its high-profile litigators pulled up stakes to form Dunn Isaacson Rhee. That boutique also snagged talent from another Trump collaborator when Meryl Governski left Willkie Farr. Coincidentally, while we’ve been writing about Dunn Isaacson Rhee for a while now, the firm’s official launch date is… today.
It’s not even — necessarily — political. If your business is based on defending your clients against the federal government, you can’t really get the job done if clients think your firm owes the government favors under the table and you definitely can’t when the government THINKS SO TOO.
Transactional clients might enjoy knowing their lawyers have a cozy relationship with regulators, but litigation requires the freedom to tell the DOJ to pound sand. That’s just not possible when the White House thinks they’ve officially deputized the firm.
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
The post Biglaw Bigshots Leave To Form Their Own Firm… You Have Nine Guesses Which Firm They’re Leaving appeared first on Above the Law.
Like proper Jerry Bruckheimer action stars, David Esseks and Eugene Ingoglia just walked out of A&O Shearman leaving explosions in their wake. Esseks, A&O Shearman’s co-head of investigations & white-collar, will join Ingoglia in a new litigation outfit, Essecks Ingoglia.
As the American Lawyer notes:
Esseks and Ingoglia are the latest partners to leave A&O Shearman, which has experienced fairly consistent departures since the firm’s merger took effect in May 2024. Many, but not all, of these are likely to be connected to the firm’s plans, reported on by Law.com in September 2024, to cut 10% of its equity partnership.
Yeah, that’s one theory.
The merger of Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling brought a lot of collateral damage, with a promised 10 percent cut to the equity partner ranks and some 59 partners departing since then.
But that’s been cooking since late last year and the firm’s co-head of white-collar probably wasn’t on the chopping block. If only something much more recently transpired that might convince attorneys to cut ties with the firm…
Like, committing $125 million in pro bono legal services to the Trump administration amid outright revolt from rank-and-file attorneys who put together an open letter with hundreds of signatures begging firm leadership not to cave. [Ed. Note: A total of 9 firms signed those deals… hence the headline] Lawyers, particularly litigators with practices based on constantly opposing the federal government, face serious obstacles living under a deal that the White House certainly believes commits them to volunteer their services directly to the administration.
It’s not like we haven’t already seen this play out elsewhere. Paul Weiss suffered a huge litigation loss when many of its high-profile litigators pulled up stakes to form Dunn Isaacson Rhee. That boutique also snagged talent from another Trump collaborator when Meryl Governski left Willkie Farr. Coincidentally, while we’ve been writing about Dunn Isaacson Rhee for a while now, the firm’s official launch date is… today.
It’s not even — necessarily — political. If your business is based on defending your clients against the federal government, you can’t really get the job done if clients think your firm owes the government favors under the table and you definitely can’t when the government THINKS SO TOO.
Transactional clients might enjoy knowing their lawyers have a cozy relationship with regulators, but litigation requires the freedom to tell the DOJ to pound sand. That’s just not possible when the White House thinks they’ve officially deputized the firm.
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
