Summary: After building a well-known reputation in sports law, Jeffrey Kessler was elected by the executive board at Winston & Strawn to be a co-chair.
After successfully defending New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady, litigator Jeffrey Kessler at Winston & Strawn has been elected as a co-chair. The NFL tried to suspend Brady for his role in deflating footballs used in games but Kessler was able to win the judge over.
The 26-member executive board at the 800-strong law firm chose to elect Kessler even though he has only been at the firm for three years. Generally, Winston & Strawn follows more traditional routes of advancement, being run for the past nine years but a single chairman. Chairman Dan Webb has been with the firm since 1985.
Kessler joined the firm in May of 2012 when his previous employer, Dewey & LeBoeuf, filed for bankruptcy. Webb and Kessler will serve a three term together, lasting until September 2018. Kessler said in an interview, “This firm has an enormous tradition and I think it’s a testament to the firm in how they welcome and accept laterals in general, but I also recognize that it is an honor and responsibility that I take enormously serious.”
For the past ten years, Winston & Strawn have been snagging lateral hires from their competitors and failing firms like Dewey & LeBoeuf. Their lawyer count has remained steady (around 800), but their revenue has increased drastically from $461 million in 2003 to $786 million in 2014.
Source: https://bol.bna.com/winston-elects-deflategate-litigator-as-co-chair/
Photo: winston.com