Four non-equity partners have tendered their resignation from Clare Locke, a boutique law firm comprised of 17 lawyers. This exodus follows the firm’s recent co-counsel role alongside Dominion Voting Systems Inc. in securing a landmark $787.5 million defamation settlement earlier this year.
The departing partners, namely Megan Meier, Daniel Watkins, Andrew Phillips, and Dustin Pusch, are set to establish their own legal venture under the name Meier Watkins Phillips Pusch. The decision to embark on this new endeavor stems from the entrepreneurial inspiration drawn from Clare Locke’s founders, Thomas Clare and Elizabeth “Libby” Locke, both former partners at Kirkland & Ellis. The duo currently stands as the sole equity partners at Clare Locke, which they established in 2014.
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Internal communications addressed to Clare Locke’s staff members reveal the founders’ affirmation that the firm is strategically positioned for a seamless transition. Furthermore, their plans to augment their attorney roster to cater to the firm’s rapidly expanding clientele remain unaffected.
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This transition marks a considerable transformation for Clare Locke, with the departure of the four partners translating to over half of the firm’s partnership. Despite this transition, Clare and Locke expressed their well-wishes for their departing colleagues, emphasizing the need for smaller firms to address matters of substantial significance for clients across various resource spectrums within the defamation legal landscape.
Renowned for their prowess in defamation and media law, Clare and Locke have earned their status as prominent figures within the field. Their legal representation extends to notable and often contentious clients, including Adam Neumann of WeWork Inc. and former NBC News personality Matt Lauer. Notably, the duo secured a notable victory against Rolling Stone, procuring a $3 million jury verdict in response to false allegations presented in a 2014 story by the publication concerning campus culture at the University of Virginia.
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