2014 Positions Kaye Scholer for Success

New York — 2014 marks a milestone year for Kaye Scholer, which continued to advise clients on sophisticated matters while making strategic investments to augment its competitive footprint. In the face of an increasingly challenging environment, the firm is identifying unique opportunities to drive growth, improve profitability and continue to refine and enhance the delivery of client services.

“We are committed to building a modern, agile and multi-dimensional law firm that aligns with our clients’ business needs, “ said Kaye Scholer Managing Partner Mike Solow. “The combination of the key growth initiatives implemented in 2014 position Kaye Scholer to successfully compete in 2015, as well as to nurture a rich corporate culture.”

In 2014, Kaye Scholer:

• Secured numerous litigation and transactional successes on behalf of its clients.  From Commercial and White-Collar Litigation, through Real Estate, to Corporate, Finance and Bankruptcy, Kaye Scholer counseled their clients through complex challenges and helped them take advantage of opportunities. Kaye Scholer’s sophisticated work was acknowledged by the media. Most notably, Chambers ranked 70 lawyers and 23 practices; U.S. News & World Report-Best Lawyers’ recognized the firm with 75 practice area rankings; and Legal 500 recommended 30 Kaye Scholer lawyers and 13 practices.
   
• Added bright, energetic new colleagues around the world. They include Corporate Partner Nicholas O’Keefe (Silicon Valley); former DOJ attorney and Antitrust Counsel Philip Giordano (Silicon Valley and DC); Corporate Partner Robert Claassen (Silicon Valley); Cyber Partner Adam Golodner (DC), to head up the firm’s newly-formed Global Cybersecurity & Privacy Group; Structured Finance Partner Lawton Camp (NY); Corporate Partner Glynna Christian (NY); Bankruptcy & Restructuring Partner Stephen Rutenberg (NY); Aviation Finance Partners Sidanth Rajagopal and Philip Perrotta (London); and Corporate Counsel Michael Penney (Chicago).

• Moved its New York office into a state-of-the-art space at 250 West 55^th Street. The modernization of Kaye Scholer’s biggest office is a prime illustration of the firm’s efforts to strengthen the firm from the inside out. The office promotes connectedness and creativity through conference rooms equipped with the latest audio-visual and video-conferencing technologies, as well as through desktop collaboration tools across all of the firm’s systems. Demonstrating the firm’s commitment to sustainability, the new building is LEED Gold certified, offering cutting-edge environmental benefits. The full digitization of Kaye Scholer’s library is a further example of the firm’s use of technology to improve productivity and create efficiencies.

• Launched the Strategic Initiatives Group and hired its first-ever Chief Strategy Officer. The Group and Chief Strategy Officer Bea Seravello, a seasoned law firm executive, are tasked with integrating the firm’s legal and administrative functions to deliver exceptional client service and value. Seravello, who oversees support functions for all revenue-generating activities, works closely with the firm’s leadership to drive targeted new business and revenue growth, client development and retention strategies, pricing initiatives and legal project management, among many other activities. 
   
• Launched a Diversity initiative to make the firm more inclusive and to foster a new generation of leaders. With the hire of  Director of Diversity & Inclusion Satra Sampson-Arokium, who works closely with firm leadership and a Diversity & Inclusion Committee led by Partner Scott Talmadge, Kaye Scholer embarked on an effort to  develop and integrate diversity goals and strategies into all business processes and practices. Sampson-Arokium and the Diversity & Inclusion Committee have begun to address areas in need of diversity support, as well as create more opportunities for individuals from underrepresented groups to maximize their success in the legal profession.
   
• Provided greater access to critical legal services through essential pro bono work in the firm’s local communities. For example, the firm, in partnership with The Legal Aid Society, represented a group of tenants who lost their apartments and personal belongings in a four-alarm fire due to the negligence of their landlord and his contractors. Additionally, the New York City Bar Association’s Capital Punishment Committee presented the firm with the Norman Redlich Pro Bono Award for representing death-row inmates and for contributing time, energy and resources to the abolition of the death penalty within our criminal justice system.
   
• Further integrated the firm’s Operations Center in Tallahassee. Hiring and training of staff for this operation continued in 2014, improving the service levels provided to the firm’s lawyers and clients, and helping to hold down the cost of client legal services. The Center now comprises more than 100 staff members, including both legacy employees and new colleagues.

“We are proud of all that we’ve accomplished in 2014 and look forward to sustaining our forward momentum next year,” added Solow.