Kim Koopersmith, who has led Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP for over a decade, will step down from her role as Chair on April 1, 2025. She will be succeeded by a pair of co-chairs: Abid Qureshi and Daniel Walsh. Koopersmith became the first woman to helm the nearly 70-year-old firm in 2013 following her election in 2012. Under her leadership, Akin’s revenue grew by more than 75%, reaching approximately $1.4 billion last year, while profits doubled to $3.1 million per equity partner.
Abid Qureshi, based in New York, and Daniel Walsh, based in London, will bring a combined US-UK perspective to the firm’s leadership. Qureshi, a partner with a focus on financial restructuring litigation, is notably engaged in the firm’s management committee and recently advised unsecured creditors in Rudolph Giuliani’s bankruptcy case. Walsh, a corporate partner, has substantial experience with Russian energy company LUKOIL and telecom provider PJSC VimpelCom, among others (see full article here).
Koopersmith’s tenure saw significant lateral partner acquisitions in sectors such as private credit, M&A, private equity, energy, and restructuring. However, Akin Gump has also experienced departures, including David D’Urso, the head of its US private equity and mergers and acquisitions practice, and Elazar Guttman, who moved to Sidley Austin earlier this year (source).