Donna Wilson has been re-elected to her second five-year term as Managing Partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, starting from Monday. Wilson, who initially assumed leadership in 2018, steers the firm as it continues to expand its New York office and bolsters its practice areas in financial technology, life sciences, and clean energy. The firm, comprising nearly 300 lawyers, is also diverting attention to the integration of artificial intelligence into its practice areas such as data security and healthcare. Notably, Manatt plans to elevate its AI investments and pursue lateral hires this year, Wilson noted in an interview.
Under Wilson’s leadership, the firm reported revenues exceeding $406 million last year, with profits per equity partner surpassing $2.1 million. Wilson anticipates similar financial figures for this year. The firm’s business model integrates legal services with business consultations, positioning itself as a comprehensive professional services firm—one-third of its staff are non-lawyers providing additional business advice. This integrated approach aims to offer enhanced client service, as Wilson emphasized, noting that today’s problems are seldom purely legal or purely business-related.
Wilson is among a few openly gay leaders in major law firms, a point she acknowledges as significant. According to the National Association of Law Placement, nearly 5% of surveyed lawyers identify as LGBTQ, marking the highest percentage recorded by the organization since 2004. Wilson, both an openly gay woman and a mother, sees her profile as still too rare in the legal industry.
Manatt’s recent hires include Mike Katz, joining the financial services group in New York on June 13, and Schuyler Carroll and Jessica Sklute joining the bankruptcy and consumer financial services groups in April. The firm’s notable past clients include Ticketmaster LLC and Target Corp.