Global law firm White & Case has unveiled its largest partner promotion round in five years, elevating 47 lawyers as it accelerates its ambitions in the fiercely competitive American legal market.
The promotions, effective January 1, 2027, span 21 offices across 13 countries and 13 practice areas. But the real story is where the firm is placing its bets.
Nineteen of the new partners are based in the United States, representing approximately 40 percent of the intake and the firm’s largest American promotion class since 2022.
The announcement reinforces a three-year growth strategy focused on expanding White & Case’s presence in key US markets, where the battle for premium corporate work and lucrative private capital mandates shows little sign of cooling.
Follow the Money, Follow the Partners
The promotions reveal a particular appetite for mergers and acquisitions, project development and finance, litigation, and tax.
M&A accounts for 11 promotions, while project development and finance adds seven, reflecting the importance of private capital, energy and infrastructure work to the firm’s international ambitions.
New York, Houston and Chicago feature prominently among the American appointments, underscoring the firm’s determination to strengthen its domestic capabilities rather than rely solely on its established cross-border reputation.
Chair Heather McDevitt described the incoming partners as lawyers whose talent and judgment would support the firm’s continued growth.
The firm’s traditional strength in cross-border transactions remains important, but the increasingly lucrative intersection of technology, infrastructure, energy and private capital is where some of the most intense competition is developing.
And while rival firms continue to spend heavily recruiting established rainmakers, White & Case is demonstrating another route to expansion, by building its American partnership from within.
The full list of promoted lawyers is available in the White & Case announcemen
