McDermott promotes record 74 partners - but just two in London

McDermott Will & Schulte has promoted 74 lawyers to partner, the largest round in its history - although just two lawyers made the grade in London.

The round - the first since McDermott’s merger with New York private capital heavyweight Schulte went live in August - saw 34 lawyers promoted in New York. In London, regulatory lawyer Pilar Arzuaga and litigator James Dobias were the only two to make partner.

The new appointments take effect on 1 January 2026.

Record round

The 74-strong class marks a 55% increase on last year’s cohort and comes just months after McDermott merged with Schulte to form a 1,750-lawyer firm with combined revenues around $2.8 billion.

The round points to a strong New York focus for the newly-combined firm: McDermott promoted only eight partners there last year, while Schulte added 10 in its final pre-merger round in January.

While the firm has positioned London as a key strategic hub post-merger, the UK cohort accounted for less than 3% of this year’s promotions.

Speaking on The Non-Billable Podcast in September, London managing partner Aymen Mahmoud described the London-New York axis as "massive", adding that the market could expect a buildout of the London office post-merger.

McDermott’s combined London office now counts over 100 lawyers and is on track to hit $120 million in revenue this year, according to comments from firm chair Ira Coleman to Bloomberg Law around the time of the merger. The firm also plans to relocate its London HQ to Mayfair in 2028.

What they said

Announcing the promotions, Coleman said the new partners "embody the bold thinking, client focus, and leadership that power our culture." Global transactions head Harris Siskind said the round reflected the "power of our newly combined platform," citing private credit, regulatory, and investment funds as key areas of focus.