- U.S. & Americas
- Promotions
Goodwin elected 43 lawyers to its partnership effective 1 October 2026, a slightly larger class than last year despite a decline in the firm's total headcount, Law.com International Edition reported.
The class includes 13 lawyers in technology, 12 in private equity, 6 in life sciences, 3 in real estate, 1 in healthcare and 1 in tax-exempt organizations. Chair Anthony McCusker said the new partners "represent the future of Goodwin" (Goodwin). The round is larger than the 36 lawyers promoted globally in 2025 and the 35 promoted in 2024 (Non-Billable).
Technology and private equity account for 25 of Goodwin's 43 new partners
The practice mix aligns with the transactional areas the firm reported as strongest. Goodwin reported record FY2025 results, with gross revenue of $2.7bn, up more than 12%, and profit per equity partner up 20%. It also named private equity partner Josh Klatzkin as its next managing partner, effective 1 October, succeeding Mark Bettencourt (Goodwin). The same results ranked the firm first globally for M&A by deal count for a sixth straight year, with deal value up 115% year on year.
The promotions fit the firm's "Goodwin 2033" strategy, which focuses on six industries: healthcare, investment funds, life sciences, private equity, real estate and technology (Goodwin). Every practice represented in the 43-partner class falls within that list.
Goodwin promoted 43; Latham 40, Cooley 23, Kirkland around 200
Compared with rival rounds effective 1 January 2026, 43 is a large class for a transactional firm. Latham & Watkins elected 40 partners and Cooley elected 23 (Cooley). Kirkland & Ellis promoted around 200, down slightly from its record 205 the prior year (The Global Legal Post). The figures show the gap in scale at the top of the US promotion market.
London makes up three partners as private equity partners depart for Ashurst and Morgan Lewis
Goodwin promoted three London partners: Adnan Bhaiji in real estate, Michael Grainger in life sciences and Emily Townsend in technology. London is its third-largest office, with roughly 65 partners and £226m in revenue last year (Non-Billable).
The London private equity bench has moved in both directions. In March 2026 Ashurst hired a three-partner sponsor-side team, Ian Keefe, George Weavil and Michael Miranda, from Goodwin. Keefe and Weavil had joined Goodwin only 18 months earlier from Travers Smith (Non-Billable). In June 2026 Morgan Lewis took former London co-chair Gemma Roberts, who had spent over a decade at Goodwin, as European PE lead (Non-Billable). King & Spalding also recruited corporate real estate partner Ray Fang (Non-Billable).
Goodwin has also recruited in the same practice. In December 2025 it hired a three-partner team from Paul Hastings, Anu Balasubramanian, Jamie Holdoway and Chetan Sheth, with Balasubramanian as Chair of European Private Equity (Goodwin). It added European patent attorney Colm Murphy to its London life sciences team in January 2026 (Goodwin).
Litigation cuts and a 60% headcount rise since 2019 put the shrinkage in context
The headcount decline follows several cost-cutting measures. Goodwin cut about 5% of timekeepers in 2023, citing softer demand (JD Journal). It trimmed associates through its January 2024 performance reviews (Law360 Pulse) and laid off 21 litigation lawyers and 17 litigation staff, citing clients resolving disputes faster and handling more work in-house (The Global Legal Post). A firm memo said the lawyer population had grown 60% since 2019 (ABA Journal).
The pattern suggests the firm is adding partners in its named growth industries while reducing in litigation, where it reported softer demand. The firm is making more partners than in either of the prior two years after reporting record profits, even as its overall lawyer count falls.
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