Husch Blackwell Chief Executive Paul Eberle, Chair Catherine Hanaway and Chief Executive Elect Jamie Lawless recently spoke with The American Lawyer to discuss Lawless succeeding Eberle in February 2024.
Eberle, who notified the firm he would be stepping down about a year-and-a-half ago told The American Lawyer that Lawless was “the best possible person for the job” out of more than 1,000 applicants and that the timing of the announcement allows for comprehensive succession planning.
Under his leadership, the firm has experienced growth each of the past five years, and Hanaway said the firm is “just beginning to realize its potential.”
“Paul has built the foundation. Put the basement in. All the things that have to be done before you can put a house on top. That is largely in place now,” Hanaway said. “But now we are about to see the house go up, and that’s really an exciting time in the evolution of our firm.”
Based in Tampa, Florida, Lawless will be a member of The Link, the firm’s virtual office, but plans to be on the road meeting with as many people as she can. She said The Link allows her to be agile and work in a way where she is “a citizen of the firm, not necessarily a citizen of a particular brick and mortar office.”
When Lawless takes over for Eberle, the top two positions in the firm will be held by women.
“Obviously, this is about what I bring to the position and the role,” Lawless told The American Lawyer. “That being said, I do believe women in the legal space will recognize this as another way that Husch Blackwell is uncommon and doing things differently. It’s a privilege to be a woman chief executive.”
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