Akin’s Leader Picks Show Focus on Big Law’s ‘High-Rate Areas’

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, a firm founded in Texas and with one of the largest lobbying practices in Washington, is looking elsewhere as it seeks to compete with top law firms.

New York restructuring partner Abid Qureshi and London dealmaker Daniel Walsh will take over as co-leaders of the firm next year, Akin announced Tuesday. They replace Kim Koopersmith, the litigator who has steered the firm for more than a decade.

The firm is plucking its next crop of leaders from two high-revenue producing practices—bankruptcy and corporate transactions—as many of its competitors ramp up investments in those areas. ...