ArentFox Schiff Names Managing Partner Two Years Post-Merger (1)

ArentFox Schiff is undergoing its first leadership transition since executing a combination that created the roughly 600-lawyer operation, which is looking to grow.

Brian P. Waldman, a food and drug lawyer who once managed ArentFox’s regulatory department, is the new firm-wide managing partner of ArentFox Schiff, according to a Monday statement. The firm is looking to continue to scale up, Waldman said in an interview, noting the bigger footprint enables it to be a more attractive destination for businesses.

“We are very interested in continuing that growth trajectory,” Waldman said. “The reality is if you grow by ones and twos, it’s a slow growth, so we would absolutely consider growing by acquiring practice groups or offices and small and mid-size firms. I can’t tell you there’s a transaction that’s imminent but we’re actively looking into growth opportunities.”

Waldman, who is based in the Washington, D.C., office, succeeds Cristina A. Carvalho and Joseph J. Krasovec III, who worked as co-managing partners following the merger between Washington-based Arent Fox and Chicago’s Schiff Hardin in March 2022.

Waldman, a nearly 30-year veteran of Arent Fox, will work alongside Tony Lupo, the Arent Fox chairman who played a key role in the combination. Lupo is now chair of the combined firm, which finished 2022 with $533.9 million in gross revenue and $1.1 million in profits per equity partner, making it among the 100 biggest in the US, according to American Lawyer data.

The firm isn’t prepared to release its 2023 financial results. However, Waldman said he expects the firm to see gains of at least 10% in profits per equity partner and revenue per lawyer.

“It’s a real success story with more to come,” Waldman said in an interview, pointing to synergies between Arent Fox’s regulatory practices and Schiff Hardin’s corporate capabilities. He noted the firm is “referring less matters” because of it.

ArentFox’s biggest office is in Washington, DC, though it also has more than 100 lawyers in the corporate centers of Chicago and New York.

A prior version of this story was produced by Bloomberg Law Automation.