Leading Cleary M&A Partner Neil Whoriskey Heads to Milbank (2)

Neil Whoriskey, a veteran Cleary Gottlieb dealmaker, has joined Milbank as a partner in its New York office.

Whoriskey served as co-chair of Cleary’s M&A practice and its corporate advisory practice before his departure, according to Milbank.

His exit comes less than a year after fellow Cleary senior M&A partner Ethan Klingsberg left for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, bringing three other team members with him.

Klingsberg’s departure raised questions about the strict lockstep partner compensation model used by Cleary and a handful of other Big Law firms. This seniority-based model doesn’t allow firms to pay extra for top business generators.

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