White & Case’s Revenue Gain Tops 12% on Strong Cross-Border Work

White & Case grew revenue more than 12% to a record $3.3 billion in 2024, the first full year for the law firm’s new leadership team.

The firm posted profits per equity partner of more than $4 million, up nearly 27% from 2023, according to White & Case figures.

“We hit some significant milestones in 2024,” firm chair Heather McDevitt said in an interview. “Our focus was to deliver exceptional client service and continue to invest in high impact growth areas and really strengthen our partnership culture.”

The results came after McDevitt became one of the few women to lead a Big Law firm and the first in White & Case’s history. The New York litigator took over as leader in September 2023, succeeding its longtime chair Hugh Verrier.

The firm’s revenue growth results mirror that of average gains across the country’s top law firms, according to a survey by Wells Fargo & Co.

More than half of White & Case’s revenue came from cross-border work, and the firm’s global debt finance practice had a stellar year, McDevitt said. The firm advised Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Canada on the $9 billion financing for the leveraged buyout of R1 RCM Inc. It also advised Vantage Data Centers on its $3 billion financing.

The firm worked on 240 mergers and acquisitions deals worth $96.9 billion, according to the Bloomberg Law League Tables. Its lawyers advised Jersey Mike’s on its partnership with Blackstone and advised EchoStar on several financing transactions and the sale of its video distribution business, including Dish TV and Sling TV. It’s commercial litigation group also secured settlements for the Republic of Mozambique in a long-running multi-billion dollar debt dispute.

“We’re going to continue to prioritize investing in M&A, private equity and capital markets,” McDevitt said. The firm also wants to focus on certain US disputes practices “to continue to strengthen our capabilities there and make sure that we’re able to serve our clients to the best of our abilities across borders.”

With President Donald Trump announcing tariff actions, White & Case’s cross-jurisdiction work places the firm in a unique position, she said. “Our model has never really been more relevant,” McDevitt said. “We have change that’s occurring at an exceptional rate, and what that does is create more demand for nuanced, sophisticated advisors who operate seamlessly across borders and thrive in situations where the only answer is to take a new approach.”

The firm’s headcount grew 1.5% to 2,598 lawyers across its 44 offices in 30 different countries. The total number of equity partners, however, dipped 7.6% to 349.

White & Case brought in 47 new lateral partners in 2024, including former Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison partner Taurie Zeitzer to co-head its private equity group, Cravath Swaine & Moore dealmaker Keith Hallam, former head of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe’s Supreme Court and appellate litigation practice Mark Davies, and Paul Hastings partner John Cahill to lead its real estate finance practice group.