Akerman Chairman and CEO Andrew Smulian will hand over the reins to managing partner Scott Meyers next February, drawing a close to his nine years as head of the Am Law 100 firm and a leadership misstep.

Meyers joined Akerman from Ulmer & Berne in 2014 and was tasked with building its nascent Chicago location as the office's managing partner. The outpost rapidly grew from 8 to 55 attorneys. In 2018, Meyers was promoted to firm-wide managing partner and has worked closely with Smulian in recent months.

The firm's partners confirmed his appointment in a vote Thursday, months after chairman and CEO David Spector stepped down after only nine months. He left Akerman for Holland & Knight in March, taking 11 other attorneys with him.

Meyers said Friday that working with Smulian in recent months "been a pure pleasure."

"Our lawyers are busy and clients are delighted. I am excited to remain committed to our Florida groups as well as continuing our national expansion — the opportunity to bring Florida to the rest of the firm," Meyers said.

He is the first non-Floridian to serve as chairman in the firm's nearly 100-year history, a key indication of Akerman's growth into a national firm with 25 offices, Smulian said.

"Our roots are in Florida. We certainly are one of the largest firms here and an important part of our history," Smulian said. "By the same token, for at least the last decade now, we have been growing outside of Florida, and having the chair of the firm outside of the state is consistent with our position as a leading U.S. law firm."

Under Smulian's leadership, Akerman saw electric growth with its revenue rising 63 percent and head up 42 percent since 2011. Despite the shaky succession, the firm grew its head count by 3.2% to 651 attorneys and saw gross revenue climb by 5.1%, topping out at $405 million last year to place it 94th on the Am Law 100 list.

This year, Akerman opened its 25th office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with former Kilpatrick Townsend partner Paul Foley.

Over the next sixth months, Smulian and Meyers will be working together to ensure a smooth transition before his accession to the top spot. Meyers will cease his active commercial litigation practice to focus on what he calls his "one client" — the firm. Smulian will then step down and act as partner emeritus and chime in to guide Meyers if he asks.

"Scott is positioned well for this, having opened our Chicago office," said Smulian. "There's a lot about the job that isn't written in a policy manual."