Morris Manning & Martin, the first big Atlanta-based firm to announce its new partner class, has again promoted a large number of lawyers relative to its size, as part of its focus on organic growth.

The 200-lawyer firm has made eight new partners, effective Jan. 1, 2020, tying with last year's record-size class.

Managing partner Simon Malko said the class size is large partly because the firm has made "sustained, organic" growth a top priority, rather than expanding through acquisitions and mergers. Morris Manning does not have a two-tiered partnership track, he said, so associates who make partner are equity partners.

The firm currently has 82 partners, which means the eight partner promotions will expand the partnership ranks by 10% when they take effect in January.

Simon Malko, Morris Manning Martin, Atlanta. (Courtesy photo)

Like other firms, Morris Manning focuses on "hiring really good people out of law school and bringing in the right lateral partners," Malko said. "But the middle sometimes gets forgotten when people talk about growth."

Morris Manning wants to retain and promote promising lawyers, including senior associates, in the middle of developing their careers, he said—a cadre that can get overlooked amid the ever-alluring promise of lateral partner recruitment.

For sustained growth, "the middle is really important," he said. "If you can't retain the people you're bringing in, and a firm is a revolving door, it's hard to grow."

Malko said he hopes the relatively large number of promotions signals to associates who have not yet made partner that they have a bright future at Morris Manning.

"We are not an up-and-out firm," he said, adding that this year's new partner class is a mix of homegrown talent and newer, lateral associates.

"There are many paths to partnership. Whether attorneys have been here their entire careers or came from other firms where they did not feel valued, Morris Manning will recognize and reward hard work and talent," Malko said.

Associates are eligible for partnership consideration after eight years of practice, and they are not required to have their own book of clients, he added. "A lot of them are involved in core, well-established practices which need additional partners as they grow."

The new partner class includes lawyers in established practices such as commercial real estate and tax as well as newer practices in which the firm has been investing, such as cybersecurity and, in Washington, international trade and government contracts.

While this year's class is the same size as last year's, its demographics are a bit different. The majority of the promotions this year—five out of the eight—went to women. That compares with only one woman out of eight new partners in the 2019 class—and a class of four men in the year before.

What's more, Morris Manning promoted three lawyers to partner in its Washington, D.C., office, an expansion priority for the firm, compared with only one D.C. promotion last year. (The other seven were in its Atlanta headquarters.)

Malko said the sharp increase in promotions for women is a trend he hopes to continue, noting the firm earned Mansfield Rule certification for the second year in a row. That certification program, launched by Diversity Lab in 2018, means that at least 30% of participating firms' leadership and equity partner candidates must be women.

The Morris Manning lawyers promoted to partner in Atlanta are: Bess Hinson, who chairs the firm's privacy and cybersecurity group; Wyatt Kendall, who has an environmental law practice focused on brownfield redevelopment and urban renewal projects; Lee Ann Sapp, a commercial real estate lawyer; Ellenor Stone, an employment lawyer; and Pelham Wilder, also a commercial real estate lawyer.

Those in Washington are: Mary Hodgins, who is part of the firm's D.C.-based international trade group; C. Kelly Kroll, who is on its government contracts team; and Matt Wochok, who has a tax law practice.