King & Spalding announced Thursday that it has promoted 21 lawyers to partner.

That's a smaller class than the firm's record 2019 class of 30 new partners but still one of its largest classes of new partners. (The firm promoted 17 lawyers to partner in 2018.)

"The new class demonstrates professional excellence in the service of clients, a focus on practice and firm-building efforts, and a commitment to developing others—all keys to ensuring long-term growth for the firm," said the firm's chairman, Robert Hays, in the announcement.

Of the 21 newly promoted partners, four are in its Atlanta headquarters and seven are women. The promotions are effective Jan. 1, 2020.

King & Spalding also named new partners in Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The new class spans an array of key practice areas for the firm. Eight of the new partners are litigators, while five have corporate and transactional practices. Other practice areas represented include real estate finance, international arbitration, energy project development, government investigations, health care and environmental law.

In Atlanta, Robert Benson has an M&A practice, while the other three new Atlanta partners, Brandon Keel, Andy Pratt and Darren Shuler, are litigators.

Benson represents clients in complex corporate transactions, including domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, joint ventures, commercial agreements and strategic investments.

Keel handles complex commercial litigation, focusing primarily on class actions, securities litigation and other shareholder disputes. Pratt focuses on consumer class actions and commercial disputes involving complex transactional, financial and economic issues. Shuler also handles complex commercial disputes, with a focus on defending ERISA class actions and other employee benefits litigation.

King & Spalding also promoted two Atlanta lawyers to counsel. James Cone handles products liability and complex commercial litigation. Talmadge Infinger represents public and private companies, as well as private equity firms, in M&A and other corporate transactions.