The biggest law firms in Texas made 2.1% fewer new partners in 2020 than the year before, a turnaround from 2019 when new partner numbers increased by 14% year-over-year.

Of the 25 largest firms in Texas, the 19 that have already announced 2020 partner classes promoted a total of 91 lawyers to partner, compared with 93 new partners at the same group of firms in 2019.

According to data for last year's Texas New Partners report, 22 firms with the most lawyers in Texas made 103 new partners in 2019, compared with only 90 for the same group of firms the prior year.

One large homegrown Texas firm, Bracewell, made no new Texas partners in 2020, although it promoted lawyers in Washington, D.C., London & Dubai. In contrast, Kirkland & Ellis, has grown rapidly in Houston and Dallas, made 13 new partners in Texas, up from eight the year before.

It's unclear if this year's decline in new partners is a harbinger of tighter times in partner promotions, or simply a snapshot impacted by the number of lawyers up for partner at each firm.

Consultant Lisa Smith, a principal at Fairfax Associates in Washington, D.C., said the decline in new partners at large firms in Texas may be a "demographic fluke." She said she's heard nothing about firms trying to reduce their partnership classes.

"I don't sense that firms are being particularly more cautious this year than last. So many firms are focused on growth," she said.

Firm consultant Bill Cobb, of Cobb Consulting in Houston, also said he's not hearing anything from firms about reducing the size of partnership classes. However, he said, it's true that more young lawyers are choosing a career route that's not partnership.

'You've got the dynamics of people leaving, people wanting a better lifestyle, people [wondering,] 'Do I really want to be a partner?'" Cobb said.

Greg Bopp, managing partner at Bracewell, said the Texas-free new partnership class reflects Bracewell's national and international reach, as well as its investment in Washington, D.C., London and Dubai in particular.

Still, Texas remains an important market for Bracewell, with more than half of its partners based in the state, Bopp noted. Over the past three years, 50% of the firm's newly elected partners were in Texas, and looking forward Bopp expects more Texas new partners, "given our deep talent pool" in the Lone Star State.

While Bracewell's decline in new Texas partners may be the most dramatic, nine of the firms in the group surveyed made fewer new partners in 2020, compared with the previous year. Led by Kirkland's increase, six made more new Texas partners in 2020 than in 2019, while the numbers remained the same at four of the 19 firms.

Andrew Calder, a Kirkland partner in Houston and a member of the firm's global management committee, said the Chicago-based firm promoted four associates in Dallas and nine in Houston to partner because it was a "class of very strong senior associates."

He noted that Kirkland, which last October announced a class of 141 new partners firmwide, considers associates for partnership after six years. The new partners are nonequity, he said.

While Kirkland made 13 new Texas partners, Haynes and Boone promoted nine to partner in Texas, and Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons made eight new Texas partners. Bracewell was the only firm in the group with zero new Texas partners.

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Diversity

The 91 new Texas partners at the 19 firms include 28 women, which is 32.6% of the total. The group also includes 12 new partners who were identified as ethnic minorities, but the actual numbers may be higher because some firms did not provide that information.

Last year, women comprised about 34% of the 103 new partners, which is just slightly higher than this year. At Kirkland, only one of the 13 new Texas partners is a woman—which is significant for the gender breakdown of the partner class firmwide, considering the size of the Texas contingent.

Calder said the firm is committed to diversity, noting in particular the firm's recent hiring of Debbie Yee, an M&A partner who joined in Houston late last year from Latham & Watkins.

A few firms excelled in promoting women in Texas. All three of the new partners at Foley Gardere are women, as are both of the new Texas partners at King & Spalding.

Six of the firms with the most lawyers in Texas are not included in the chart because they had not announced new partners before Texas Lawyer's press deadline.

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