John Quinn, one of the founding partners of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, is stepping down from managing what has grown into a top-20 US firm under his leadership.
Quinn, who is 74, will stay on as chair of the firm in a non-executive role while remaining a partner, a move the firm said would allow him “to focus his efforts on continuing to promote the firm and on client development activities”.
Among his wider roles is as the host of the weekly Law, disrupted podcast, which has broadcast more than 200 episodes since its launch in 2022.
The firm anticipated Quinn’s move away from management in 2022 when he stepped up to the new position of executive chairman from managing partner, allowing for the appointment of two co-managing partners to help run the firm, Bill Burck and Mike Carlinsky.
The pair will continue in their roles during what the firm said it expected to be a “seamless transition”. In a joint statement, they said: “We thank John for his tireless efforts over the last 40 years in building the world’s leading disputes firm. John has been a great firm leader and lawyer, and it continues to be a privilege to be a part of this great firm.”
It is understood that the firm will consider whether it needs to beef up its leadership or adopt a different structure in the near future.
Since Quinn – and three other lawyers – founded the specialist litigation firm in 1986 in Los Angeles, it has grown into a top-30 US firm with turnover of $2.8bn and profit per equity partner (PEP) of more than $9m in 2025
Key strategic staging posts were the opening of a New York office shortly after it was founded, accompanied by a decision not to represent Wall Street banks and the opening of a London office in 2008, which last year increased revenue by 3% to hit £227m.
With 347 lawyers, the New York office is the largest of its 35 bases in 12 countries, followed by Los Angeles (177) and London (126), according to publicly available data tracked by Pirical. The firm has boosted its lawyer headcount by 9% over the past 12 months to 1,169, according to Pirical.
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