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Jan. 5, 2024 The partners of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP re-elected James K. Lehman as Managing Partner of the firm to a three-year term effective Jan. 1, 2024. Lehman began his role as the managing partner in 2012, and under his leadership during the past 12 years, the firm has experienced significant growth. Based on the annual rankings from American Lawyer, the firm has risen from the 128th to the 68th largest law firm in the United States based on total revenues. The growth was driven by additional depth and breadth of attorneys and policy advisors who have grown to more than 1,000 across 100 practices, including expanded geographic presence across the United States from 12 to 33 offices. From a financial performance perspective, during his 12-year tenure the firm has outpaced the American Lawyer 200 and 100 and its direct peers with compound annual growth rates of almost 10% for revenues, 9% for net income, and 8% for profits per equity partner. “It’s a privilege to lead Nelson Mullins for the next three years,†Lehman said. “The legal profession continues to evolve, and we are keenly focused on adapting to the increasingly complex needs of our clients as we have always done over our 126-year history. We are building on the solid foundation of our past and present partners to deliver expanded services to our clients, broaden our practice capabilities and geographic reach, and attract new talented professionals to the firm.†During Lehman’s tenure as managing partner, the firm has expanded from a regional Southeast firm to become a national full-service law firm. In the 2023 Global 200 survey conducted by American Lawyer, Nelson Mullins ranked as the 84th law firm in the world based on total revenues. Despite this financial growth, the firm remains committed to its communities and the profession. For example, the firm has continued it long-standing investment in providing pro bono services with almost 50,000 hours in 2023 earning the firm a number of national and local awards by community partners. In addition, in 2023, the firm achieved Mansfield Certification related to the diversity of the leadership and attorneys of the firm. Before joining Nelson Mullins in 1995, Lehman was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell. From 2001 to 2004, he served as senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary to Safety-Kleen Corp., where he helped the company emerge from Chapter 11 protection. He returned to the firm in 2004. Lehman has served on numerous community boards, and the United Way of the Midlands will honor him as the Humanitarian of the Year in February. He has chaired the Midlands Housing Alliance, the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics Foundation. In 2019, he was honored with the Columbia Urban League’s Social Justice Award, recognizing his excellence in leadership as chairman of the board of Claflin University, a Historically Black College & University (HBCU). His efforts have advanced academic excellence and created access to career opportunities for Claflin University students. Lehman has served on Claflin’s Board of Trustees since 2011 and was elected chair in 2018. |
