Jackson Lewis Announces Leadership Transition Plan: William Anthony and Kevin Lauri Elected Firm’s Next Co-Chairs
WHITE PLAINS, NY. Jackson Lewis P.C., one of the country’s preeminent workplace law firms, is pleased to announce William J. Anthony and Kevin G. Lauri have been elected Co-Chairs of the firm, effective January 1, 2019. They will succeed Vincent A. Cino, who will return to his litigation practice.
“Kevin and Will have proven themselves an effective team for years, and their passion for serving Jackson Lewis clients is unmatched,” said Mr. Cino. “Both have served in multiple leadership roles within the firm, including numerous terms as elected members of our Board of Directors, and throughout their combined 50+ years at Jackson Lewis, they have consistently acted in the best interest of our firm’s success and reputation. Will and Kevin are known both internally and by their clients as having the energy, intellect and vision to bring our firm to the next level, and there is no doubt in my mind they are well-prepared to chart our future.”
At the firm’s biannual Principals’ meeting in Chicago last week, Anthony and Lauri presented an outline of their leadership plan, which will focus on strengthening the firm’s national footprint and administrative function to ensure its attorneys are positioned to serve clients effectively and efficiently. Working as a team, the Co-Chairs will continue to bolster Jackson Lewis’ diversity and inclusion efforts and concentrate on seeking new and innovative ways to deliver services to clients.
“It is an honor for us to be elected to lead this incredible firm, and we look forward to working with our attorneys, staff and clients to ensure that we practice law at the highest level possible and provide superior service to our clients,” said Mr. Anthony. “With 60 years of growth and evolution behind us, we are at a powerful time in Jackson Lewis’ history. Fortunately, we are inheriting from Vincent a strong roster of the finest workplace law attorneys in the country, accompanied by the geographic and practice area depth we need to enable us to serve corporate America in a significant way.”
“Under Vincent’s tenure as Chairman from 2012 through today, we formalized our practice and industry groups, started a national attorney training and development program, solidified our commitment to diversity and inclusion and broke into the technology space in a significant way with the creation of workthruIT® and our promotion of artificial intelligence as a way to service our clients faster and more efficiently. These initiatives allow us to provide consistently high level service to our clients,” said Mr. Lauri.
Mr. Cino also led Jackson Lewis through an expansion of services, including broadening the scope of the firm’s capabilities in government relations, lobbying compliance and healthcare, and dramatically improved the firm’s financial performance.
“Throughout his achievements, Vincent continued to cultivate the Jackson Lewis culture – a collegial and collaborative approach to the practice of law and client relationships,” added Mr. Lauri. “Will and I are committed to working together to build upon our current success, and use our existing assets to strengthen our platform and complement our vision for the firm while remaining true to our unique culture.”
Mr. Lauri, who joined Jackson Lewis in 1995, is a Principal in the firm’s New York City office and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. After serving as the New York City office’s marketing coordinator, he took the reins as that office’s Managing Principal from 2009 until June 2018, during which time the number of attorneys in the office grew by over 70% and its profitability increased by 90%. Mr. Lauri serves as the firm’s relationship manager for multiple Fortune 50 Companies, with responsibility for ensuring consistent quality and efficient representation on hundreds of litigations throughout the country.
A member of the firm’s Board of Directors since 2006, Mr. Anthony joined Jackson Lewis’ San Francisco office upon graduation from law school before transferring to Morristown in 1991 and then to Hartford in 2000 to lead that office for eight years, during which time the office doubled in size, before moving to Albany. As the founder and former Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Class Actions and Complex Litigation practice group, Mr. Anthony oversaw a dramatic increase in the scope and size of the firm’s significant class action practice all while handling numerous class and collective actions around the country. Mr. Anthony also launched Jackson Lewis’ first Diversity Committee and is a former President of the Connecticut Lawyer’s Collaborative for Diversity.
Over the next six months, Lauri and Anthony will work closely with Cino and other members of the firm’s Board of Directors and internal management team to ensure the efficient transition of responsibilities and continuity in the firm’s operations.
About Jackson Lewis
Jackson Lewis P.C. is a law firm with more than 850 attorneys in major cities nationwide serving clients across a wide range of practices and industries. Having built its reputation on providing premier workplace law representation to management, the firm has grown to include leading practices in the areas of government relations, healthcare and sports law. The firm’s commitment to client service, depth of expertise and innovation draws clients to Jackson Lewis for excellent value-driven legal advice.
