Biglaw

Top Biglaw Firm Announces Its First Female Firmwide Managing Partner In History

She hopes to successfully guide the firm into the future.

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2024 Jaime Drozd Final Photo IMG_0114 6×4

Jaime Drozd (courtesy photo)

Women continue to soar to new heights in Biglaw, and now one of the top firms in the country is welcoming a woman into its top leadership role.

Davis Wright Tremaine recently announced that Jaime Drozd, who currently serves as co-chair of the firm’s litigation practice, will become its next firmwide managing partner. Drozd will assume the role from Pete Johnson, who has served as DWT’s interim managing partner for the past six months after the sudden resignation of Scott MacCormack, who stepped down last March but remains at the firm. She was selected unanimously by an internal search committee as well as the firm’s executive committee. The decision was ultimately confirmed by a partnership vote on September 27.

Drozd, a graduate of Boston University School of Law, joined Davis Wright in 2014 from Seattle firm Ogden Murphy Wallace. She currently serves as a vice chair of the firm’s executive committee and co-founder and co-chair of the firm’s women’s affinity group. Two of DWT’s leaders shared inspirational words about Drozd in a statement:

“Jaime is our ideal candidate,” said Camilo Echavarria, Los Angeles-based partner and chair of DWT’s executive committee. “She has incredible energy and innovative ideas combined with a vision and great clarity on how to achieve the ambitious goals of our strategic plan. She is equally dedicated to fostering the culture that makes DWT such a special place, and her strong and inclusive leadership has earned her tremendous respect and admiration across the firm. I am delighted she has agreed to serve her colleagues in this critical role.”

“At a time of intense competition and dynamic change, Jaime is exceptionally well prepared to lead us to continued success,” said Pete Johnson, who has served as DWT’s interim managing partner for the past six months. “I could not be more confident in her ability to capture the tremendous growth opportunities that lie ahead for DWT.”
Drozd, who is based in Seattle, takes over as managing partner effective immediately and will be the first woman to serve in that role. Johnson, also in Seattle, is returning full-time to his technology transactions practice.

Drozd, who said she’s “truly honored” to lead the firm “at a time of great momentum and opportunity,” is brimming with optimism about her new role. “I’m deeply indebted to Pete, and to the managing partners who preceded him, for their commitment to building and sustaining a firm that is uncompromising in its values: excellence, innovation, and inclusion,” she said in a statement. “DWT demonstrates every day that it’s possible to serve clients at the highest level, on their most consequential matters, while maintaining a people-focused culture and preserving the ability to achieve both professional success and fulfilling personal lives.”

Congratulations to Jaime Drozd on officially taking the reins as Davis Wright Tremaine’s firmwide managing partner!

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Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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