Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Craig Unterberg was featured in New York Law Journal about his new role as administrative partner of the firm's New York office.
Unterberg, who succeeds Kenneth Bezozo, said he is committed to growing the 15-year-old office while maintaining the firm’s collaborative culture.
Here are excerpts:
“It would be great to double it in size, but at the same time, we are committed to protecting our culture,” Unterberg said about his task for the coming years.
The office has grown to 70 lawyers since Partner Kenneth Bezozo, who tasked his then-16-year-old daughter with hand lettering a Haynes and Boone sign, opened it in 2004. Bezozo managed the office until Unterberg moved into the role on Jan. 1.
Unterberg, 46, said the firm wants to expand in a big way in New York, simply to provide more service to clients. That office’s growth strategy has centered on the real estate and finance practices, he said, but the office also has lawyers in other areas, including investment funds, litigation, restructuring, intellectual property. His plan is to continue to strengthen those practices as well as beef up corporate and M&A, all based on client demand.
Unterberg’s own practice involves lending work to hedge funds and private equity companies, with many of his clients based in New York and Texas. He moved from Haynes and Boone’s Dallas headquarters to New York in 2009 to help grow the firm’s presence in the Big Apple. He said he is optimistic about expanding the number of lawyers in New York, despite intense competition in the Big Law lateral partner market.
The firm’s move to transition the New York managing partner role is related to Haynes and Boone’s goal of moving midcareer lawyers into management, Unterberg said.
“It’s a real conscious effort, making sure the voice of different generations of the firm … are being heard,” Unterberg said, noting that he’s been working closely with Bezozo over the last few months in anticipation of taking on the management job.
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