New CEO Named at Williams Mullen
Law Firm Offices" title="New CEO Named at Williams Mullen" />As of April 1, Williams Mullen CEO Thomas Frantz will step down from the position, according to Richmond BizSense.
Calvin Fowler, Jr. will become the firm’s new CEO.
The move does not come as a surprise. Frantz approached the firm’s board of directors at least one year ago about finding a successor for the CEO position.
“(Frantz) will remain a really important part of the firm, but I think he felt it was time to turn leadership over to the next generation of lawyers, and he thought the timing was right to do that,” Fowler said.
The switch will bring the position of CEO to Richmond on a full-time basis since the firm is headquartered in the city.
Frantz’s office is in Virginia Beach, while Fowler works in Richmond.
When Frantz steps down from the position, he will have served five years as the CEO of the firm. He will remain with the firm as chairman of the board and will also continue to practice law. He focuses on issues involving corporate transactions, succession and business planning.
Fowler has been working with Williams Mullen for 24 years. To put that in perspective, he is 53. He was born in Richmond and was raised in Danville. He focuses his practice on issues involving financial services litigation, commercial litigation and banking. He has chaired the litigation practice at the firm for the last 11 years.
“Litigation is one of the biggest sections in the firm,” Fowler said. “It really allowed me to essentially run a small law firm.”
“The legal profession has changed a lot over the last five years, and I think more changes are going to occur, some as a result of technology, some as a result of client demands, and some just as law firms gain a better understanding of how to use project management,” Fowler said.
There are 225 lawyers at 10 offices from Washington, D.C. to North Carolina. Fowler hopes those numbers will increase in the near future.
“The goal is to be a really significant regional player,” he said. “I think as we get bigger and as we increase the number of attorneys in certain specialties, you’ll continue to see us have more national practices, but that is something that will take a little time.”
Fowler said that there will be leadership changes at the firm when he takes over as CEO, but would not elaborate on those changes.
Source: Richmond BizSense
Want to read more law firm news?
For past editions of our weekly law firm news, click here.
Contact Our Recruiters Now!
