Skip to Main Content

Regional Managing Partner Evan Cohen: Competing in the US Market

Read the article published by The Legal 500  (PDF) 

The Legal 500's fivehundred magazine sat down with Regional Managing Partner, Evan Cohen, to take a closer look at the strategy behind Clifford Chance's growing success in the US.

"When you're asked to lead a region identified as the top strategic priority for one of the world's largest globally integrated firms, you are faced with two distinct but intertwined challenges: supporting your firm's global ambitions while also developing a domestic strategy that addresses the challenges unique to your local market. It's no easy task. But Evan Cohen – who was elected Clifford Chance's managing partner for the Americas in 2013 – has likely exceeded the firm's expectations based on the increasingly impressive results his US team has produced in recent years."

We're a strong US firm comprised of US lawyers competing against US firms for domestic work. We are not a Magic Circle firm in the US.

We’re closing in on the top 25 for US RPL.

It sounds simple, but you have to play where you can win – especially in a legal market as fiercely competitive as the US.

I am very happy to have doubled the percentage of female partners in the firm here in the US – we have almost 20% female partners and the US partnership overall is almost 30% diverse.

The Americas Management Committee is 30% diverse because you want and need that diversity of thought and ideas.

I can’t change society – but at least within Clifford Chance I can make this a place where anyone can succeed based on merit.

Our offering is legal services, but our product is people.