THE GENERALISTS - Sullivan & Cromwell
THE GENERALISTS - Sullivan & Cromwell
THE GENERALISTS - Sullivan & Cromwell
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news<br />
In addition, lawyers do not concentrate solely on Latin American work, which they argue differentiates them from<br />
other firms operating in the region. Risoleo notes that the benefit of not practising exclusively in Latin America is<br />
that they build a greater cultural awareness. “It’s very useful for someone in Latin America to have done work in<br />
Europe and the US to make sense of what’s going on,” he explains.<br />
Of course there is a core team of sorts; some 30 lawyers do significant work in the region alongside deals<br />
elsewhere. For this interview, Latin Lawyer spoke to five of the more prominent partners: Galvis, Soussloff, Risoleo,<br />
Christopher Mann and Joseph Neuhaus.<br />
Galvis, whose family came over to the US from Colombia when he was 10, is by far the most visible face of the<br />
team and practice head, a position he has occupied since he was just a six-year associate. He was called in by<br />
John Merow, the chairman at the time, and told he was to run the firm’s Latin American practice. “I said: ‘Great, I<br />
didn’t know we had one’,” recalls Galvis. “He said: ‘We do now and you’re in charge. Good luck’.”<br />
Galvis recalls the last deal he did before making partner: “A senior associate across the table turned to me and<br />
said: ‘You and I spot the issues at the same time, but you get the answers faster’.” His edge was down to him<br />
picking up the phone to colleagues back in the office. “We open doors and consult in a very cooperative and<br />
collegial way,” he explains.<br />
“This firm has a very global, collaborationist approach to work,” says Mann, who puts this culture down to the firm’s<br />
home-grown model. “It is striking to lawyers who joined in later years to see our collaboration among partners for<br />
any client matter,” he says. Certainly the team has a long history of working together, with Galvis, Risoleo, Mann<br />
and Soussloff having begun their careers at <strong>Sullivan</strong> & <strong>Cromwell</strong>. (Neuhaus joined as a mid-level associate.) Mann<br />
is the newest partner of the five interviewed having joined the firm 22 years ago. The others have been there for<br />
25-plus years, Soussloff for over 30. “We grew up together so we enjoy each other’s company,” says Galvis.<br />
Galvis says his being appointed as practice head at such an early point in his career is a good example of the<br />
culture at <strong>Sullivan</strong> & <strong>Cromwell</strong>, where young lawyers showing promise are given above average responsibility, be it<br />
pitching for work or negotiating at the deal table. In the early days, Galvis and Soussloff would take themselves off<br />
to Buenos Aires, Santiago or Caracas to capitalise on the opportunities of the time. “There were so many things<br />
to do out there, so we went,” says Soussloff. “We didn’t have to ask for or get approval. The firm recognised the<br />
opportunity.”<br />
Galvis now has firm-wide responsibility as head of recruitment, so what advice would he give to a lawyer wanting<br />
a job at <strong>Sullivan</strong> & <strong>Cromwell</strong>? It’s not easy; applicants must be highly intelligent and highly qualified. Recent<br />
candidates and hires have LLMs from leading law schools and the more prominent partners have JDs. (Between<br />
them, the partners in this article have JDs from Harvard, Yale, UPenn and Columbia.) Once in, lawyers receive<br />
rigorous training and are developed as generalists from the start, rather than embarking on the more traditionally<br />
used method of rotation. Not surprisingly, expectations are very high. This can mean some gruelling working days<br />
(although the firm doesn’t report the number of hours associates do or set targets) and a steep learning curve,<br />
but on the upside, greater responsibility at an early stage.<br />
The firm also trains its lawyers on how to interact with the firms it works with around the world. “Latin American<br />
firms have a great amount to add to clients and in delivering the service we provide jointly – we do it best if we do it<br />
together,” says Galvis. “We teach that to our associates – to develop relations, and be responsive and respectful.”<br />
<strong>Sullivan</strong> & <strong>Cromwell</strong> understood the benefits of building relationships with referral firms at an early stage and<br />
claims to be the first in the US to have a visiting lawyers programme – the firm has taken on six to eight lawyers<br />
First published on the Latin Lawyer website, 1st June 2012<br />
www.latinlawyer.com