Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a national law and consulting firm, today announced that Donna L. Wilson has been elected to succeed Bill Quicksilver as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner. Wilson will assume the leadership role on July 1, 2019, at which time Quicksilver will become Managing Partner Emeritus. Over the next year, Wilson will work closely with Quicksilver, who has served as the firm’s CEO and Managing Partner since 2007, and with the firm’s senior leadership to ensure a well-managed transition.
“Manatt is a unique place,” said Wilson. “When I joined as a lateral partner in 2013, I was delighted to find a place that truly walked the walk. It’s a privilege to have the firm’s support, and to collaborate with everyone as we continue building on our strong and innovative foundation. We are inclusive, client-driven professionals who mirror our clients. Our next chapter will continue to be entrepreneurial, value-driven and technologically advanced, with a laser focus on serving our clients’ evolving needs.”
Wilson chairs the firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice and co-chairs its financial services group and the financial services litigation and enforcement practice. She is a member of the firm’s board of directors and its Compensation Committee. She is recognized for her high-profile, bet-the-company representation of clients facing litigation and government enforcement actions and cybersecurity matters. Most recently, the Daily Journal selected her as one of the Top 20 Cyber/Artificial Intelligence Lawyers and one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in California. This year she also was named to the 2018 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America guide, and selected as one of the Most Influential Women Lawyers in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Wilson is a long-time advocate for diversity and inclusion and a member of the LGBTQ community.
“It’s an exciting time for Manatt. Our groundbreaking approach—bringing together legal services, advocacy and business strategy—differentiates us from our competitors,” said Quicksilver. “Donna has a keen understanding of the rapidly evolving legal and professional services industries, coupled with client-focused business acumen. She is an effective advocate with a proven ability to build teams, to solve tough problems and to execute.”
Under Quicksilver’s leadership, Manatt has grown to more than 450 lawyers, consultants and advisors, serving clients from nine locations in the United States. Manatt was named to The 2017 American Lawyer’s “A-List” ranking of the top 20 law firms in the nation. In 2017, Manatt was recognized as one of the best places for women to work in law by Working Mother magazine for the 10th year, and received the Women in Law Empowerment Forum’s Gold Standard Certificate for the seventh year. Manatt also received a perfect score of 100 percent on the 2018 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmark survey on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.
Wilson earned a B.A. from the George Washington University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia, where she served on the managing board and as an editor of the Virginia Law Review. After law school, she clerked for the late Honorable David R. Thompson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Diego, as well as for the late Honorable Stanley S. Brotman of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is one of the nation’s leading law and consulting firms, with offices strategically located in California (Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Sacramento), New York (New York City and Albany), Chicago, and Washington, D.C. The firm represents a sophisticated client base—including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies—across a range of practice areas and industry sectors. For more information, visit www.manatt.com.