Manatt CEO and Managing Partner Donna L. Wilson begins her second term today as leader of the Am Law 125 multidisciplinary, national professional services firm following her election earlier this year. Embracing the internal and external perception of the Firm as a “unicorn” since taking the helm in 2019, Wilson has led Manatt through strategic growth across the country and its industry-focused platform, increasing revenue and profitability every year and exceeding $400 million in revenue in 2023. The Firm’s success is largely driven by its unique integrated legal and consulting model, which brings together lawyers, strategy consultants, government advisers, data scientists and technologists to collaboratively deliver high-value solutions to clients in core industry sectors.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to play a leadership role with my colleagues in building the professional services Firm of the future, and I want to thank everyone at Manatt for their unwavering support as we strive each day to build a different type of Firm for the benefit of our clients,” Wilson said. “The success of Manatt’s unique model demonstrates that industry-leading clients seek business-savvy partners to provide integrated solutions to help maximize opportunities and mitigate risks.”
Under Wilson’s leadership over the last five years, Manatt has become a legal and consulting powerhouse with a growing presence in important business and political centers, including opening and expanding offices in Boston, Chicago and San Diego, and relocating its Los Angeles office to a state-of-the-art space. Her disciplined approach to growth and investment in key industries, and her commitment to creating a culture of collaboration and inclusion, have been key to the Firm’s success.
“Strategic, whip-smart and driven, Donna is a trailblazer and an exceptional leader dedicated equally to the clients we serve and our professionals. She rejected the status quo to expand our integrated and diversified legal and consulting model that helps clients address and capitalize on their unique business needs across the core industries in which we focus,” said Manatt Health Leader and Board Chair Bill Bernstein. “Donna exemplifies Manatt’s core pillars of client-centric and collaborative work, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and dedication to the communities where we live and work. There is no one better to stand at the helm of our Firm.”
Wilson received her J.D. from the University of Virginia and her B.A. from George Washington University. Prior to her election in 2018, she worked on high-profile, bet-the-company matters on behalf of companies facing litigation and government enforcement actions. As a partner and former co-leader of Manatt’s privacy and data security practice, Wilson has been nationally recognized for her leadership in expanding the Firm’s work in these spaces—and technology issues more generally—including on rankings such as Top 100 Lawyers in California, Top Cyber/AI Lawyers and as one of the Most Influential Women Lawyers in Los Angeles. Her extensive crisis and risk management experience, coupled with her broad subject matter knowledge and precedent-setting litigation achievements, have earned her the reputation as a trusted adviser to all her clients, from in-house counsel to C-level suite executives and boards. Prior to her election, she served on the Firm’s Board of Directors and its Compensation Committee, and currently chairs the Compensation and Management Committees.
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, is a leading professional services firm, providing integrated legal and consulting services to a global client base. With 11 offices strategically located in New York (New York City and Albany), Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston and California (Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and Silicon Valley), the Firm represents sophisticated clients—including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies—across a range of industry sectors such as health care; financial services; entertainment; digital and technology; and energy, environmental and real estate. For more information, visit www.manatt.com.