This fall marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Finley, Kumble, Wagner, Underberg, Manley, Myerson & Casey. In the mid-1980s, the 19-year-old firm was the fourth-largest in the country by head count, with 19 offices and 1,600 lawyers and support staff. But for many Big Law lawyers over 50, the words “Finley Kumble” are shorthand for poaching talent, paying rainmakers lavishly, and piling on bank debt. Last spring, as Dewey & LeBoeuf went into a death spiral, comparisons to Finley were widespread.
I spent time this summer researching Dewey’s doppelganger and talking to current Am Law 200 leaders about the lessons they took away from Finley Kumble.
