When Kathleen Sullivan began practicing law about 30 years ago at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, there were no female litigation partners practicing at big firms. On Thursday, capping a career that has included stints as a Harvard Law School professor and the dean of Stanford Law School, Sullivan became a name partner at Quinn Emanuel, marking the first time a woman’s name is on the door of an Am Law 100 firm. The firm’s new name is Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.
Over breakfast Thursday morning, Sullivan credited firm founder John Quinn with cultivating a firm culture that doesn’t distinguish between men and women, noting that Susan Estrich in Los Angeles, Faith Gay in New York, and Sue Prevezer in London are also prominent partners at Quinn Emanuel. “We want the best lawyers,” Quinn said.
