No law firm wants to find itself with a sudden gap in its leadership as Willkie Farr & Gallagher did last week.

But the news that Gordon Caplan was placed on leave by the firm — following a federal indictment alleging he paid $75,000 to have his daughter’s college test score fixed in the national admissions scandal — is one more reminder of the singular nature of firms, where lofty titles carry different weight at different shops. In the end, the long-term effect of any disruption on the Wall Street firm could be muted.