Robert Novick believes what makes his firm great is not any one practice group, or attorney, or client or matter. Novick, who leads Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr alongside Susan Murley, breaks with current orthodoxy: Whereas the prevailing strategy in Big Law is to be the best at one or two things, Novick takes pride in what he sees as a well-rounded, complete firm—one that was recently named The American Lawyer’s 2020 Law Firm of the Year.

“It’s the contribution from the entire firm community,” Novick said when asked why his firm deserved the recognition. “What I mean by that is our lawyers are strong. They get called for and take on really interesting high-profile work. Our staff is incredible, they are innovative and they deliver.”