Willkie Farr & Gallagher scaled to more than 60 lawyers and 20 partners in Los Angeles in less than a year. And as the firm continues to chart growth on the West Coast, it’s benefiting from critical mass and building inroads in entertainment and private wealth, firm leaders said.

“The growth hasn’t surprised me in the least,” said Alex Weingarten, a litigator and one of the first three partners in the office. “Ultimately, what made this opportunity so compelling was the people. We have a lot of energy in the marketplace [because] people want to be here.”