Big Law Chairpersons as Hollywood Studio Moguls

 Big Law is about star power. That's just like in the old Hollywood studio system. And that makes their leaders the analogue of those moguls who had ruled the movie business. They have to identity, recruit (usually poach), and hold onto the names which will twinkle on the marquees.

Today one of those stars has been featured in the media. That's Kannon Shanmugam, a real killer in winning for his clients in arguing their issues before the US Supreme Court. His most recent bit of fame came from his record advocacy pitch in  "OK v Castro-Huerta." That lasted 71 minutes. That's the longest at SCOTUS in decades.

And it's a major part of the job description of Paul Weiss Chairperson Brad Karp to keep Shanmugam, a partner at that firm, happy. In the process of acing that, Karp, just like the moguls of a different time, himself becomes a star. In the industry he is known for maintaing quite a stable of talent. In a Bloomberg Law interview he did happen to gush some about that.

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