Akin’s Koopersmith to Step Down, Replaced by US-UK Duo Next Year

Manhattan lawyer Kim Koopersmith is stepping down from the top role at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld after more than a decade leading the firm.

Koopersmith will officially relinquish the post on April 1, 2025, the firm said Tuesday. She will be succeeded by Abid Qureshi and Daniel Walsh.

“Having worked closely with Abid and Dan for more than two decades, I am so pleased to be transitioning leadership to two highly distinguished lawyers who share a deep commitment to our firm and our values,” Koopersmith said in a statement.

Koopersmith plans stay at the firm after the leadership transition, according to Akin.

Kim Koopersmith

Photo: Akin

She was elected as firm chair in 2012 and took over the role the following year, becoming the first woman to lead Akin in its nearly 70-year history. The firm’s revenue has grown more than 75% during her tenure, nearing $1.4 billion last year, while its profits doubled to more than $3.1 million per equity partner.

Akin has brought on several lateral partners over the last year in private credit, M&A, private equity, energy, and restructuring from rivals like Paul Hastings and Hughes Hubbard & Reed. Earlier this year, it saw David D’Urso, the head of its US private equity and mergers and acquisitions practice, and Elazar Guttman head to Sidley Austin in New York.

“Kim has been a remarkable leader who has shown that you can reach extraordinary heights as an elite firm while holding true to a culture of respect and inclusiveness,” Qureshi said in a statement.

Qureshi, a longtime Akin partner and financial restructuring litigator, is a member of the firm’s management committee and leads Akin’s New York office. He advised unsecured creditors in former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s recent bankruptcy and has worked on restructuring cases involving Mexico’s TV Azteca and retailer Brooks Brothers Group Inc., among others.

London-based corporate partner Walsh has served as a member of the Akin’s management, compensation and partnership admissions committees. He advised Russian energy company LUKOIL and telecoms provider PJSC VimpelCom, among other clients.