INDIANAPOLIS – Barnes & Thornburg has announced that Andrew J. Detherage will become the firm’s next managing partner, effective early November 2022. Detherage will succeed Robert T. Grand, who assumed the role in 2014 and is stepping down in fall 2022 at the completion of his second term.
Grand has led Barnes & Thornburg during seven years of consecutive growth, adding eight new offices and increasing gross revenue by nearly 40 percent. He will continue to practice in the firm’s Government Services and Finance group and remain active in practice development and community involvement.
Detherage, a partner with the firm’s Litigation group, has been with Barnes & Thornburg his entire legal career, which began in 1990; he has been a partner since 1999. He is chair of Barnes & Thornburg’s Strategic Planning Committee, a member of the Management Committee, and co-chair of the Insurance Recovery and Counseling practice.
“I am humbled and honored to be elected as Barnes & Thornburg’s next firm managing partner and look forward to continuing to work closely with Bob, the Management Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee over the next year,” Detherage said. “Bob’s leadership has marked an extraordinary period of growth and prosperity for the firm, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue on that path while doubling down on our commitment to our lawyer-focused culture, DEI, and delivering exceptional client service.”
Detherage has played an integral role in the firm’s expansion, including the opening of offices in New York, Boston, Raleigh, Ann Arbor and Salt Lake City, and recent expansion in Delaware, a strategic pillar of Barnes & Thornburg’s Northeast footprint. Along the way, the full-service firm has added tremendous depth to a number of key practices, including M&A, investment funds and asset management, life sciences, intellectual property, white collar and investigations, and litigation, among others.
“Having known and worked side by side with Andy during most of my career, I am confident that the future leadership of Barnes & Thornburg is in excellent hands,” Grand said. “He cares immensely about this firm and all of its people, and he will be a passionate and thoughtful steward for the organization as we embark on the next chapter of our progress and development.”
Focused on sustained organic growth favoring targeted lateral acquisition over large-scale combinations, Grand has led Barnes & Thornburg in expanding the firm’s gross revenue from $346 million in 2014 to $506.2 million in 2020 – a 38 percent increase, per The American Lawyer. When he took over as firm managing partner, Barnes & Thornburg ranked 90th on the AmLaw 200; in 2020, the firm ranked 78th while also setting new highs in profits per equity partner and revenue per lawyer.
During Grand’s leadership tenure, the firm has opened eight new offices while growing its foothold in existing markets and increasing attorney headcount from 580 to 700.
With more than 700 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New York, Ohio, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.
