Dentons, the world’s largest law firm by headcount, has appointed a former global vice chair of EY as its next global CEO.

Kate Barton will take over at the helm of the world’s largest law firm by headcount in November from Elliott Portnoy, who has served as Dentons’ CEO since the firm was created in 2013. 

New York-based Barton has spent the past 35 years at EY and served in a variety of leadership roles at the firm, including as CEO of tax, law and people advisory services, which had a global workforce of 70,000 and under her leadership generated revenues in excess of $11bn. Dentons noted Barton had helped to “transform EY’s global tax practice through investments in people, technology, global shared service centres, world-class methods and processes, and M&A activity”.

Barton will join Dentons in early September to begin a handover period with Portnoy, whose term ends on 9 November 2024. Barton will start her term as global CEO on 10 November.

“Kate has extensive experience in leading a global professional service organisation and has an outstanding skillset in managing people, processes and systems,” Portnoy said. “Her successful client service experience, coupled with her thoughtful approach to integration, make her the ideal individual to lead our firm. She has my unqualified support, and I am confident she will lead Dentons from strength to strength.”

Barton’s appointment follows Portnoy announcing last December that he intended to stand down as CEO. The process to find his successor was led by Dentons’ global board talent and governance committee chair, Gerald Singham, and saw it enlist Chicago-based executive search consultancy Spencer Stuart. Dentons declined to specify how many candidates had been considered, though said “multiple” people had been interviewed both from inside and outside the firm. 

Portnoy has been Dentons’ global CEO since the firm assumed its current name following the $1bn tripartite merger of legacy SNR Denton, of which Portnoy was global CEO, with French firm Salans and Canada’s Fraser Milner Casgrain in 2013. 

Since then more than 50 law firms have joined Dentons, which became the largest firm in the world by lawyer headcount in 2015 following its tie-up with 4,000-lawyer Beijing giant Dacheng. 

Portnoy’s decision to stand down came after Joe Andrew, Dentons’ founding global chair, stepped down earlier in 2023, after which he returned to his corporate practice and the firm axed the global chair role.

The duo had worked together to create a ‘polycentric’ law firm through a series of mergers that began back in 2010 when legacy Chicago firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal joined with London’s Denton Wilde Sapte to create SNR Denton. Andrew had been a partner at Sonnenschein, while Portnoy had risen to become the firm’s youngest chairman after founding and leading its public law group.  

A Dentons’ spokesperson said Portnoy “has not yet made any professional commitments after his term [as global CEO] expires and is in discussions with the global board about his next professional and personal chapter”.

Dentons remains the largest law firm in the world by lawyer headcount despite splitting from Dacheng last year citing Chinese cybersecurity and data protection laws. The firm currently has almost 6,000 lawyers across more than 80 countries. 

Barton commented: “I have watched Dentons redefine the legal services landscape with its pioneering business strategy and client offerings. 

“Under Elliott’s leadership, this firm has differentiated itself with its polycentric approach and integrated cross-border and multidisciplinary client engagements, proving that uniting and operating as one firm is far more impactful. I am looking forward to working with Elliott on a transition and to collaborating with Dentons’ regional leadership to continue challenging industry norms.”