Nearly one month after the death of its founder, Susman Godfrey announced a new managing partner on Monday.
Los Angeles partner and executive committee member Kalpana Srinivasan was elected by a vote of the partners last week to lead the firm with co-managing partner Neal Manne. Srinivasan is the first woman to serve in the position and only the fourth managing partner in the firm’s four-decade history.
The co-managing partner model of management has served the firm well, Srinivasan said, adding that “two heads are better than one.” She will consult with Manne on all management issues and manage by consensus.
A graduate of Stanford Law School, Srinivasan joined Susman Godfrey in 2005 after clerking for the late Honorable Raymond Fisher on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is the first managing partner to have risen through the associate ranks at Susman Godfrey.
“Kalpana has been a superstar from her first day at Susman Godfrey,” Manne, who is based in Houston, said in a statement. “She is deeply respected throughout the firm for her intellect, her vision for the firm, and for her wisdom and sense of fairness. Kalpana is a tremendous role model for all of our lawyers.”
Srinivasan focuses her high-stakes commercial litigation practice on antitrust, patent, trade secret, copyright, class action and media disputes. She has handled numerous cases for clients in Texas federal court, including the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas.
In February, she argued the appeal of a $706 million jury verdict she achieved in 2018 for her client, San Antonio-based real estate analytics company HouseCanary, in a misappropriation of trade secret, fraud and breach of contract case.
Srinivasan said one of her favorite memories of the late Steve Susman came just a few weeks into her time at the firm at the Susman Godfrey winter retreat. One of the “tried and true” traditions at the firm was for each lawyer to sing her or his school fight song in front of all of the lawyers.
“I stood up to sing Yale’s Bulldog fight song and within seconds Steve – whom I had just met – was on his feet signing beside me as Yale was also his alma mater,” she said.
“His exuberance for the firm and our traditions was palpable. I have learned so much from him over the years, but perhaps most of all to cut through the noise and focus on the things that are critical to winning and that you can be a fierce advocate but still practice civility in this profession.”