Firmwide Managing Partner Bill Malley recently spoke with Law360 about his views on secondments and sabbaticals, his plans for the firm over the next five years, and what he believes has made the firm a go-to for top technology companies. 

Law360: What has the law firm’s growth strategy been in recent years?

Bill: We’ve had a steady growth trajectory over the last decade or more and that’s been the result of a deliberate strategy on our part, to grow from being primarily based in the Pacific Northwest to being a firm with a more broad national and international footprint. And, in more recent years, particularly since the adoption of our strategic plan in 2017, we’ve concentrated our growth in major markets, including New York, Washington, D.C., and the Bay Area, as well as continuing to focus growth in our headquarters office in Seattle.

Law360: What is your goal for the law firm over the next five years?

Bill: We have a number of important goals as we look toward the future. First, we believe that it’s critical to maintain a focus on the client and the client’s needs. At the heart of that we think is delivering excellent client service and we do that by assembling talented teams of lawyers in areas of law that are crucial for our clients’ businesses. We see those areas of law across our firm, including for example privacy and cybersecurity, intellectual property litigation, and many other areas of practice. In particular what we see is that our client base is heavily concentrated in the technology sector, including some of the most disruptive and innovative areas of our economy. What we have done and will continue to do is to combine not only legal expertise in areas that our clients need, but also to bring deep industry knowledge in the technology sector.

Click here to read the full transcript of Bill's interview titled, "Law Firm Leaders: Perkins Coie's William Malley."