Biglaw Firm Names Its First-Ever Black Managing Partner

He joins a cadre of other Black law firm leaders, and has high hopes for more inclusion in the future.

Tony White

Tony White (Image via Thompson Hine)

Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.

There are not many firms out there who are advancing African Americans into leadership positions within their firm or with their clients. That’s something the industry still has to grapple with: How are we going to do that and how are we going to be more effective in equity and inclusion?

Anthony White, who was recently named as the next managing partner of Thompson Hine, in comments given to Bloomberg Law on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and his ascent to leadership within the firm. On May 1, White will succeed Deborah Read, who has led the firm since 2012, to become one of the handful of Black lawyers to lead an Am Law 200 firm. “It’s not about some artificial process you’re trying to force onto your organization. It’s about your people,” White continued. “And here at Thompson Hine, our people are our most important strength. So we focus on them in a lot of ways, and equity and inclusion is just one of those ways.”


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.