The McCormick Group (TMG) is pleased to announce that Jim Leary, former Chief Operating Officer to two global AmLaw 50 law firms, has joined its Law Firm Management practice as Senior Executive Search Consultant. Jim will team with Senior Vice Presidents Deborah Page and Elizabeth Humphrey, Executive Principal Stephen Nelson and Principal Cassie Battle to aid law firms in their hiring of executive-level professionals in such disciplines as operations, financial management, marketing and business development, information technology, knowledge management, talent management, and human resources.
Jim’s service as the top operations official for two leading law firms occurred during a period of dynamic growth and change in the legal industry as law firms began to turn over significant management responsibilities to business professionals. From 2000-2014, he served as Executive Director at Akin Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, where he oversaw the firm’s expansion efforts, including leading the firm’s efforts to open offices in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. After that, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Dechert LLP in Philadelphia, where, among other things, he realigned administrative staffing to focus on client service, training programs, lawyer satisfaction and client development programs. Earlier in his career, he held key administrative roles at Shaw Pittman, Shipman & Goodwin, Hamel & Park, and Covington & Burling.
After retiring from his career in law firms, he was asked by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to serve as the Interim President of Archbishop John Carroll High School in Radnor, PA while they conducted a search for a new President. In 2022, the Archdiocese also asked him to be the Interim President of Little Flower Girls Catholic High School in Philadelphia.
Jim earned his Bachelor’s Degree at the State University of New York at Geneseo and a Master’s Degree in Personnel Administration from Lynchburg College. He was an Assistant Basketball Coach at the U.S. Naval Academy and also helped coach the basketball team at Gonzaga High School in Washington, DC before starting his law career. He served as the Commissioner of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference from 2007-2014.
TMG Executive Vice President Brian McCormick, who worked with Jim on several critical searches, said that “we are excited about Jim joining our team. His experience in the legal profession is unparalleled, and I’m confident that law firms will find his sage advice tremendously useful as they make key hiring decisions.”
