2022
Annual Review

What's inside

Highlights of our work, insights, achievements, programs and initiatives in a year that brought new challenges

A message from our Chair

Hugh Verrier

Hugh Verrier
Chair

In 2022 uncertainty took hold as inflation, volatile markets and a geopolitical conflict added to the challenges set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a world of shifting expectations and norms, we focused on creating a distinctive experience for our clients, consistent with the five-year strategy we launched in 2020. This North Star guided our global teams as they developed and executed innovative solutions on high-stakes deals, disputes and pro bono matters.

Our client work placed us at the center of global trends related to energy transition, environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, finance and globalization. We contributed to the dialogue on these issues with published insights including “Scaling up the energy transition,” a report based on a survey that explores how capital providers and companies are setting priorities, staying competitive and managing risk. Through our COP27 video series, we explored themes raised during the annual climate conference and their potential impact on business and industry.

In regions around the world, we increased our capacity to serve clients, promoting 59 new partners and welcoming 39 lateral partners. We developed new ways of working with clients, increasing efficiencies and ensuring consistency. These initiatives included our Debt Finance Solutions Team, which leverages legal technology and other resources to handle certain types of routine work, and our Client Experience Blueprints, a series of tools that codify our global best practices for working with clients before, during and after a matter.  

We continued to focus on building a more diverse and inclusive workplace, significantly expanding our diversity data collection efforts so we can quantify our progress. Our people benefited from new and expanded coaching programs, and we took concrete steps to empower our associates, focusing on work allocation, skills development and leadership opportunities. 

This review discusses these and other accomplishments and initiatives that made a difference to our people and our clients in 2022. Together we face the future positioned for success.


Hugh Verrier, Chair

Conversations

Guest speakers at Firm events share views on timely topics

The pandemic prompted a workplace shakeup, shining a spotlight on employee wellness

Amy Blankson offers tools that can boost happiness as we enter a new world of work

Glass elevators on the side of a London office building
blue sky in my pocket © Getty Images

When it comes to solving problems, human beings have a superpower

Kenneth Cukier talks about the process that can lead to breakthroughs and help us tackle novel challenges

01 conversations 3 kenneth-cukier 960x640
Haitong Yu © Getty Images

A vast pro bono network creates global impact

Antonio Zappulla talks about how TrustLaw tackles some of the world’s biggest challenges

conversations 1 antonio zappulla
Matthias Kulka © Getty Images

Investors and energy companies pull all levers in the race to net zero

The focus on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 remained a priority for governments, investors and energy companies

energy
Richard Hamilton Smith © Getty Images

Stakeholders raise the bar on ESG

Addressing ESG factors became “the new normal” for investors and businesses

02 trends 2 esg 960x640
Andriy Onufriyenko © Getty Images

Markets cool as interest rates and inflation rise

Activity across debt and M&A markets slowed as rising interest rates and high inflation saw investors, borrowers and lenders recalibrate risk appetite

02 trends 3 finance 960x64
Christoph Hetzmannseder © Getty Images

Globalization: Balancing interdependencies and divisions

Around the world, legal and regulatory developments continued to reshape global interconnectedness

02 trends 4 globalization_960x640
Artur Debat © Getty Images

Impact

Highlights of our work in 2022

Our growth and accolades

Our achievements position us for success

Our annual revenue

 

US$2.83 billion in revenue


Our lawyers worldwide

2,616 total lawyers


1,315EMEA
1,021Americas
280Asia-Pacific

1,297US-qualified lawyers
582English-qualified lawyers

 

2022 new partners

Meet the outstanding generation of talented lawyers who strengthened our Firm in 2022

04 achievements 1 new partners 960x640
David Ramos © Getty Images

2022 awards & rankings

In markets around the world, White & Case earned many of the legal industry’s top accolades

04 achievements 2 awards 960x640.
Yu Kodama © Getty Images

Our responsible business practices

White & Case is committed to fair and ethical operations that respect human rights and recognize the importance of our natural environment. 

As a signatory to the UN Global Compact, we affirm our commitment to doing business responsibly by supporting the Compact’s ten principles on human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption. The steps we are taking to continue to embed these principles into our Firm are outlined in our most recent Communication on Progress.

Our latest Environmental Sustainability Report includes information on our environmental policies, footprint, key actions and goals.

 

More than five million kilowatt hours of renewable energy powered our offices
Nine of our offices procure renewable energy, accounting for approximately one-third of all electricity used globally
We track our greenhouse gas emissions annually and now include our supply chain emissions
Our London office maintains ISO 14001 certification

Diversity and inclusion

Committed to advancing diversity and inclusion across the Firm

Our diverse workplace

11 global affinity networks

Our 11 affinity networks foster a sense of community among the Firm’s Black, Asian, Latinx/Hispanic, Middle Eastern, minority ethnic and LGBTQ+ lawyers, business services professionals and their allies. Each network sets its own agenda, initiatives and goals, which are specific to the issues it considers most important. Affinity networks create and enhance awareness of these groups within the Firm and its larger culture, drive community and connection across our global offices, and support their members with career and professional development opportunities.

25 local women’s networks

Our 25 local women’s networks are active in 40 offices across the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. These networks foster professional development and mentoring activities. They also provide a forum for our lawyers and business services professionals to share perspectives and create programs to support and retain our women while fostering and promoting gender equity.

 

Diversity: The numbers

Women make up:
40% of the Firm’s global management
25% of the Executive Committee
27% of our Office Executive Partners

50% of our 2022 global partner promotions
23% of global partnership
42% of our lawyers


In the US:

49%of our lawyers self-identify as of color 


28%of our partners self-identify as of color


In London:

43%of our lawyers self-identify as of color


27%of our partners self-identify as of color


Globally:

118nationalities


95languages spoken


Recognition

Leading publications and alliance organizations continue to recognize our commitment to diversity and inclusion

Number 1 Most Diverse Law Firm among top 10 US firms by revenue

The American Lawyer Diversity Scorecard 2022 (Number 2 among all firms scored)

100% rating on commitment to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workplace equality (14th consecutive year)

Identifying the Firm as one of the best places to work for LGBT+ individuals

Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index

International Firm of the Year for Career Development, Diverse Women Lawyers, Work-Life Balance

Euromoney Legal Media Group Women in Business Awards 2022 EMEA

2022 Mansfield Certification Plus (fourth consecutive year)

Diversity Lab

Top 75 employer in the UK

Social Mobility Foundation Employer Index 2022

Measuring our progress on diversity and inclusion

Using data to create change

bird's eyeview of people
Gremlin © Getty Images

People engagement

Helping our colleagues to reach new heights

Investing in our people with global coaching programs

Committing to growth opportunities for colleagues in wide-ranging roles

skydiving
Moodboard © Getty Images

For associates: A more level playing field and greater opportunity

Recognizing the value of our lawyers as they start their careers

bridge
Shunli Zhao © Getty Images

Collaborating with clients around the world


 

world map
6 continents
44offices
30countries
In 2022 we advised clients from 
115
countries 
on matters in 
195
countries

 

Building a better client experience

Focusing on consistent application of best practices

Building a better client experience
Sebàstian Calanzone © Getty Images

An innovation startup within the US Debt Finance practice

Leveraging technology to streamline routine work and enhance client service

Innovation
Sky Sajjaphot / 500px © Getty Images

White & Case teams up with AbbVie on Second Look Project pro bono case

Collaborating to effect change and build strong connections

AbbVie
Paul Taylor @ Getty Images
02 trends 2 esg

Stakeholders raise the bar on ESG

Article

4 min read

After rising to prominence in 2021 on the strength of growing global concerns over climate change and social inequality, addressing environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors became “the new normal” for investors and businesses in 2022. With ESG considerations firmly embedded in mainstream markets, investors and regulators have demanded better reporting and compliance from businesses on their ESG performance.

Throughout 2022, White & Case assisted companies, investors and sovereigns with a variety of ESG issues, including green investing, ESG-linked debt compliance, reporting and new ESG regulation. Here are some key themes that our client work focused on during the year.

Compliance and regulatory focus intensifies

As the number of ESG-badged equity and debt products has grown, investors, companies and consumers have seen the proliferation of ESG metrics and benchmarks. This trend has driven calls for greater standardization, consistency and transparency regarding the real impact of ESG policies. 

Meanwhile, governments and economic blocs—against the backdrop of their commitments under the Paris Agreement and subsequent agreements at international climate conferences COP26 and COP27—have incentives to encourage ESG integration through means that include voluntary and mandatory disclosure regimes.  

In Europe, the European Commission advanced proposals for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive that outline requirements for large businesses to conduct due diligence to identify and address adverse impacts on human rights and the environment; produce climate plans; and require directors to consider environmental and human rights impacts of business decisions. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), meanwhile, put out long-awaited proposals to require climate change disclosure in the annual reports and registration statements of public companies. 

On the regulatory front, the SEC is developing “nutrition labels” that will require disclosures on how ESG funds are marketed and how ESG is built into investor decisions, with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) releasing guidance for the providers of sustainability-related financial products to prevent making misrepresentations in promotional material and regulatory filings. 

The work of the SEC and ASIC in strengthening disclosures around the marketing of ESG-badged funds and products has formed part of a wider global regulatory drive to require private companies to disclose and prevent the impacts of their activities on the climate.

Social elements of ESG gain prominence

The urgency of climate change risk has increased awareness of the environmental aspects that drive the ESG agenda, but in 2022 the social elements of ESG policies became more prominent.

Human rights and social equity have come to the fore as a growing cohort of businesses have recognized that the well-being of their employees has become important to shareholders and clients, and that failing to uncover and remedy poor labor practices in supply chains can carry significant reputational and litigation risk.

A White & Case analysis of the ESG disclosure trends in SEC filings underscored how the S in ESG has gained increasing attention. According to the analysis, human capital management disclosures in proxy and Form 10-K filings increased by 30 percent on the previous year in 2022, with diversity and inclusion disclosures up 12 percent. Disclosures related to corporate culture, meanwhile, almost doubled, with social impact and community disclosures rising by more than a quarter.

Regulators have also zeroed in on social factors in ESG, putting forward proposals focused on human rights and labor practices. The European Commission, for example, advanced legislative proposals to ban the marketing of goods made using forced labor. The proposals could drive significant changes to supply chain due diligence and management.

Sustainable financing grows and diversifies

While global market volatility became evident with year-on-year declines in 2022 deal volumes and values generally, green, social, sustainable and sustainability-linked bonds and loans represented ever-larger shares of the market in terms of volume and value during the same period. In addition, the focus on ESG factors has expanded beyond vanilla loans and bonds to more esoteric products such as sustainability-linked derivatives and green and social securitizations, which are on the rise. 

Industry bodies continued to publish best practice standards and guidance on how to structure sustainable finance transactions. For example, the International Capital Market Association updated its registry of approximately 300 sector-specific key performance indicators. These and other recommendations aim to move the industry toward a level of consensus that could help sustainable finance transactions continue to scale up.


Photo by Andriy Onufriyenko © Getty Images
A digitally generated image of a futuristic sustainable cityscape


Service areas

Top