Howard Rosenberg Interviews Mark Wasserman, CEO Emeritus, Eversheds Sutherland

In this episode of The Future Is Bright podcast, Howard Rosenberg, head of Talent Intelligence + Acquisitions at Baretz+Brunelle, and his co-host Chris Batz welcome Mark Wasserman, CEO emeritus of Eversheds Sutherland, the firm created when Mark’s U.S.-based firm combined with a U.K. firm four times its size in 2016. Mark spent close to 40 years at the firm, the last 20 as managing partner, before handing the role to his successor in 2025.

Mark didn’t set out to practice law. He was weighing a Ph.D. in economics when Emory offered him a spot in law school, and he took it. The podcast conversation moves from Eversheds’ merger story to the forces shaping law firm economics today. Mark explains why keeping separate profit and loss statements, rather than combining into one partnership, let the deal hold together through Brexit and a U.S. election in the same year. He walks through why private equity keeps hitting a wall in large law firms: without non-competes, a firm’s biggest assets can walk out the door overnight, and that changes what outside capital is willing to fund. On AI, he argues the technology has outrun trust. Clients want the cost savings AI promises, but most aren’t yet comfortable treating AI output as finished work rather than something that still needs full review. He also traces the roots of Conexo, the alternative legal service provider that came into the firm through the merger and that he helped grow into a bigger part of the business, and offers direct advice for managing partners weighing a merger of their own.

Episode Highlights

• From Flat Rejection to a Merger in Six Months

  A U.K. firm four times the size of his own came calling in 2016, and the initial answer was no. What flipped the outcome traces back to a detail about overlapping clients.

• Keeping the Books Separate Saved the Deal

  The newly combined firm never merged its profit and loss statements into one, an early choice that let the partnership hold together through Brexit and a presidential election in the same year.

• Why Outside Capital Keeps Hitting a Wall in Law Firms

  Private equity has poured into other professional services, but law firm non-competes mean a firm’s top earners can leave for a rival overnight, a risk that keeps most investors circling rather than committing.

• The Trust Problem Slowing AI in Legal Work

  Mark argues the technology already outpaces how comfortable clients are with using it. Until that gap closes, the promised cost savings from AI in legal work stay mostly theoretical.

• One Piece of Advice for Firms Considering Their Own Merger

  Asked for one piece of advice for a managing partner considering a merger like his, Mark skips strategy and financials entirely. His answer comes down to making sure the right people end up in the right seats across both firms.

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About the Podcast:
On The Future Is Bright, Howard Rosenberg and Chris Batz engage with thought-provoking C-suite executives and leaders from corporations, professional service firms, and the global legal industry. Each episode uncovers insights on leadership, innovation, and the evolving dynamics of the modern professional landscape.

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