Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP, a 115-lawyer trial firm based in San Francisco, is pleased to announce the addition of Michelle Friends, the firm’s first Chief Operating Officer. Ms. Friends joins Keker from Denver-based Fairfield and Woods P.C., where she served as the firm’s Executive Director for the past five years. As COO, Ms. Friends will oversee the firm’s business, IT, and administrative operations, working closely with firm management, its CFO, partners, and department leaders.
“We are excited to welcome Michelle to the firm. We’ve been impressed by her qualifications and experience, her strategic approach to firm growth and development, and her contagious energy,” Keker’s Managing Partner Laurie Carr Mims said. “We are confident that Michelle will be an excellent addition to our firm’s leadership, and that she will be instrumental in supporting our strategic plans and delivering exceptional service to our clients.”
Michelle’s addition is an integral part of Keker’s ongoing commitment to expand and strengthen its business operations functions. To support this effort, the firm has made strategic hires in recent years, including the appointment of CFO Valerie Fletcher in 2020, followed by the addition of a pricing manger, and filling key roles in Finance, HR, and IT. A work allocation lead is slated to join the firm this summer, and the firm is currently recruiting a leader for its DEI efforts.
At Fairfield and Woods, Ms. Friends oversaw all aspects of firm operations. She led the firm through the pandemic, during which she helped the firm achieve greater profitability and become a 2021 Finalist for Denver Business Journal’s Best Place to Work. Ms. Friends brings more than a decade of experience working in the legal industry, including formerly serving in marketing roles at Fairfield and Woods and Jackson Lewis. She holds a master’s degree in legal administration from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, a master’s in communication from the University of Denver, and a B.A. in marketing from Metropolitan State University of Denver.
“I am honored to join Keker, Van Nest & Peters as its Chief Operating Officer and excited for the opportunity to be part of this dynamic team committed to excellence,” Ms. Friends said. “I am eager to collaborate with our talented business professionals to implement best practices and foster a client-centric approach that will drive our firm’s growth and continued success.”
About Keker, Van Nest & Peters
For more than 40 years, Keker, Van Nest & Peters has litigated complex, high-stakes civil and criminal cases throughout the nation. The firm takes the cases where companies, products, and careers are riding on the result. Our clients are high-profile individuals, as well as some of the world’s most successful companies, including Genentech, Google, Instacart, Lyft, Major League Baseball, Meta, Netflix and Qualcomm. The firm’s areas of expertise include intellectual property, professional liability, class actions, commercial litigation, antitrust, white collar defense, and appellate.