Missouri Lawyers Weekly has selected Spencer Fane Chair Pat Whalen as a Law Firm Leader of the Year for his successful leadership and growth of the firm into new markets. Missouri Lawyers honored Whalen at an awards luncheon on Jan. 30, 2015, in St. Louis, as well as in an article featuring recipients of its annual Missouri Lawyers Awards. Whalen was selected for the award, in part, for having an immediate positive impact on the firm’s performance after taking the reins in 2013 – the firm increased revenue and brought on new attorneys in a new Denver office and in St. Louis. Missouri Lawyers reported, “In Whalen’s second year, 2014, the firm opened a new office in Springfield.” Whalen’s predecessor as firm chair, Michael Saunders, commented to Missouri Lawyers on his early achievements as Spencer Fane’s new leader. “You can sort of see what’s happening,” Saunders said. “He’s just set, in my opinion, a tone of energy and growth and sort of stretching beyond the usual.” The publication also highlighted the firms improved performance in terms of increases in revenues during the most recent fiscal year. “That success is related to clients’ demands that firms be more efficient and provide more value,” Whalen told Missouri Lawyers. “That plays very nicely into our tradition of efficiency, the same talent and greater value,” Whalen said. “We think really, since the recession, that resonates more with clients. The demand has picked up because of our efficiencies.”
