DLA Piper Chair Frank Ryan Elected to Second Term
DLA Piper Americas Chair Frank Ryan has been elected to a second four-year term, effective January 1, 2025.
Since becoming Chair in 2021, and subsequently being named Global Co-Chair and Global Co-CEO, Ryan has driven growth and innovation for the firm through strong financial performance and the launch of cutting-edge practices in areas such as artificial intelligence, healthcare policy consulting, and space exploration. Under Ryan’s leadership, in 2022 DLA Piper recorded its strongest financial year on record, with gross revenue up 6.2% to $3.68 billion. Revenue from U.S. offices accounted for $2.01 billion of that figure.
“Every day, we challenge ourselves to think big, collaborate, and exceed expectations, and that’s evident in how we serve our clients, our people, and our communities across the Americas,” Ryan said. “I’m extremely proud of our performance and what we’ve accomplished over the past three years, and I am energized by our goals for the future.”
Ryan has guided the firm’s strategic hiring practices, in particular in the technology, life sciences and healthcare transactions spaces, across two verticals – transactions and disputes – in regions including Northern California, Texas, Washington, DC, Chicago and New York. He continues to focus on the next generation of talent by investing in larger summer classes, cutting-edge associate programming, and the relaunch of DLA Piper’s alumni program. Ryan is known in the firm for his growth mindset with a focus on delivering best-in-class client service.
Ryan continues to champion pro bono as a way to serve communities around the world. The firm’s attorneys work closely with clients to advocate for children, combat hunger, and advance gender and racial equality. In 2022, the firm contributed more than 215,000 hours of free legal advice, making it one of the largest providers of pro bono services in the world.
Ryan created the firm’s Legal Elite Athlete Pipeline Scholarship Program (LEAP) with the goals of supporting the next generation of successful lawyers, improving the diversity of the profession, and providing opportunities to students who might otherwise not have considered a career in law.
A graduate of Syracuse University College of Law, Ryan serves on the school’s Board of Advisors. He is a member of the Legal Service Corporation’s Leaders Council, helping advise the country’s largest funder of civil legal aid programs for low-income individuals, and sits on the Board of Directors for Beat the Streets NYC, an organization that mentors NYC student wrestlers. He is also a member of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council and Thomson Reuters’ Global Strategy Board and is frequently quoted as a business and legal expert in the media.
