Ex-EY Executive to Take Over as Global CEO for Law Firm Dentons

Kate Barton, a longtime EY executive who retired from the Big Four firm in June, was elected by the global board of directors and global advisory committee of the law firm Dentons to succeed Elliott Portnoy as global CEO.

Portnoy, whose term ends on Nov. 9, 2024, has served as global CEO of Dentons since the firm launched in 2013. Barton will join the law firm in September and will begin her term as global CEO on Nov. 10.

“Kate has extensive experience in leading a complex and global professional service organization and has an outstanding skill set in managing people, processes, and systems. Her successful client service experience, coupled with her thoughtful approach to integration, make her the ideal individual to lead our firm,” Portnoy said in a statement on July 24. “She has my unqualified support, and I am confident she will lead Dentons from strength to even greater strength and success.”

Dentons is the world’s largest law firm by headcount, with more than 20,000 people in over 80 countries.

Barton spent 35 years at EY in a variety of executive leadership roles, most recently as global vice chair. She led multiple business units during her tenure at EY, and in addition to serving as global vice chair, Barton was CEO of tax, law, and people advisory services, which had a global workforce of 70,000 professionals and generated revenues in excess of $11 billion under her leadership. Among other achievements, she helped to transform EY’s global tax practice through strategic investments in people, technology, global shared service centers, world-class methods and processes, and M&A activity.

“I have watched Dentons redefine the legal services landscape with its pioneering business strategy and client offerings. Under Elliott’s leadership, this firm has differentiated itself with its polycentric approach and integrated cross-border and multidisciplinary client engagements, proving that uniting and operating as one firm is far more impactful,” she said in a statement. “I am looking forward to working with Elliott on a transition and to collaborating with Dentons’ accomplished regional leadership to continue challenging industry norms and adapting to the ever-changing world of technology and innovation faced by law firms and professional service firms around the world in order to deliver excellence for the benefit of our people and our clients.”