Andrew Smulian to Retake Reins as Head of Akerman
David Spector, left, and Andrew Smulian/photo by J. Albert Diaz/ALM
David Spector is out, Andrew Smulian is back.
On Monday, Akerman's board of directors voted to reinstate Smulian as chairman and CEO of the firm. Spector, who took over as CEO earlier this year, is returning to the firm's fraud and recovery practice while also retaining board membership.
“Our Fraud and Recovery Group has continued to grow at a pace that the firm had not anticipated, adding significant new clients and matters to its portfolio," said Akerman managing partner Scott Meyers. "We expect that this rapid expansion and trajectory will continue. Acting in the best interests of the firm and our clients, David will be returning to co-lead the Fraud and Recovery Group."
Spector's ascension into leadership was heralded as a generational shift at the firm. Smulian, 72, was the 35th attorney to join the firm's Miami office in 1995. He had been CEO for a decade before Spector, 47, took over in February.
Spector joined Akerman in 2009 from now-disbanded Schwarzberg Spector Duke Schulz & Rogers, a year after Smulian first became Akerman's CEO. Spector was instrumental in developing the firm's national fraud recovery practice and took on a leadership role in Akerman's 2014 Chicago expansion.
