Lewis Brisbois Welcomes Stephanie Peters as Its New Chief People Officer
Lewis Brisbois is pleased to welcome Stephanie Peters to the firm as its Chief People Officer. Ms. Peters, who will be resident in the Washington, D.C. office, has more than 25 years of experience as a human resources leader in the professional services, healthcare, and consulting industries. She joins Lewis Brisbois from McGuire Woods, LLP where she served as its chief human resources officer (CHRO).
Washington, D.C. (December 18, 2024) - Lewis Brisbois is pleased to welcome Stephanie Peters to the firm as its Chief People Officer. Ms. Peters, who will be resident in the Washington, D.C. office, has more than 25 years of experience as a human resources leader in the professional services, healthcare, and consulting industries. She joins Lewis Brisbois from McGuire Woods, LLP where she served as its chief human resources officer (CHRO). Prior to entering the legal sector, Ms. Peters was the CHRO for a top 25 regional accounting firm, as well as vice president of human resources for a Nashville-based healthcare system where she headed human resources operations for three large hospitals. She earned her M.B.A. from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business and her undergraduate degree from Radford University.
In discussing her role at Lewis Brisbois, Ms. Peters described herself as a “builder-at-heart,” noting that she was looking forward to ultimately focusing on the firm’s “growth, culture, and talent.” She explained, “In the short term, I want to listen and understand what has made the firm successful over the years and what can have more energy behind it so that we can develop a more strategic agenda in the people space. I certainly appreciate that there is a long history of the firm and building on the firm’s established strengths will be important. I want to do creative work here and put our stamp on the future.”
Ms. Peters further described that the recent leadership changes at Lewis Brisbois attracted her to the firm. She noted, “This is an opportunity to lean into the future of the firm and move it forward. It is important to me to identify what helps the firm differentiate itself, attract new talent, and retain existing talent so that we can have the best of the best serving our clients.”
In addition, Ms. Peters explained that she was looking forward to working with her former McGuire Woods colleague, Chief Operating Officer Richard Davis. “Rich is very people centric. We both want what’s right for people and for the business and to identify how we can achieve both. The chance to work with Rich again is a positive. He has a good understanding and appreciation for how things fit together and understands the nuances of difficult situations. I have always appreciated his support.”
Mr. Davis stated, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Stephanie again. I have seen first-hand how her talent for relating to people and developing creative strategies has led to positive change. We are fortunate to have her in an important leadership role at the firm, and I look forward to her contributions.”
Similarly, National Managing Partner Gregory Katz noted, “We are excited that Stephanie is on board. The wealth of human resources experience that she brings with her – both from working at a large law firm as well as in other industries – will be positive for our employees, the firm, and our clients.”
Stephanie’s arrival allows the firm to return to the model of assigning responsibility for our talent/HR organization and our administrative operations to two different chiefs. Luann Perez, who was serving in both roles for an interim period, will transition her CHRO responsibilities to Stephanie and focus exclusively on her duties as our Chief Administrative Officer.