Klehr Harrison Welcomes New COO

PHILADELPHIA (August 26, 2024) – Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP is excited to announce that Corey Smith has joined the firm as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective August 19, 2024. Smith comes to Klehr Harrison after nearly 16 years at Dechert LLP, where he also served as COO. He takes the reigns from outgoing COO Thomas Ecker, who will retire on August 31, after 23 years with the firm.

“Klehr Harrison provides the ideal alignment of values that I was looking for in my next opportunity,” said Smith. “These values include the caliber of leadership, the team-first culture embraced by the firm and a commitment to providing outstanding legal services to clients. I believe these are the key building blocks that will provide me the opportunity to have a meaningful role in helping leadership shape and navigate a promising future that lies ahead for the firm and its people”

“We are excited to welcome Corey to the firm with all of the experience and legal industry knowledge that he brings with him,” said managing partner Brad Krouse. “He brings a fresh perspective and proven track record for growth to help take the firm to another level. We are grateful for Tom and all his contributions, which helped set our course and lead us through the last two-plus decades of tremendous success.” 

Smith has over 27 years of experience in financial and operational management, performance improvement and regulatory compliance. In addition to his former role as COO at Dechert, he previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Director of Global Financial Operations, where he was instrumental in centralizing and consolidating the financial functions in order to support the firm’s growing global footprint. Prior to that, Smith was a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He is adept at successfully completing key strategic initiatives, including operational performance improvement, revenue enhancement and cost reduction initiatives. He is passionate about developing and fostering a problem-solving culture by providing constant coaching while also promoting accountability, inclusivity and ongoing learning and improvement.

“When the news of Tom’s retirement was announced at a partner’s meeting in July, it was met with thunderous applause and a standing ovation for his years of service and leadership,” Krouse said. “His contributions to the firm are countless and while he will certainly be missed, we wish him the very best in his well-deserved retirement.”