Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft has named corporate cochair James Woolery to become head of the firm.

Woolery, a 44-year-old Kentucky native and former business development chair at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, left his role as cohead of North American M&A at JPMorgan Chase last year to become Cadwalader’s first deputy chair. He’ll officially succeed W. Christopher White as chairman on Jan. 1, 2015.