No law firm wants to find itself with a sudden gap in its leadership, as Willkie Farr & Gallagher did last week.

But the news that Gordon Caplan was placed on leave from the firm – following a federal indictment alleging that he paid $75,000 to have his daughter’s college test score fixed – is one more reminder of the singular nature of firms, where lofty titles carry different weight at different shops. In the end, the long-term effect of any disruption on the Wall Street firm could be muted.