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Organization and Basis of Presentation | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2022
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Organization and Basis of Presentation |
1. | ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Organization Lazard Ltd, a Bermuda holding company, and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “Lazard Ltd”, “Lazard”, “we” or the “Company”), including Lazard Ltd’s indirect investment in Lazard Group LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (collectively referred to, together with its subsidiaries, as “Lazard Group”), is one of the world’s preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms that specializes in crafting solutions to the complex financial and strategic challenges of our clients. We serve a diverse set of clients around the world, including corporations, governments, institutions, partnerships and individuals. Lazard Ltd indirectly held 100% of all outstanding Lazard Group common membership interests as of December 31, 2022 and 2021. Lazard Ltd, through its control of the managing members of Lazard Group, controls Lazard Group, which is governed by an Amended and Restated Operating Agreement dated as of February 4, 2019 (the “Operating Agreement”). Lazard Ltd’s primary operating asset is its indirect ownership of the common membership interests of, and managing member interests in, Lazard Group, whose principal operating activities are included in two business segments:
| • | Financial Advisory, which offers corporate, partnership, institutional, government, sovereign and individual clients across the globe a wide array of financial advisory services regarding strategic and mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) advisory, capital markets advisory, shareholder advisory, restructuring and capital solutions, sovereign advisory, geopolitical advisory, capital raising and placement, and other strategic advisory matters, and
| • | Asset Management, which offers a broad range of global investment solutions and investment and wealth management services in equity and fixed income strategies, asset allocation strategies, alternative investments and private equity funds to corporations, public funds, sovereign entities, endowments and foundations, labor funds, financial intermediaries and private clients.
In addition, we record selected other activities in our Corporate segment, including management of cash, investments, deferred tax assets, outstanding indebtedness, certain contingent obligations, and certain assets and liabilities associated with (i) Lazard Group’s Paris-based subsidiary, Lazard Frères Banque SA (“LFB”), and (ii) a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of the Company, Lazard Growth Acquisition Corp. I (“LGAC”). Basis of Presentation The consolidated financial statements are prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The Company’s policy is to consolidate entities in which it has a controlling financial interest. The Company consolidates:
| • | Voting interest entities (“VOEs”) where the Company holds a majority of the voting interest in such VOEs, and
| • | Variable interest entities (“VIEs”) where the Company is the primary beneficiary having the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses of, or receive benefits from, the VIE that could be potentially significant to the VIE (see Note 22).
When the Company does not have a controlling interest in an entity, but exerts significant influence over such entity’s operating and financial decisions, the Company either (i) applies the equity method of accounting in which it records a proportionate share of the entity’s net earnings or (ii) elects the option to measure its investment at fair value. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. The consolidated financial statements include Lazard Ltd, Lazard Group and Lazard Group’s principal operating subsidiaries: Lazard Frères & Co. LLC (“LFNY”), a New York limited liability company, along with its subsidiaries, including Lazard Asset Management LLC and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “LAM”); the French limited liability companies Compagnie Financière Lazard Frères SAS (“CFLF”), along with its subsidiaries, LFB and Lazard Frères Gestion SAS (“LFG”), and Maison Lazard SAS and its subsidiaries; and Lazard & Co., Limited (“LCL”), through Lazard & Co., Holdings Limited (“LCH”), an English private limited company, together with their jointly owned affiliates and subsidiaries. Lazard Growth Acquisition Corp. I In February 2021, LGAC consummated its $575,000 initial public offering (the “LGAC IPO”). LGAC is a special purpose acquisition company, incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”). LGACo 1 LLC, a Delaware series limited liability company and the Company’s subsidiary, is the sponsor of LGAC. LGAC is considered to be a VIE. The Company holds a controlling financial interest in LGAC through the sponsor’s ownership of Class B founder shares of LGAC. As a result, both LGAC and the sponsor are consolidated in the Company’s financial statements. The proceeds from the LGAC IPO of $575,000 are held in a trust account, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds in the trust account to the LGAC shareholders in connection with the redemption of LGAC’s Class A ordinary shares, subject to certain conditions. The cash held in the trust account is recorded in “restricted cash” on the consolidated statements of financial condition. Transaction costs, which consisted of a net underwriting fee of $8,500, $20,125 of non-cash deferred underwriting fees (included in “other liabilities” on the consolidated statements of financial condition) and $852 of other offering costs, were charged against the gross proceeds of the LGAC IPO, consistent with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) Topic 5. “Redeemable noncontrolling interests” of $583,471 associated with the publicly held LGAC Class A ordinary shares are recorded on the Company’s consolidated statements of financial condition as of December 31, 2022 at redemption value and classified as temporary equity in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”. Changes in redemption value are recognized immediately as they occur and will adjust the carrying value of redeemable noncontrolling interests to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of redeemable noncontrolling interests shall be affected by credits or charges to additional paid-in-capital and noncontrolling interests attributable to certain members of LGACo 1 LLC based on pro rata ownership. The warrants exercisable for LGAC Class A ordinary shares that were issued in connection with the LGAC IPO (the “LGAC Warrants”) meet the definition of a liability under FASB ASC Topic 815 and are classified as derivative liabilities which are remeasured at fair value at each balance sheet date until exercised, with changes in fair value reported to earnings. See Note 7. LGAC redeemed all of its outstanding publicly held Class A ordinary shares, effective on or about February 23, 2023, because LGAC did not consummate a Business Combination within the time period required by its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the LGAC warrants.

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