Stockholders' Equity (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2015

Equity [Abstract]

Schedule of Share Repurchase Authorized by Board of Directors

Share Repurchase Program—During the three month period ended March 31, 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, the Board of Directors of Lazard authorized the repurchase of Class A common stock and Lazard Group common membership interests as set forth in the table below.

Date	Repurchase Authorization		Expiration
October 2012	$	200,000		December 31, 2014
October 2013	$	100,000		December 31, 2015
April 2014	$	200,000		December 31, 2015
February 2015	$	150,000		December 31, 2016

Schedule of Share Repurchase Program

The Company expects that the share repurchase program will primarily be used to offset a portion of the shares that have been or will be issued under the Lazard Ltd 2005 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2005 Plan”) and the Lazard Ltd 2008 Incentive Compensation Plan (the “2008 Plan”). Pursuant to the share repurchase program, purchases have been made in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions. The rate at which the Company purchases shares in connection with the share repurchase program may vary from quarter to quarter due to a variety of factors. Purchases with respect to such program are set forth in the table below:

	Number  of Shares Purchased		Average Price  Per Share
Three Months Ended March 31:
2014		2,392,674	$	44.69
2015		1,677,464	$	49.46

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Net of Tax (“AOCI”)—The tables below reflect changes in the balances of each component of AOCI during the three month periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014:

	Currency Translation Adjustments			Employee Benefit Plans			Total AOCI			Amount Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests			Total Lazard Ltd AOCI
Balance, January 1, 2015	$	(46,102	)	$	(154,665	)	$	(200,767	)	$	(1	)	$	(200,766	)
Activity January 1 to March 31, 2015:
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		(34,133	)		219			(33,914	)		–			(33,914	)
Adjustments for items reclassified to earnings, net of tax		–			1,186			1,186			–			1,186
Net other comprehensive income (loss)		(34,133	)		1,405			(32,728	)		–			(32,728	)
Balance, March 31, 2015	$	(80,235	)	$	(153,260	)	$	(233,495	)	$	(1	)	$	(233,494	)

	Currency Translation Adjustments		Employee Benefit Plans			Total AOCI			Amount Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests			Total Lazard Ltd AOCI
Balance, January 1, 2014	$	3,869	$	(137,431	)	$	(133,562	)	$	(558	)	$	(133,004	)
Activity January 1 to March 31, 2014:
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		5,913		(557	)		5,356			17			5,339
Adjustments for items reclassified to earnings, net of tax		–		1,289			1,289			7			1,282
Net other comprehensive income		5,913		732			6,645			24			6,621
Balance, March 31, 2014	$	9,782	$	(136,699	)	$	(126,917	)	$	(534	)	$	(126,383	)

Adjustments for Items Reclassified Out of AOCI

The table below reflects adjustments for items reclassified out of AOCI, by component, for the three month periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014:

	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2015		2014
Amortization relating to employee benefit plans (a)	$	1,749	$	1,821
Less – related income taxes		563		532
Total reclassifications, net of tax	$	1,186	$	1,289

(a) Included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost (see Note 13 of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). Such amount is included in “compensation and benefits” expense on the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

Changes in Ownership Interests

The following table summarizes the ownership interests in Lazard Group held by Lazard Ltd and LAZ-MD Holdings:

	Lazard Ltd					LAZ-MD Holdings					Total Lazard Group Common Membership Interests
As of March 31:	Common Membership Interests		% Ownership			Common Membership Interests		% Ownership
2014		129,056,081		99.5	%		710,009		0.5	%		129,766,090
2015		129,766,090		100	%		–		–	%		129,766,090

Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests

The tables below summarize net income attributable to noncontrolling interests for the three month periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 and noncontrolling interests as of March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements:

	Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2015		2014
Edgewater	$	6,693	$	4,120
LAZ-MD Holdings		–		467
Total	$	6,693	$	4,587

	Noncontrolling Interests As Of
	March 31, 2015		December 31, 2014
Edgewater	$	63,504	$	62,584
Other		718		729
Total	$	64,222	$	63,313