A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other matters in which legal advice and other assistance are sought.
Morrison & Foerster LLP is an international law firm with 17 offices located throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe. The firm has over 1,000 lawyers who advise clients across a range of industries and practices, including intellectual property, patent litigation, corporate/M&A, business restructuring, and securities.
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP,, is New York City's oldest law firm and one of the oldest continuously operating legal practices in the United States. Attorney John Wells founded the practice in 1792. Cadwalader's Lower Manhattan headquarters is one of five offices in three countries. In 2014, the firm had approximately 400 attorneys.
A boutique law firm is a collection of attorneys typically organized in a limited liability partnership or professional corporation specializing in a niche area of law practice. Although a general practice law firm includes a variety of unrelated practice areas within a single firm, a boutique firm specializes in one or a select few practice areas. There may be some confusion as legal publications may refer to any small- or mid-sized firm as a boutique, though generally firms with fewer than 100 attorneys would count. Boutique should apply to those firms that focus on particular areas, regardless of size, though they are typically smaller, with exception to a few firms such as Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner or Fish & Richardson with over 400 attorneys.
LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP was an international law firm of about 700 attorneys headquartered in New York City. The firm had specialities in energy, public utilities, and insurance. It was founded by Randall LeBoeuf, Jr. In 2007, it merged with Dewey Ballantine. to form Dewey & LeBoeuf, which went bankrupt in 2012.
Dewey Ballantine LLP was a corporate law firm headquartered in New York City. In 2007, Dewey Ballantine merged with LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae to form Dewey & LeBoeuf. Dewey Ballantine underwent numerous name changes throughout its history as partners left to serve in government positions or form new firms.
Sidley Austin LLP, is an international law firm, employing approximately 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices worldwide. The firm's headquarters is at One South Dearborn in Chicago's Loop. The firm specializes in a variety of areas in both litigation and corporate practices.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is an international law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1931 by Harvard Law School alumnus Eli Whitney Debevoise and Oxford-trained William Stevenson, the firm was originally named Debevoise, Plimpton & McLean. Debevoise specializes in private equity, M&A, insurance and financial services transactions, private funds, complex litigation, investigations, and international arbitration. In 2021, the firm assisted the Democratic Party in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump.
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP,, is a law firm with offices in New York City, Silicon Valley and Paris. The firm is headquartered in New York City, where it has its largest office. With more than 375 lawyers in 60-plus practice areas, its clients range from Fortune 100 companies to family offices. The firm has a culture of extensive involvement in public and community service, with many of its attorneys having served as directors of leading nonprofit legal service providers, such as the Legal Aid Society, as well as other community-based nonprofits.
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP is an international law firm founded in 1836 and is one of the oldest firms in the United States. It operates in New York; Washington; Los Angeles; Chicago; Stamford, Connecticut; Parsippany, New Jersey; Houston, Texas; and San Diego, California. It also offers legal services through an affiliate relationship with Mumbai-based Fortitude Law Associates.
Coudert Brothers LLP was a New York-based law firm with a strong international outlook that practiced from 1853 until its dissolution in 2006.
Bingham McCutchen LLP was a global law firm with approximately 850 attorneys in nine US offices and five international offices. It ceased operations in late 2014, when several hundred of its partners and associate lawyers left the firm to join Philadelphia-based Morgan Lewis.
Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP was a global law firm, headquartered in New York City, that is now in bankruptcy. Some of the firm's leaders were indicted for fraud for their role in allegedly cooking the company's books to obtain loans while hiding the firm's financial plight. The firm was formed in 2007 through the merger of Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae. Dewey & LeBoeuf was known for its corporate, insurance, litigation, tax, and restructuring practices. At the time of its bankruptcy filing, it employed over 1,000 lawyers in 26 offices around the world.
Troutman Sanders LLP was an American law firm founded in 1897. The firm had about 650 attorneys before merging with the Philadelphia-based Pepper Hamilton in July 2020 to become Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP d/b/a Troutman Pepper. It now has more than 1,100 attorneys across 26 offices, making it the largest purely American law firm and one of the 50 largest law firms in the world. Troutman Sanders was organized into 17 areas of legal practice within five departments: Corporate, Real Estate & Finance, Business Litigation, Specialized Litigation, and Energy and Regulatory. Stephen E. Lewis was the firm's managing partner and became chair of Troutman Pepper after the merger in 2020. Carl E. Sanders, the former Governor of Georgia, served as chairman emeritus until his death in 2014.
Rogers & Wells was am international law firm founded in New York City in 1873. After several name changes, it was renamed for William P. Rogers and John A. Wells. Firms that merged with it include Dwight, Harris, Koegel & Caskey of New York.
Jenkens & Gilchrist, P.C. was a Dallas-based law firm, founded in 1951 as Jenkens & Bowens to service the various businesses controlled by Clint Murchison, Jr. The Dallas Morning News was an early client. As a result of the extent of Murchison family holdings, the firm soon developed expertise in corporate transactions.
Brown & Wood was a New York-based law firm established in 1914 that merged with Chicago-based Sidley & Austin in 2001 to form Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, later shortened to Sidley Austin.
Squadron, Ellenoff, Plesent & Sheinfeld was a New York City-based law firm that practiced from 1970 to 2002 when it merged with Washington, D.C.-based Hogan & Hartson, when the Squadron Ellenoff name was discontinued.
Herbert Smith Freehills is an international law firm with headquarters in London, United Kingdom and Sydney, Australia. It was formed on 1 October 2012 by a merger between the United Kingdom-based Herbert Smith, then a member of the "Silver Circle" of leading UK law firms, and Freehills, one of the "Big Six" Australian law firms. As of 2018, it is the 29th largest law firm in the world by revenue.
Day Pitney LLP is a U.S. law firm with more than 300 attorneys spread across thirteen offices in five states and the District of Columbia. In 2011, Day Pitney ranked 139th on the National Law Journal's list of the 250 largest American law firms.
