Ropes & Gray LLP is an American multinational law firm with 16 offices across the United States, Asia, and Europe. The firm has over 1,500 lawyers and around 1,300 professionals worldwide, its clients include corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, universities, and health care organizations. It was founded in 1865 in Boston by John Codman Ropes and John Chipman Gray.
The firm was founded in 1865 by two Harvard Law School graduates, John Codman Ropes and John Chipman Gray, Jr.. In 1878, William Loring, also a Harvard graduate, joined the firm, and it was renamed "Ropes, Gray and Loring" until Loring's departure in 1899, when he was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.[1][2] The firm was renamed again in 1899 as ”Ropes, Gray and Gorham” with the addition of Robert Gorham. Following Gorham’s death, the firm was renamed Ropes, Gray, Boyden & Perkins in 1914.
The firm represented the New York and New England Railroad during that time.[1] Another major client was the founders’ alma mater, Harvard College.
In 1929, Ropes-Gray (as it was known at the time) established a Paris office, but it was closed in 1932, a victim of the Depression. Along with the rest of the country, the 1930s brought economic hardship that led to a reduction in staff size, particularly among associates. Despite the downturn, the firm managed to weather the crisis thanks in part to creative internal policies, such as senior partners forgoing compensation temporarily to retain junior staff.
Mid-20th Century to late 20th Century (1900s - 1990s)
The firm grew in response to historical events during the 20th century. This included developing a bankruptcy practice during the Great Depression, a labor practice as a result of the New Deal, and adding financial reports to its services after the creation of the SEC.[3]
In 1940, the firm’s name was changed to Ropes, Gray, Best, Coolidge & Rugg. Recognizing the weight of tradition and the desire for longevity, the firm made the decision in 1961 to readopt its original name, “Ropes & Gray.”[4]
In 1942, a book written by Albert Boyden, which chronicles the history of the firm, was published under the title Ropes-Gray, 1865-1940.[5]
21st Century global expansion (2000s - present)
In 2003, the firm acquired New York City based private equity law firm Reboul, MacMurray, Hewitt & Maynard.[6] In 2005, it acquired NYC-based intellectual property law firm Fish & Neave.[7]
Ropes & Gray was commissioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee to independently investigate Larry Nassar’s abuses.[8] The firm released its report, “The Constellation of Factors Underlying Larry Nassar’s Abuse of Athletes,” in December 2018.[8]
In 2017, the firm elected Julie Jones as chair. After serving as chair-elect for two years, Jones took the helm in 2020.[9] In 2024, as Jones was re-elected to another five-year term, Neill Jakobe was elected to serve a five-year term as Vice Chair.[10]
In July 2023, Ropes & Gray announced the relocation of some Shanghai-based lawyers to its Hong Kong operation and the launch of an office in Singapore.[11][12] In November 2023, amid a wave of antisemitic incidents at elite U.S. law schools, Ropes & Gray was among a group of major law firms that sent a letter to top law school deans warning them that an escalation in incidents targeting Jewish students would have corporate hiring consequences. The letter stated: "We look to you to ensure your students who hope to join our firms after graduation are prepared to be an active part of workplace communities that have zero tolerance policies for any form of discrimination or harassment, much less the kind that has been taking place on some law school campuses."[13]
Leadership
Since 2020, Julie H. Jones has served as Chair of Ropes & Gray, becoming the first woman to lead the storied firm.[14] A member of the firm’s management committee since 2011, Jones was re-elected in September 2024 to a second five-year term as Chair.[10]
TPG Capital and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board's $5.2 billion acquisition of IMS Health Inc., a provider of market intelligence to the pharmaceutical and health care industries
Genzyme Corporation's $2.9 billion deal with Bayer Schering Pharma AG expanded Genzyme's oncology portfolio by giving the company rights to market cancer drugs and control a program in multiple sclerosis. The transaction was recognized as a "Deal of Distinction" by the Licensing Executives Society in September 2010[23]
Bain Capital's 2018 sale by Toshiba Corp. of its semiconductor business to a group that included Apple, Seagate, Kingston, Hoya, Dell Technologies, and SK Hynix. The transaction was Asia's largest leveraged buyout and private equity deal ever, and was valued at approximately $18 billion[24]
Nippon Steel Corporation's 2023 definitive agreement to purchase U.S. Steel for $14 billion.[25]
Prominent cases
Ropes & Gray lawyers have litigated high-profile cases, including:
Defending physicians’ First Amendment rights in Wollschlaeger v. Governor of Florida. The case concerned a Florida law banning doctors from inquiring about patients’ gun ownership.[26]
Representing Willkie Farr & Gallagher (then) co-chairman Gordon Caplan, JD, who was arrested in March 2019 as a parent participant in the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal. Caplan is represented by firm partners Joshua Levy, co-chairman of global litigation and enforcement practice, and Michael McGovern, co-chairman of government enforcement practice.[29] A guilty plea deal in United States v. Gordon Caplan was filed by United States AttorneyAndrew Lelling on March 27, 2019.[30][31] An Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting the case, Leslie Wright, is a Ropes & Gray alumna.[32]
Representing Harris Associates in a seminal case for the mutual funds industry. In March 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in Jones v. Harris Associates, which established the standard governing claims of excessive mutual fund fees under § 36(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.[33]
↑ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; de la Merced, Michael J.; Hirsch, Lauren; Livni, Ephrat (November 2, 2023). "Law Firms Warn Universities About Antisemitism on Campus". The New York Times. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
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