Faegre Drinker

Faegre Drinker
Name	Faegre Drinker
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Minneapolis
Founded	2020
Num attorneys	approx. 1,300
Offices	22

Faegre Drinker is a multinational law firm formed by the 2020 merger of two legacy firms, creating a large professional services platform with offices across the United States and internationally. The firm operates in sectors including healthcare, energy, financial services, technology, and life sciences, providing transactional, litigation, regulatory, and advisory services. Faegre Drinker has been involved in prominent matters touching on corporate mergers, regulatory enforcement, intellectual property disputes, and public policy advocacy.

History

The firm was created by the combination of two long-standing firms that traced roots to established legal centers such as Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and midwestern corporate practice networks. Its formation followed trends set by prior major mergers exemplified by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP combinations and cross-border tie-ups akin to those involving Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and DLA Piper. The merger aligned practices that had represented clients in matters before tribunals like the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, and international forums including World Trade Organization proceedings. The firm's expansion strategy mirrored contemporaneous consolidation among firms such as Latham & Watkins, Gibson Dunn, and Kirkland & Ellis to build scale in areas like antitrust law and employer compliance.

Practice Areas

Faegre Drinker maintains multidisciplinary teams operating in transactional, litigation, regulatory, and advisory capacities across sectors including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, financial services, technology, and manufacturing. Core practice areas include corporate mergers and acquisitions resembling matters handled by Skadden, Arps, securities and capital markets like practices at Morgan Lewis, antitrust and competition work comparable to Covington & Burling, intellectual property litigation similar to disputes seen at Fish & Richardson, and regulatory counseling before agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission. The firm also fields practices in labor and employment disputed in venues like the National Labor Relations Board, environmental permitting akin to cases at the Environmental Protection Agency, and white-collar defense in courts such as the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Offices and Structure

Faegre Drinker operates an integrated office network with presence in major markets including Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, and Philadelphia, and maintains international outposts to serve clients with cross-border needs similar to arrangements at Norton Rose Fulbright and Dentons. Its organizational model combines practice groups and industry teams, draws on corporate functions modeled after peers such as Deloitte and PwC professional services, and integrates compliance and risk units that coordinate with regulators including the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice. Governance is conducted by an executive committee and managing partner structure reminiscent of leadership frameworks at Jones Day.

Notable Cases and Clients

The firm has represented corporations, financial institutions, healthcare systems, and governmental entities in matters spanning merger clearance before the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Antitrust Division, patent disputes in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and enforcement matters involving the Securities and Exchange Commission. Representative client engagements have included cross-border transactions involving multinational corporations headquartered in markets such as Germany, United Kingdom, and China, complex litigation with technology firms comparable to cases involving Apple Inc. and Google LLC, and healthcare regulatory defense for hospital systems with profiles like Mayo Clinic and HCA Healthcare. The firm has also advised private equity sponsors on acquisitions in sectors frequented by firms like The Carlyle Group and Blackstone Group.

Leadership and Notable Attorneys

Leadership at the firm includes a managing partner and a board or executive committee comprising lawyers with prior experience at major firms and government service, including alumni of agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, and state attorney general offices. Notable practitioners at the firm have backgrounds in appellate advocacy before the United States Supreme Court, regulatory enforcement before the Food and Drug Administration, and transactional counseling on cross-border mergers similar to counsel who have worked at Clifford Chance or Allen & Overy. The roster includes former in-house counsel from major corporations and former federal prosecutors with profiles akin to those at WilmerHale.

Pro Bono and Corporate Social Responsibility

The firm maintains pro bono initiatives supporting civil rights litigation in venues such as the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, immigration relief matters before immigration courts overseen by the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and nonprofit counsel for organizations like American Civil Liberties Union affiliates and community legal clinics patterned after programs at Pro Bono Net. Corporate social responsibility programming includes diversity and inclusion efforts reflecting initiatives common at firms such as Baker McKenzie and sustainability commitments similar to policies adopted by Microsoft Corporation in corporate practice.

Awards and Recognition

Faegre Drinker and its attorneys have received recognition in legal directories and rankings including Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and Best Lawyers in America listings, and have earned industry awards for transactional work and litigation outcomes in publications like Law360 and The American Lawyer. Individual lawyers have been cited for contributions to scholarship in journals such as the Harvard Law Review and have been honored by professional organizations including the American Bar Association and state bar associations.

Category:Law firms