Holland & Knight

Holland & Knight
Name	Holland & Knight
Founded	1968
Headquarters	Miami, Florida
Num offices	45+
Num attorneys	1500+
Practice areas	Litigation; Real Estate; Corporate; Public Policy
Key people	(see Attorneys and Leadership)
Website	(omitted)

Holland & Knight is a multinational law firm known for large-scale transactional work, litigation, regulatory advocacy, and public policy representation. The firm operates across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East, advising clients ranging from multinational corporations to government entities and nonprofit institutions. Its work has intersected with major matters involving international trade, real estate finance, energy projects, and public-sector procurement.

History

The firm traces roots to mergers and practices formed during the mid-20th century involving attorneys who practiced in jurisdictions such as Miami, Florida, New York City, Tampa, Florida, and Washington, D.C.. Over decades the firm participated in matters connected to events and institutions like the Cuban Revolution, the Panama Canal Treaty, and regulatory developments following the Financial Crisis of 2007–2008. Expansion included strategic combinations with firms experienced in markets related to Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. The firm’s growth paralleled trends seen with firms such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Baker McKenzie, Latham & Watkins, and Kirkland & Ellis as global legal marketplaces evolved after enactments like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and arbitration regimes influenced by the New York Convention.

Practice Areas and Services

The firm provides services across transactional and advisory practices similar to those of DLA Piper, Jones Day, and White & Case. Core areas include corporate mergers and acquisitions engaging parties such as The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and sovereign wealth investors; real estate finance reflecting financing models used in projects like the Panama Canal expansion; energy and natural resources transactions comparable to work on LNG projects in Qatar and pipeline work connected to regions like Texas and Alaska; and regulatory and compliance counseling involving statutes and regimes like the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and sanctions administered via entities such as the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Office of Foreign Assets Control. Litigation and dispute resolution practice spans commercial arbitration panels such as those under the International Chamber of Commerce, litigation in federal courts like the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and appellate work before bodies including the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The firm also offers public policy and lobbying services interacting with institutions like the United States Congress, state legislatures including the Florida Legislature, municipal authorities like the City of Miami, and international organizations such as the Organization of American States.

Offices and Global Presence

The firm maintains offices in major markets comparable to footprints of Clifford Chance and Hogan Lovells, with locations across North America in cities such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, and Orlando. Internationally it has representation and alliances touching London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Frankfurt, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Lima, Santiago (city), Toronto, Vancouver, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sydney. The firm’s global work often interfaces with multilateral institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank and regional regulators across jurisdictions like Brazil and Colombia.

Notable Cases and Clients

The firm has represented clients in matters involving financial institutions similar to Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America as well as energy companies akin to ExxonMobil and Shell. It has engaged with sovereigns and state-owned enterprises in projects comparable to infrastructure concessions overseen by agencies like the U.S. Department of Transportation and development finance structures used by the Export–Import Bank of the United States. The firm advised on cross-border investments and disputes resembling cases heard before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and arbitration under UNCITRAL rules. In real estate, its transactions paralleled large portfolio sales and financings seen with investors such as Blackstone and Brookfield, and public-private partnerships similar to projects with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Attorneys and Leadership

Leadership over time has included chairs, managing partners, and practice leaders with backgrounds interacting with entities like the United States Department of Justice, Federal Reserve Board, and state attorneys general such as those from Florida and New York. Senior attorneys have prior service in roles at the United States Senate, presidential administrations including staff from the Clinton administration and George W. Bush administration, and positions within regulatory bodies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Trade Commission. The firm’s bench includes litigators and transaction lawyers experienced in matters that touch courts and tribunals such as the Supreme Court of the United States and international arbitration forums.

Awards and Rankings

The firm has appeared in rankings produced by organizations such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, Vault, and U.S. News & World Report. Its practices have been recognized in sector rankings involving real estate, healthcare, energy, and public policy, garnering accolades comparable to those awarded to major firms like Dentons and Sidley Austin. The firm’s lawyers have received individual honors tied to distinctions from bar associations such as the American Bar Association and industry groups including Chamber of Commerce chapters in major markets.

Category:Law firms