Prest & Gates LLP

Prest & Gates LLP
Name	Prest & Gates LLP
Founded	1998
Headquarters	New York City
Num attorneys	210
Key people	Jonathan Prest; Maria Gates
Practice areas	Corporate law; Litigation; Intellectual property; Securities
Slogan	"Counsel for complex matters"

Prest & Gates LLP is an international law firm founded in 1998 with headquarters in New York City. The firm provides transactional, litigation, and regulatory services to clients in finance, technology, entertainment, and energy, and has expanded through mergers and lateral hires across offices in Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.. Prest & Gates LLP is known for representing corporations, sovereign clients, and high-profile individuals in matters that often involve cross-border securities regulation, intellectual property, and complex commercial disputes.

History

Founded by former partners from boutiques and multinational firms, Prest & Gates LLP grew during the dot-com era and pursued expansion during the 2000s through affiliations with practices from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, White & Case, and regional firms in Silicon Valley. The firm weathered the 2008 financial crisis by advising on restructurings tied to Lehman Brothers-related litigation and participating in advisory roles for Federal Reserve-related policy shifts. In the 2010s the firm recruited partners from practices with pedigrees at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Davis Polk & Wardwell, and Allen & Overy to bolster its practices in antitrust and cross-border M&A, later opening offices aligned with major markets such as Tokyo and Dubai. Leadership transitions included the elevation of founding partner Maria Gates to a managing role and the appointment of Jonathan Prest to chair strategic litigation efforts linked to transnational arbitrations under International Chamber of Commerce rules.

Practice Areas

The firm maintains groups specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions, Securities and Exchange Commission matters, Intellectual Property litigation and counseling, and complex commercial litigation in federal courts such as the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Prest & Gates LLP also fields teams in Antitrust investigations, Energy transactions including projects in North Sea and Gulf of Mexico jurisdictions, and fintech regulatory work related to Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Financial Conduct Authority compliance. The firm’s entertainment practice engages with clients connected to Motion Picture Association matters, and its technology group handles matters involving standards bodies and patent pools tied to large corporations and venture capital firms like Sequoia Capital.

Notable Cases and Clients

Prest & Gates LLP has represented corporate clients in high-profile matters involving cross-border disputes before arbitral institutions such as the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and commercial tribunals under the London Court of International Arbitration. The firm acted for a major media conglomerate in litigation concerning distribution rights tied to Warner Bros. catalogs and advised a global bank in recovery actions linked to Credit Suisse-era transactions. Partners have argued appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and defended technology clients in patent disputes with firms from Silicon Valley and Seoul. Notable clientele includes multinationals in the pharmaceutical sector, sovereign wealth entities from Abu Dhabi, and leading private equity firms active in Blackstone-style buyouts.

Organization and Partners

Prest & Gates LLP is structured with sector-focused practice groups led by partners drawn from elite institutions and bench experience, including alumni of Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and clerks from the United States Supreme Court. The firm’s governance includes an executive committee and a global managing partner model, with regional managing partners for its London and Hong Kong offices. Recruitment emphasized hires from firms such as Gibson Dunn, Kirkland & Ellis, and Latham & Watkins, and the partnership includes litigators who previously served in roles at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Awards and Recognition

The firm has received rankings from major legal directories, earning practice-level recognition in Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 for practices in M&A and IP litigation. Individual partners have been listed by publications such as Law360 and The American Lawyer for successive "Attorney of the Year" and "Litigator of the Year" recognitions. Prest & Gates LLP has been shortlisted for awards presented by the Association of Corporate Counsel and regional bar associations, reflecting its work on high-stakes transactions and complex cross-border disputes.

Controversies and Litigation

Prest & Gates LLP has faced scrutiny in controversies tied to representation of politically exposed clients and conflicts-of-interest allegations raised in litigation in New York County courts and arbitration panels. The firm was involved in a high-profile ethics inquiry triggered by a dispute over partner compensation and lateral hiring practices that drew attention from the State Bar of California and media outlets such as The New York Times and Bloomberg. In some matters the firm defended itself against malpractice claims and fee-dispute litigation resolved through settlement or arbitration under American Arbitration Association rules.

Community Involvement and Pro Bono Activities

The firm maintains pro bono programs supporting civil rights litigation with organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and access-to-justice initiatives in partnership with local bar associations such as the New York State Bar Association. Attorneys at the firm have volunteered on matters involving asylum petitions before the Board of Immigration Appeals and supported nonprofit clients including Doctors Without Borders and Public Citizen on policy advocacy and litigation matters. The firm also sponsors educational fellowships with law schools including Columbia Law School and NYU School of Law.

Category:Law firms based in New York City