Seyfarth Shaw

Seyfarth Shaw
Name	Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Founded	1945
Founders	Henry Seyfarth, Lee Shaw, John Williams
Headquarters	Chicago
Num offices	16 (approx.)
Num attorneys	900+ (approx.)
Practice areas	Labor and Employment; Litigation; Corporate; Real Estate; Employee Benefits; Immigration
Company type	Limited liability partnership

Seyfarth Shaw

Seyfarth Shaw is an international law firm founded in 1945 with headquarters in Chicago. The firm is known for its labor and employment practice alongside transactional, litigation, real estate, and employee benefits work, serving corporations, financial institutions, and public entities across the United States and worldwide. Seyfarth Shaw has developed integrated practices linking employment counseling with litigation, corporate transactions, and regulatory compliance, advising clients active in sectors such as healthcare, financial services, technology, and retail.

History

Seyfarth Shaw was established in 1945 by Henry Seyfarth, Lee Shaw, and John Williams in Chicago. During the post‑World War II period marked by the Taft–Hartley Act and expanding collective bargaining under the National Labor Relations Board, the firm cultivated a labor and employment specialty advising employers, developing alongside firms such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Jones Day. Through the 1960s and 1970s, as federal statutes like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 reshaped workplace law, the firm expanded its litigation capacity and opened offices beyond Chicago, following national trends exemplified by firms such as Latham & Watkins and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. In the 1980s and 1990s Seyfarth Shaw grew through lateral hires and mergers, aligning its practice mix with multinational clients from industries represented by companies like General Electric, Ford Motor Company, and Wal‑Mart Stores, Inc.. In the 21st century the firm invested in technology, created practice innovations resembling initiatives at Baker McKenzie and DLA Piper, and expanded into Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Practice Areas

Seyfarth Shaw’s core practice areas include labor and employment, litigation, corporate and transactional work, real estate, employee benefits and executive compensation, immigration, and intellectual property counseling. The labor and employment group advises on issues under statutes such as the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act, and handles litigation before forums like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. The litigation department represents clients in commercial disputes, class actions, and regulatory enforcement matters involving bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and state attorneys general. The corporate team conducts mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, and public offerings with attention to frameworks like the Sarbanes–Oxley Act and dealings on markets regulated by the New York Stock Exchange. The real estate group works on leasing, development, and financing matters involving institutional investors and lenders like JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock. Employee benefits practice intersects with statutes such as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 while immigration lawyers manage corporate transfers and compliance with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services requirements.

Notable Cases and Clients

Over decades the firm has represented large national and multinational clients in precedent‑setting labor and employment matters, commercial litigation, and transactional matters. Seyfarth Shaw has advised corporations in disputes involving retailers such as Target Corporation and The Home Depot, financial institutions including Bank of America and Wells Fargo, and technology companies similar to Cisco Systems and Microsoft. The firm has been counsel in class action defense matters, collective bargaining negotiations with unions like the Service Employees International Union and the United Auto Workers, and regulatory responses to investigations by agencies such as the Department of Labor and the Federal Trade Commission. Seyfarth Shaw lawyers have also handled high‑value mergers and acquisitions, private equity deals involving firms such as KKR and The Carlyle Group, and complex real estate financings with participants including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Offices and Global Presence

Seyfarth Shaw maintains a network of offices across the United States and internationally, with major U.S. locations in Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, and Washington, D.C.. The firm’s international footprint has included offices and alliances in cities such as London, Sydney, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Mexico City, enabling cross‑border work involving jurisdictions tied to institutions like the European Court of Justice and regulators in Australia and Hong Kong. This global presence supports clients engaged in cross‑border mergers, international employment mobility, and multinational compliance programs comparable to offerings from firms such as Clifford Chance and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Rankings and Awards

Seyfarth Shaw has received recognition from legal rankings and industry awards, including placements in the Chambers and Partners guides, tier listings in the Legal 500, and acknowledgments from U.S. News & World Report – Best Law Firms. Individual attorneys and practice groups have been named in lists compiled by Law360 and The American Lawyer, and the firm has earned diversity and workplace accolades from organizations like Human Rights Campaign and the National Association for Law Placement. Rankings have highlighted labor and employment, real estate, and litigation capabilities relative to peer firms such as Squire Patton Boggs and Proskauer Rose.

Corporate Governance and Leadership

Seyfarth Shaw operates as a limited liability partnership with a governance structure that includes a managing partner or chair, an executive committee, and practice group leaders coordinating national and international work. Leadership has involved senior partners with backgrounds in private practice, corporate counsel roles, and bar association service such as participation in the American Bar Association and state bars like the Illinois State Bar Association. Committees oversee risk management, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and strategic planning, aligning with corporate governance practices observed at large professional service firms like Dentons and Hogan Lovells.

Category:Law firms established in 1945 Category:Law firms based in Chicago