WilmerHale

WilmerHale
Name	WilmerHale
Founded	2004
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.
Founders	Raymond A. ("Ray") McNichols; Richard S. Wilmer (see note)
Offices	Multiple international offices
Num attorneys	~1,000 (varies)

WilmerHale is an international law firm formed by a 2004 merger that combined two prominent American practices into a single firm with major presences in Boston and Washington, D.C. The firm is known for litigation, regulatory, transactional, and intellectual property work and has participated in high-profile matters involving corporations, universities, and government institutions. Its attorneys have included former judges, prosecutors, and government officials who previously served in institutions such as the United States Department of Justice, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

History

The firm's lineage traces to predecessors with deep roots in American legal history, including firms whose alumni served in administrations of presidents like John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Barack Obama. Partners and alumni have included former officials from the United States Department of State, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the United States Senate. Over its history the firm has had lawyers who clerked for justices of the Supreme Court of the United States and judges on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The firm's mergers and expansions mirrored trends in the legal market alongside contemporaneous consolidations at firms such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, and Latham & Watkins.

Practice areas and notable cases

The firm handles matters in securities litigation, antitrust, intellectual property, white-collar defense, and regulatory investigations. Attorneys have represented clients in disputes involving institutions like Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Google, Apple Inc., Microsoft, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Goldman Sachs, and JP Morgan Chase. The firm has litigated before tribunals such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the International Court of Arbitration for Sports. Notable matters have intersected with statutes and agencies including the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Clayton Antitrust Act, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Labor. The firm's litigators have argued cases related to patents before panels influenced by precedent from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, and John Roberts; they have also defended clients in investigations led by officials like Robert Mueller and Preet Bharara.

Organization and offices

The firm operates with practice groups organized around areas such as litigation, transactions, regulatory, and intellectual property, staffed by partners who formerly served at organizations like the United States Attorney's Office, the National Security Council, and the Central Intelligence Agency. Offices are located in cities with legal and financial centers such as New York City, San Francisco, London, Brussels, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and San Diego. The firm's leadership has included chairs and managing partners with prior roles at institutions like Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Georgetown University Law Center. The recruitment pipeline often draws from clerkships with judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and faculty positions at universities including Columbia Law School.

Clients and controversies

Clients have ranged from multinational corporations like Samsung Electronics and ExxonMobil to educational institutions such as Yale University and Princeton University, as well as financial firms including Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and BlackRock. The firm has faced scrutiny in matters intersecting with public policy and ethics involving figures connected to Capitol Hill, the White House, and regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration. Controversies have at times involved conflicts of interest, lobbying disclosures under rules influenced by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007, and representation of clients in politically sensitive investigations alongside entities connected to events like the 2008 financial crisis and congressional oversight hearings led by committees such as the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight Committee.

Pro bono and public interest work

The firm maintains pro bono programs that partner with organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU Foundation, Human Rights Watch, National Immigration Law Center, Legal Aid Society, and public interest clinics at institutions like the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. Matters have included asylum and immigration cases, civil rights litigation, and representation in death penalty appeals before state supreme courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. The firm has supported initiatives on voting rights related to litigation referencing precedents from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and has collaborated with nonprofit groups such as Equal Justice Initiative and Public Citizen.

Awards and rankings

The firm has been recognized by legal directories and ranking organizations including Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and Law360. Attorneys have received individual honors from institutions like the American Bar Association, the National Law Journal, and state bar associations such as the Massachusetts Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar. The firm has appeared on lists produced by publications including The American Lawyer, Vault, and Forbes for categories such as litigation, intellectual property, and pro bono.

Category:Law firms