Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP
Winston & Strawn · Public domain · source
Name	Winston & Strawn LLP
Founded	1853
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Number of offices	9 (U.S.), 6 (International)
Number of attorneys	~900
Practice areas	Litigation, Corporate, Intellectual Property, Antitrust, Bankruptcy, Labor & Employment, Finance
Key people	Partner leadership

Winston & Strawn LLP

Winston & Strawn LLP is a large multinational law firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, known for litigation, corporate transactional work, and intellectual property practice. Founded in the mid-19th century, the firm has grown to represent major corporations, financial institutions, and high-profile clients across sectors including technology, pharmaceuticals, energy, and entertainment. It maintains a significant presence in North America, Europe, and Asia, and is recognized in leading legal rankings and global directories.

History

Founded in 1853 in Chicago, Illinois, the firm emerged during a period marked by the expansion of the Illinois Central Railroad, the aftermath of the Mexican–American War, and the rise of Midwestern commerce. Early partners advised clients involved with the Chicago Board of Trade and legal matters arising from the Great Chicago Fire. Across the 20th century the firm expanded alongside the growth of the United States Supreme Court jurisprudence and landmark regulatory developments such as the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the firm opened offices in global centers including New York City, London, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles, aligning with trends driven by the North American Free Trade Agreement era, the expansion of the European Union, and the rise of Silicon Valley technology clients.

Practice Areas and Services

The firm handles complex civil and commercial litigation in venues such as the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Its transactional practice spans mergers and acquisitions involving entities like Goldman Sachs, structured finance matters tied to institutions such as JPMorgan Chase, and public offerings regulated under the Securities Act of 1933. Intellectual property teams litigate patent disputes before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in district courts, representing clients in sectors including pharmaceuticals affected by regulations from the Food and Drug Administration and technology companies interacting with standards bodies like the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Antitrust and competition lawyers have handled cases influenced by precedents from the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The bankruptcy and restructuring group appears in proceedings under the United States Bankruptcy Code for debtors, creditors, and creditors' committees.

Offices and Global Presence

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the firm maintains a network of domestic offices in cities including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Internationally, the firm operates in major commercial hubs such as London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Brussels, Paris, and Tokyo. Those locations facilitate cross-border work involving institutions like the European Commission, multinational corporations headquartered in Germany, Japan, and China, and international arbitration under rules of institutions like the International Chamber of Commerce and the London Court of International Arbitration.

Notable Cases and Clients

The firm has represented clients in high-profile matters involving public companies, private equity sponsors, and regulatory agencies. Examples include representation in securities litigation connected to firms like Enron-era disputes, antitrust litigation touching entities similar to Microsoft Corporation and AT&T, and patent litigation involving technology companies akin to Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics. It has represented financial institutions comparable to Bank of America and investment banks such as Morgan Stanley in transactional and litigation matters. The firm’s litigators have appeared in cases reaching the United States Supreme Court and handled class action defenses influenced by precedent from the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005.

Leadership and Organization

The firm is managed by a partnership structure with an executive committee and practice group leaders, reflecting governance models found at firms like Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP. Leadership has included managing partners and chairs who coordinate global strategy, lateral hiring, and client relationships with multinational entities such as ExxonMobil-scale energy clients and Pfizer-scale pharmaceutical clients. The firm organizes specialized practice groups for litigation, corporate, intellectual property, insolvency, and regulatory work, aligning with the structures seen at international firms operating in jurisdictions governed by bodies like the Bar Council of England and Wales and state bar associations such as the Illinois State Bar Association.

Pro Bono and Diversity Initiatives

The firm maintains pro bono programs modeled after initiatives at large firms like Sidley Austin LLP and Jones Day, providing legal services for civil rights matters, asylum claims linked to crises in regions like Syria and Venezuela, and representation in access-to-justice projects administered with organizations such as Legal Aid Society-type entities. Diversity and inclusion efforts include affinity groups for lawyers of backgrounds comparable to those served by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the Hispanic National Bar Association, along with partnerships with law school programs at institutions such as Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and the University of Chicago Law School to support recruitment and mentorship.

Awards and Rankings

The firm has received recognition in directories and rankings such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and Best Lawyers, and appears in industry lists maintained by publications like The American Lawyer and Law360. Practice groups and individual lawyers have earned accolades including litigation and corporate categories comparable to awards from the Association of Corporate Counsel and honors tied to rankings by Vault and the Financial Times.

Category:Law firms established in 1853