Debevoise & Plimpton

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP (often shortened to Debevoise) is a global law firm based in New York City. Founded in 1931 by Harvard Law School alumnus Eli Whitney Debevoise and Oxford-trained William Stevenson, Debevoise specializes in strategic and private equity, M&A, insurance and financial services transactions, private funds, complex litigation, investigations, and international arbitration.[2] As of 2021, the law firm is assisting the Democratic Party in the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump.[3]

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Headquarters919 Third Avenue
New York City
United States
No. of offices10 Total
No. of attorneys655 (2018)[1]
Major practice areasArbitration & International Disputes, Capital Markets, Commercial Litigation, Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, Finance, Funds, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Restructuring, Tax, White Collar & Regulatory Defense[2]
Key peopleMichael W. Blair (Presiding Partner), Mary Jo White (Senior Chair)
Revenue $929 million (2018)[1]
Date founded1931
Company typeL.L.P.
Websitewww.debevoise.com

Overview

Debevoise & Plimpton currently employs approximately 655 lawyers in nine offices throughout the world. The firm divides its practices into three major areas: Corporate, Litigation, and Tax. In recent years, the firm's practice has taken on an increasingly international component.

Debevoise is the only law firm in the world to have both a former US and UK Attorney-General simultaneously as partners (Michael Mukasey in the U.S. and Lord Goldsmith QC in the U.K.).[4]

Offices

Debevoise & Plimpton has offices across three continents, including in New York City, Washington D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. In 2016, Debevoise opened a new office in Tokyo.[5] On June 1, 2020, Debevoise & Plimpton announced the opening of an office in Luxembourg.[6]

Reputation and rankings

Debevoise & Plimpton is consistently among the most profitable large law firms in the world on a per-partner and per-lawyer basis according to American Lawyer magazine's annual AmLaw 100 Survey. Debevoise placed No. 1 overall in The American Lawyer's "10-Year A-List," a ranking of the law firms who have earned the highest cumulative score on the A-List since its inception in 2003. The annual A-List ranks firms according to their performance in four categories: revenue per lawyer, pro bono service, associate satisfaction, and diversity.[7]

Milestones
  • 1931: Debevoise and Stevenson from Davis Polk & Wardwell form partnership
  • 1933: Francis T. P. Plimpton joins to form Debevoise, Stevenson & Plimpton
  • 1936: Robert G. Page joins to form Debevoise, Stevenson, Plimpton & Page
  • 1943: Firm merges with Hatch, McLean, Root & Hinch
  • 1947: Firm renames as Debevoise, Plimpton & McLean
  • 1949: Firm loses Hiss Case
  • 1964: Firm opens in Paris
  • 1976: Barbara Robinson becomes first female partner
  • 1980: Firm advises on Chrysler debt restructuring
  • 1981: Firm renames as Debevoise & Plimpton for 50th anniversary
  • 1982: Firm opens in Washington
  • 1989: Firm opens in London[9]
  • 1994: Firm opens in Hong Kong
  • 1997: Firm opens in Moscow[10]
  • 2001: Firm opens in Frankfurt[11]
  • 2002: Firm opens in Shanghai[12]
  • 2007: Former Attorney General of the United Kingdom Lord Peter Goldsmith QC joins the firm's London office as a partner
  • 2009: Former Attorney General of the United States Michael Mukasey joins the firm's New York office as a partner
  • 2016: Firm opens in Tokyo[13]
  • 2017: Former Chair of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Mary Jo White rejoins the firm's New York office as a partner and senior chair[14]
  • 2020: Firm opens in Luxembourg

Assistance to Guantanamo prisoners

Attorneys from Debevoise & Plimpton worked on behalf of prisoners held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.[15][16][17] Jeff Lang, of Debevoise & Plimpton, was one of the first Guantanamo Bay attorneys to file an appeal in the Federal appeal court in Washington DC of prisoners' Combatant Status Review Tribunal proceedings. The Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 included provision for prisoners to challenge whether the Tribunals' decisions complied with the Tribunal's mandate. Charles "Cully" Stimson, then Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs, stirred controversy when he went on record criticizing the patriotism of law firms that allowed employees to assist Guantanamo prisoners: "corporate CEOs seeing this should ask firms to choose between lucrative retainers and representing terrorists."[18] Stimson's views were widely criticized. The Pentagon disavowed them, and Stimson resigned shortly thereafter.

2010s

Notable attorneys and alumni

See also

References
  1. March 13, Meghan Tribe; PM, 2019 at 04:47. "Debevoise & Plimpton Posts Record Revenue, Profits". The American Lawyer.
  2. "Debevoise". Debevoise.
  3. DeBonis, Mike; Hamburger, Tom; Gardner, Amy (January 30, 2021). "House Democrats building elaborate, emotionally charged case against Trump". www.msn.com. Washington Post. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. "Debevoise & Plimpton LLP - the Inside View".
  5. "Debevoise Opens in Tokyo". Debevoise. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  6. "Debevoise Opens Luxembourg Office, Strengthening the Firm's Private Funds Offering".
  7. "Debevoise & Plimpton LLP | Company Profile | Vault.com". Vault.
  8. "ALM's Recent Press Releases and News Coverage". Alm.com. August 10, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  9. "London". Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  10. "Debevoise Plimpton History". Funding Universe. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  11. "Frankfurt". Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  12. "Shanghai". Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  13. "Tokyo". Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  14. Olson, Elizabeth (February 15, 2017). "Mary Jo White to Rejoin Debevoise & Plimpton". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  15. Shayana Kadidal (May 16, 2007). "Getting Rid of Lawyers at Guantanamo: An Update". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  16. "The Pro Bono Tradition at Debevoise". Debevoise & Plimpton. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  17. Schwartz, Emma (May 15, 2007). "The Latest Guantanamo Debate". Legal Times. Retrieved January 19, 2008.
  18. Lewis, Neil (January 13, 2007). "Official attacks top law firms over detainees". New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
  19. Cash, Justin. "Debevoise takes on Lindsay Lohan in Grand Theft Auto court battle". Legal Week. Incisive Financial Publishing. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  20. "Lindsay Lohan’s two-year battle against GTA5 finally ends in Take-Two’s favor", Polygon, VOX Media, September 1, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  21. "Lindsay Lohan loses Grand Theft Auto V lawsuit on appeal" by Leslie Katz, CNET, March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  22. Valérie Peiffer; Pierre Simon; Pascal Mateo (December 16, 2010). "Edouard Philippe de A à Z". Le Point. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  23. Jules Pecnard (May 10, 2017). "Trois choses à savoir sur Edouard Philippe, le potentiel futur Premier ministre". L'Express. Retrieved May 15, 2017.

Further reading
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