Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Law firm |
| Founded | January 1, 1945 in Dallas, Texas, United States |
| Founder | Robert Strauss, Richard Gump |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Kim Koopersmith (chairperson), Michele Meyer-Shipp (former chief diversity and inclusion officer), Nimesh Patel (chief diversity and inclusion officer) |
| Website | akingump |
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP (commonly referred to as Akin Gump or simply Akin) is a prominent American multinational law firm based in Washington, D.C.. It holds the position of the second-largest lobbying firm in the United States when measured by revenue.
History
Established in 1945 in Dallas, Texas, by founders Robert Strauss and Richard Gump, Akin Gump continues to maintain a significant footprint in Texas with five office locations.
The firm underwent a name change in 1950 following the addition of Irving Goldberg and William P. Fonville, becoming Goldberg, Fonville, Gump & Strauss. The arrival of Jack Hauer in 1963 led to another rebranding as Goldberg, Fonville, Gump, Strauss & Hauer.
Following Goldberg’s departure in 1966 to accept a federal judgeship, Henry Akin joined the partnership. Subsequently, after Fonville's exit and Alan Feld's elevation to named partner status, the firm adopted its present-day name.
In 2012, Kim Koopersmith was appointed chairperson, distinguishing herself as one of the few women to head an Am Law 50 firm. She succeeded R. Bruce McLean, who had served as the firm's inaugural chairperson for two decades.
The firm transitioned to a "single tier" partnership model in 2013, ensuring all partners possess equity stakes—a shift from the more typical "two tier" system.
Akin Gump named Michele Meyer-Shipp as its inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer in 2017; she was succeeded by Nimesh Patel in 2019.
Data from OpenSecrets reveals that during the 2012 election cycle, Akin was among the leading law firms contributing $2.56 million to federal candidates, with approximately 66% of donations favoring Democrats. Since 1990, the firm has donated $19.84 million to federal campaigns and invested $8 million in lobbying activities since 2003.
The firm’s client portfolio includes governments such as those of Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, the Maldives, and Nicaragua.
Akin Gump operates eighteen offices worldwide, including locations in Dallas, Washington D.C., Houston, New York City, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Beijing (with plans to wind down operations in 2024), Hong Kong, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, and Hartford.
In November 2023, amid a surge of antisemitic incidents at U.S. law schools, Akin Gump joined other leading firms in issuing a warning to law school deans that an increase in such incidents could negatively affect corporate recruitment. The joint statement underscored a strict policy of zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment within workplace environments.
Role in Russia investigation
Melissa Laurenza, a partner at Akin Gump, represented Paul Manafort, a central figure in the 2017 Special Counsel investigation. Her involvement focused on legal representation of Manafort and included testifying under compulsion by the United States Office of Special Counsel. In October 2017, judicial findings indicated substantial evidence that Manafort and Gates had misled their attorney concerning lobbying activities and pertinent email communications.
Role in U.S. presidential impeachment inquiry
In 2019, the firm provided legal representation to Catherine Croft, an expert on Ukraine from the U.S. State Department, during her testimony before the Select Committee on Intelligence in the United States House of Representatives.
Recognition
The year 2020 saw the firm honored on the A-List by The American Lawyer for the sixth time within seven years, ranking it among the top 20 law firms in the United States. In 2017, it celebrated its 15th inclusion on the list of premier corporate law firms published by Corporate Board Member. Additionally, Akin appeared on The National Law Journal's "Appellate Hot List" for notable victories in federal and state appellate courts for 11 out of the last 12 years.
Yale Law Women acknowledged Akin as one of its Top 10 Firms for Family Friendliness in 2019 and again in 2020 recognized it among three firms excelling in support for Working Mothers and Family Planning. The Minority Corporate Counsel Association honored Akin with the Thomas L. Sager Award in 2017—its fifth time receiving this accolade—for dedication to diversity in attorney recruitment, retention, and advancement. In 2019, the firm achieved a flawless rating on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index for the twelfth straight year.
Chambers & Partners ranks the firm as a top-tier global leader across 11 practice areas, including bankruptcy/restructuring/insolvency, capital markets: debt, government relations, healthcare, and Native American law.
Current employees and consultants
- Lincoln P. Bloomfield Jr., previously Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs
- Al From, founder and former CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council
- Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, former Florida U.S. Representative
- Lamar Smith, former Texas U.S. Representative
- John E. Sununu, former U.S. Senator representing New Hampshire
- Tommy Thompson, former Wisconsin governor and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Filemon Vela, Jr., former Texas U.S. Representative
- Joe Donnelly, former U.S. Senator from Indiana
Alumni
- Matthew Berry, General Counsel to the House of Representatives
- George P. Bush, Texas General Land Office Commissioner
- Joaquín Castro, U.S. Representative for Texas' 20th Congressional District
- Julián Castro, ex-mayor of San Antonio, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and 2020 presidential contender
- Alan D. Cohn, past Assistant Secretary for Strategy, Planning, Analysis & Risk at the United States Department of Homeland Security
- Eliot Cutler, political candidate with a criminal conviction
- Antonio Delgado, Lieutenant Governor of New York
- John M. Dowd, former U.S. Attorney and legal counsel to President Donald Trump
- Victor H. Fazio, former California U.S. Representative
- Ben Fountain, acclaimed fiction author
- Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor of The Today Show
- Kay Hagan, former North Carolina U.S. Senator
- John P. Howard III, judge on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- Vernon Jordan Jr., previous advisor to President Bill Clinton
- Ken Mehlman, ex-chairman of the Republican National Committee
- Patricia Millett, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- Bill Paxon, former New York U.S. Representative
- Michele A. Roberts, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association
- Devin Stone, creator of LegalEagle
- Todd Wagner, businessman and co-founder of Broadcast.com
- Stanley Woodward, attorney