Reed Smith Richards Butler
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Legal services |
| Founded | 1 January 1877 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Founder | Philander C. Knox, James H. Reed |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh , United States |
Area served | United States, Europe, Middle East, Asia |
Key people | Lewis Zirogiannis (Global Regulatory Enforcement Leader), Craig Lilly (Technology, M&A, Private Equity Specialist) |
| Products | Legal services |
Number of employees | 1500+ |
| Website | reedsmith |
Reed Smith LLP is an international law firm employing more than 1,500 attorneys across 30 offices located throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
History
Established in Pittsburgh in 1877 by Philander C. Knox and James H. Reed, the firm initially expanded due to its association with industrial magnate Andrew Carnegie. Early clientele comprised prominent corporations including Heinz (company), The Bank of New York Mellon, and Henry Clay Frick. The partnership grew in the 1880s with the addition of Edwin W. Smith and others, leading to the firm's renaming as Reed Smith Shaw & McClay by 1922. During the New Deal period, partner Ralph H. Demmler served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, signifying the firm’s foray into securities law.
Knox and Reed notably defended members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club in lawsuits arising from the 1889 Johnstown Flood, arguing that the dam collapse constituted an Act of God. This litigation played a key role in shaping strict liability doctrines within U.S. jurisprudence.
Beginning in the 1970s, Reed Smith embarked on a path of growth through mergers and acquisitions, transforming into a major global legal practice. The firm entered Washington, DC in the 1970s and merged with Pierson, Ball & Dowd in 1989 to develop its health care sector. A 1978 merger with Philadelphia's Townsend Elliott & Munson (established 1842) strengthened its regional influence.
The 1990s witnessed further expansion with new locations in New York and New Jersey alongside acquiring Northern Virginia’s Hazel & Thomas. International growth accelerated during the 2000s: acquiring UK-based Warner Cranston in 2001 established Reed Smith as a transatlantic firm; offices launched in Paris and Munich by 2005; a Delaware office was added; and merging with California’s Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May elevated the firm into the top 20 U.S. law firms. The 2007 merger with UK firm Richards Butler broadened Reed Smith’s presence to France, Greece, the Middle East, and Hong Kong.
Reed Smith provides legal counsel to 13 of the world’s top 15 commercial and savings banks; represents 25 of the leading 35 oil and gas corporations; and serves the three largest pharmaceutical distributors globally.
Responding to increasing client needs, the firm inaugurated a second German office in Frankfurt in 2015. It also formed a strategic alliance with Singapore-based Resource Law in 2016 and opened a Miami office in 2017.
Notable recent additions include Lewis Zirogiannis, former General Electric chief compliance officer, who joined in 2018 to lead global regulatory enforcement from San Francisco. That year also saw recruitment of fourteen attorneys from Norton Rose Fulbright to strengthen life sciences and healthcare practices alongside launching an Austin office. In January 2020, technology, M&A, and private equity specialist Craig Lilly joined from Greenberg Traurig’s Silicon Valley team.
Recognition
Chambers USA acknowledges Reed Smith for its services in bankruptcy, insurance, finance, M&A, labor and employment law, as well as general litigation across sectors such as entertainment and media, life sciences, shipping, and finance. The firm boasts 43 rankings within Chambers USA. In Chambers UK, it achieves top-tier status for shipping, media and entertainment, commodities, insurance, and corporate M&A based in London. Chambers Global highlights its excellence in shipping litigation and climate change initiatives.
Significant accolades include:
- Placement among the world’s top 20 strongest law firm brands according to the 2018 Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index.
- Recipient of The American Lawyer’s premier Pro Bono Award in 2018.
- Inclusion in BTI Global Elite 2018 for firms significantly influencing corporate counsel hiring decisions.
- Winner of the i-law Maritime Law Award at Lloyd’s List Global Awards; its global Shipping Group leader was named Lloyd’s List top maritime lawyer of 2018.
- Ranked fifth on Vault’s Best Law Firms list for the Mid-Atlantic region.
- Positioned twenty-fifth on the AmLaw 100 list by gross revenue and financial performance in 2018.
- Achieved top-tier rankings across seven categories in Legal 500 German 2018 Rankings; twelve German partners received recommendations.
- Sixth place among US law firms operating within London.
- Earned eighteen practice area rankings and forty-two lawyer recommendations in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2018 edition.
- Designated a Top Ten Family Friendly Firm by Yale Law Women for 2018.
- Awarded Chambers USA Product Liability “Best Firm” title in 2017; ranked tenth nationally by Vault within this specialty.
- Included by Law360 among the top Global 20 Firms in 2017.
- Honored as Private Equity Team of the Year at British Legal Awards 2017.
- Ranked fifteenth largest US firm by attorney headcount (1,536 lawyers) per National Law Journal’s NLJ 500 (2017).
- Ranked seventeenth on Law360’s Global 20 Firms list (2016).
- Fifth place on Legal Week’s Client Satisfaction Report for U.S.-based international firms (2013).
- Eighth position on Am Law 50 Firms’ inaugural Social Index (2013) recognizing social media engagement.
- Advanced eight positions to rank within the Top 20 U.S. law firm brands on Acritas’ Sharplegal US Law Firm Brand Index (2014).
- Nineteenth among American law firms by gross revenue on AmLaw 100 (2010).
- First place on The BTI Client Relationship Scorecard for client relations (2009).
Reed Smith is acknowledged as one of America’s premier corporate law firms and ranks among the strongest global law firm brands according to Acritas (2018). Industry analysts such as Law360 and BTI Consulting consistently recognize it within their Elite Global Law Firms listings.
During fiscal year 2018-19, Reed Smith reported a revenue increase of five percent reaching $1.17 billion, with profits per partner rising seven percent to $1.26 million. Its London office stands as the largest location generating sixth-highest revenue among U.S. law firms operating in the UK; leading partners earned profit shares up to $3.3 million (£2.5 million) in 2017.
Significant cases and deals
- Managed competition approvals in the US and EU for Hong Kong-based shipping company OOCL during its $6.3 billion takeover by China's COSCO Shipping.
- Provided counsel to United Group B.V. on its $3 billion divestiture to private equity firm BC Partners, transitioning ownership from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.
- Achieved dismissal of a $6 billion False Claims Act lawsuit initiated by the US Department of Justice against healthcare provider HCR Manor Care.
- Offered legal advice to Netflix regarding a dispute with a Colorado municipality over a $116,000 sales tax assessment.
- Represented Textainer Group Holdings, the leading global lessor of intermodal containers, in expanding its revolving credit facility from $700 million to $1.5 billion.
- Counseled Deutsche Bank on the disposition of a $1 billion portfolio consisting of shipping loans.
- Acts on behalf of Russian firm Concord Management and Consulting in criminal indictments connected to alleged interference in the 2016 and 2018 US elections.
- Defended musician Curtis Jackson (50 Cent) in copyright infringement cases involving accusations of unauthorized content use.
- Represented French luxury brand Lancôme, part of L'Oréal's Luxury Products division, in litigation against actress Uma Thurman.
- Acted for global financial services holding company The Bank of New York Mellon as trustee for bonds issued by Puerto Rican government entities amid their $70 billion debt restructuring process.
- Advised an international financial services corporation in Jefferson County, Alabama’s municipal bankruptcy proceedings concerning debt exceeding $4 billion.
- Represented BNY Mellon in defending a $539 million bondholder lawsuit related to Argentina's bond default litigation.
- Assisted Toyota Motor Credit Corporation in obtaining $15 billion financing through a syndicated credit arrangement.
- Provided counsel to the UK Civil Aviation Authority pension scheme on a £1.6 billion buy-in transaction with insurer Rothesay Life.
- Successfully defended Nintendo against several patent infringement claims filed by Motion Games.
Distinguished personnel
Prominent lawyers affiliated with Reed Smith include:
- Cathy Bissoon, serving as judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
- David W. Marston, former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and published author
- Doreen Kong, member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council representing the Election Committee constituency
- Jack McGregor, ex-Pennsylvania State Senator and founder of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins franchise
- James Hay Reed, founding partner and United States federal judge
- Paul Martha, former NFL safety and CEO of the Pittsburgh Penguins
- Philander C. Knox, co-founder; banking executive; U.S. Attorney General; Pennsylvania Senator; Secretary of State
- Ralph H. Demmler, expert in corporate banking law and former chairperson of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Rip Sullivan, community leader in Northern Virginia and delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates
- Ronald D. Castille, judge on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and Chief Justice from 2008 to 2014
- Sheryl H. Lipman, U.S. district judge for Western Tennessee and former legal counsel at University of Memphis
- Steven Drizin, attorney and professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
- Thomas Hardiman, federal appellate judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; previously served as U.S. District Court judge
Popular culture
Laurence Leamer's book The Price of Justice features Reed Smith, emphasizing the firm's involvement in landmark legal battles.
Offices
By January 2018, Reed Smith had established 28 offices spanning three continents. Although its initial locations were in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the London branch has grown to become the largest, housing more than 350 lawyers.
Additionally, the firm operates a Global Customer Centre located in Pittsburgh, providing continuous administrative support around the clock, every day of the year, including IT and business functions.