Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Legal services |
| Founded | January 1, 1884 in New York City, United States |
| Founder | John Woodruff Simpson, Thomas Thacher, William Milo Barnum |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Litigation, Corporate law, Mergers and acquisitions, Private equity |
Number of employees | 1500 (2025) |
| Website | www |
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a prestigious law firm based in New York City, recognized for its expertise in litigation and corporate law, with a strong focus on mergers and acquisitions as well as private equity. The firm employs around 1,500 lawyers distributed among 13 offices worldwide.
History
Established on January 1, 1884, by John Woodruff Simpson, Thomas Thacher, and William Milo Barnum under the name "Simpson, Thacher & Barnum," the firm went through multiple renamings before adopting its current title following Barnum’s departure in 1904. Originally situated at 9 Pine Street, it now conducts operations from 425 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. Its domestic growth includes opening offices in Los Angeles (1996), Palo Alto (1999), and Washington, D.C. (2005). On the international front, Simpson Thacher inaugurated branches in London (1978), Tokyo (1990), Hong Kong (1993), Beijing (2007), São Paulo (2009), and Brussels (2021).
In 1974, the firm made history by promoting Conrad Harper—a former NAACP Legal Defense Fund civil rights attorney—to partner status, marking him as the second Black partner at a leading New York City law firm. To honor this milestone, Simpson Thacher established the Conrad Harper 2L Diversity Fellowship aimed at supporting law students from underrepresented groups.
The firm has been instrumental in several high-profile deals: advising KKR on its $25.1 billion takeover of RJR Nabisco in 1988, which was then the largest private equity transaction; guiding Google through its $2.7 billion initial public offering in 2004 and its $1.65 billion acquisition of YouTube in 2006; and managing Tesla Motors’ IPO in 2010—the first U.S. automotive IPO since Ford’s debut in 1956.
Simpson Thacher also played a key role for underwriters during Facebook’s $16 billion IPO in 2012—the biggest technology offering at that time—and spearheaded Alibaba Group’s record-setting $25 billion IPO in 2014. This achievement earned partners Leiming Chen and Bill Hinman accolades as "Deal Makers of the Year" alongside the firm receiving "Global Final Deals of the Year."
The firm represented Microsoft in acquiring LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016 and GitHub for $7.5 billion in 2018.
In 2008, Simpson Thacher encountered criticism after failing to identify a critical error that transformed a $1.5 billion secured loan into unsecured debt during JPMorgan Chase’s loan repayment with General Motors, leading to substantial losses following GM’s bankruptcy.
More recently, Simpson Thacher has taken an active stance on social issues impacting the legal profession. In November 2023, it joined other prominent firms issuing warnings to law schools about antisemitic demonstrations potentially influencing corporate recruitment. The firm also publicly condemned the surge of antisemitic incidents across the United States in 2021.
Looking ahead, Simpson Thacher plans to expand by launching new offices in Boston (announced May 2024) and San Francisco (scheduled for 2026), the latter following a lease agreement for former Google premises.
Among recent notable deals is representing Spindrift during its $650 million acquisition by Gryphon Investors in January 2025. Additionally, under pressure from the Trump Administration in April 2025, the firm committed to providing $125 million worth of pro bono legal services focused on agreed-upon issues such as veterans’ benefits disputes.
Associate compensation
In 2007, Simpson Thacher set a new benchmark in the market by elevating first-year associate base salaries to $160,000, establishing a precedent among New York City law firms. Later, in 2014, the firm once again led the industry by boosting associate bonuses by as much as $40,000, a change quickly adopted by top competitors including Paul, Weiss and Cleary Gottlieb.
By 2016, Cravath, Swaine & Moore exceeded the "Simpson salary scale" with a 12.5% increase in base pay, prompting Simpson Thacher and other leading firms to follow suit.
As of May 2025, the starting base salary for first-year associates at Simpson Thacher is $225,000, with additional bonus opportunities available.
Rankings and awards
Simpson Thacher regularly ranks among the most lucrative large law firms worldwide on a per-partner basis according to The American Lawyer's AmLaw 100 Survey. The firm is distinguished for outstanding performance across various practice areas and its workplace environment:
- Positioned 8th in Vault Law 100’s 2022 list of the most prestigious U.S. law firms.
- Honored as "Finance Litigation Department of the Year" in 2022 by The New York Law Journal.
- Featured in Vault's Top 10 for categories such as Securities, Banking and Financial Services, M&A, Private Equity, and Tax in 2016.
- Awarded the 2016 U.S. News "Law Firm of the Year" accolade for Mergers and Acquisitions.
- Recognized in 33 categories in U.S. News’ 2016 Law Firm Rankings, including 18 National Tier 1 distinctions.
- Earned an Above and Beyond Award from the Department of Defense for supporting employees serving in the Guard and Reserve.
In 2025, Simpson Thacher reported gross revenues close to $2.9 billion and estimated profits per partner reaching $6.43 million.
Notable alumni
Simpson Thacher’s former attorneys have gone on to hold prominent roles in judiciary, government, business leadership, and academia:
Judiciary
- Guido Calabresi – Senior Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
- Thomas D. Thacher – Former District Judge for the Southern District of New York.
- Dennis G. Jacobs – Ex-Chief Judge of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Eric Vitaliano – District Judge serving the Eastern District of New York.
- Mary Kay Vyskocil – District Judge in the Southern District of New York.
Government
- Cyrus Vance – Former U.S. Secretary of State and Secretary of the Army.
- Thomas D. Thacher – Previously U.S. Solicitor General.
- Dwight Morrow – Former U.S. Senator representing New Jersey.
- Thomas Brackett Reed – Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
- Anne-Marie Slaughter – Previously Director of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department.
- Keith Noreika – Acting Comptroller of the Currency for the United States.
- Bim Afolami – Member of Parliament for Hitchin and Harpenden in the UK.
Business
- Suzanne Nora Johnson – Former Vice Chairman at Goldman Sachs.
- Anne-Marie Slaughter – President and CEO of New America Foundation.
- Lynn Forester de Rothschild – Chief Executive Officer at E.L. Rothschild.
- Alan D. Schnitzer – Chairman and CEO at The Travelers Companies.
- Euwyn Poon – Founder and President of Spin.
- Michelle Jubelirer – Chairperson and CEO at Capitol Music Group.
Academia
- Guido Calabresi – Former Dean of Yale Law School.
- Karenna Gore Schiff – Author and Director at Union Theological Seminary.
- Eleanor M. Fox – Faculty member at NYU School of Law.
- Deborah N. Archer – President of the American Civil Liberties Union.
- Garry W. Jenkins – President of Bates College.
Others
- Charlie Reiter – Professional athlete in soccer.
- Val Ackerman – Commissioner of Big East Conference; previously president of WNBA.
- Whitney North Seymour – Former President of both ABA and Legal Aid Society.