Winston & Strawn
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Legal services |
| Founded | 1 January 1853 in Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Founder | Frederick H. Winston |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Jeffrey Kessler (Co-executive chairman), Dan Webb (Co-executive chairman), Thomas M. Melsheimer (Managing partner, Dallas office) |
| Products | Legal services (litigation and transactional matters) |
Number of employees | More than 975 lawyers |
| Website | winston |
Winston & Strawn LLP is a global law firm based in Chicago. The firm employs more than 975 lawyers distributed among ten offices throughout the United States and five international locations spanning Europe, Asia, and South America. Established in 1853, it stands as one of the most longstanding and sizable law firms in Chicago.
Focusing on both litigation and transactional matters across a variety of sectors, the firm is well-regarded for handling intricate legal challenges. Its worldwide footprint enables service to a diverse clientele with an emphasis on delivering strategic legal counsel in major markets.
Offices
Chicago hosts the firm's largest office by personnel. In the U.S., additional offices are located in Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C.. The international presence includes European offices in Brussels, London, and Paris, as well as locations in South America (São Paulo) and Asia (Shanghai).
History
Founded in 1853 by Frederick H. Winston in Chicago, the firm later welcomed partner Silas H. Strawn in 1892.
Its growth has been driven by mergers and new office launches, adhering to the principles of the Cravath System and incorporating lateral recruitment practices.
In 2000, Winston & Strawn combined with Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan’s New York office, integrating roughly 80 attorneys specializing in corporate law, capital markets, project finance, and venture capital. This merger expanded its New York team to approximately 250 lawyers.
May 2012 saw the addition of 60 lawyers from Dewey & LeBoeuf joining the firm.
In 2016, it became the first Chicago-based law firm to offer a starting salary of $180,000 for first-year associates, triggering a competitive "salary war" among large firms in the city.
That same year, a gender-neutral parental leave policy was introduced, granting up to 20 weeks of paid leave to both male and female associates.
February 2017 marked the opening of a Dallas office staffed initially by twenty-three partners recruited from eight Texas-based firms. By July of that year, twelve more partners with expertise in employee benefits and executive compensation joined from McDermott Will & Emery LLP.
The Dubai office, which had been operational for four years, was shuttered in January 2020.
In August 2020, the firm established an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Advisory Team aimed at assisting corporations with their ESG initiatives.
Starting mid-2020, the firm implemented cost-cutting measures including reductions in associate headcount and partner compensation as a response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Revenue
The firm's revenue reached $985 million in 2017. By 2019, it surpassed the billion-dollar mark at $1.01 billion. Despite a roughly three percent decline to $981.2 million during 2020 amid the COVID-19 crisis, partner profits increased by over four percent due to lowered expenses.
Notable representations
Winston & Strawn has handled several high-profile matters for clients such as:
- In 2017, obtained a favorable settlement for Beef Products, Inc. (BPI) in a widely publicized defamation case against ABC News.
- In 2016, successfully defended Warner Chilcott (a Teva Pharmaceuticals subsidiary) against Merck’s patent infringement claims concerning NuvaRing.
- Also in 2016, acted as Employment & Employee Benefits Counsel for Verizon during its $4.83 billion acquisition of Yahoo!.
- Led by Dan Webb in 2016, conducted an internal review of the Chicago Department of Law’s Federal Civil Rights Litigation Division.
- Secured a victory before the U.S. Supreme Court for Omnicare Inc. in 2015.
- Represented collegiate athletes challenging NCAA restrictions on compensation through antitrust litigation.
- Advised Luxottica Group on significant acquisitions including its $1.6 billion hostile takeover of U.S. Shoe Corporation (owner of LensCrafters) in 1995 and its $2 billion purchase of Oakley in 2007.
- Assisted Lear Corporation during Carl Icahn’s takeover attempt in 2007.
- Represented the New York Stock Exchange during investigations and litigation related to Richard Grasso’s compensation in 2006.
- Achieved a favorable outcome for Microsoft during the remedy phase of federal and state antitrust proceedings in 2002.
- Counseled Barr Laboratories on invalidating a pivotal Prozac patent in a landmark case from 2001.
- Defended General Electric against industrial-diamond price-fixing allegations led by Dan K. Webb in 1994.
Distinguished Current and Former Personnel
- Beryl Anthony Jr.: Former U.S. Representative from Arkansas, and past chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- Tim Broas: Ex-United States Ambassador to the Netherlands
- James H. Douglas Jr.: Previously served as United States Deputy Secretary of Defense
- Bruce Downey: Former chief executive officer of Barr Pharmaceuticals
- James R. Thompson: Ex-Governor of Illinois
- Nathan Sawaya: Renowned artist
- Emily Giffin: Writer known for Something Borrowed
- Thomas Kirsch: Serving as United States attorney for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
- Michael K. Atkinson: Inspector General for the Intelligence Community within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
- Eric Hargan: Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Jeffrey Kessler: Co-executive chairman at Winston & Strawn; specialized in antitrust and sports law; represented Tom Brady in Brady v. NFL, which concluded the 2011 NFL lockout
- Dan Webb: Co-executive chairman at Winston & Strawn; prominent U.S. trial lawyer; prosecuted retired Admiral John Poindexter during the Iran-Contra affair; former U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Illinois; honored with Lifetime Achiever by The American Lawyer
- Abbe Lowell: Expert in litigation, complex investigations, and regulatory compliance enforcement
- Earl Jinkinson: Esteemed antitrust attorney
- Thomas M. Melsheimer: Managing partner overseeing the firm's office in Dallas
- Daniel Ninivaggi: Former partner and counsel; served as CEO of Icahn Enterprises (2010–2014) and later of Federal-Mogul (2014–2017)
- Matthew D. Orwig: Founder of the Dallas office; previously U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas
- Jack O'Malley: Past Cook County State's Attorney, leading one of the largest prosecutorial offices nationwide
- Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón: Partner; formerly U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Uruguay; also served as chief of staff to First Lady Jill Biden
- Franklin R. Parker: Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy responsible for Manpower and Reserve Affairs
- John Barton Payne: Held office as U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1920–1921) under President Woodrow Wilson
- Rob Pelinka: Professional basketball player and general manager for the Los Angeles Lakers
- Gail Standish: Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Central District of California
- Kathi Vidal: Partner; previously served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)