| Ropes & Gray | |
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| Headquarters |  Boston, MA |
|---|---|
| No. of Offices | 10 |
| No. of Attorneys | ~850 |
| Major Practice Areas | General practice |
| Key People | Bradford Malt, Chairman
John Montgomery, Managing Partner Hugh Simons, Chief Operating Officer |
| Date Founded | 1865 |
| Founder | John Codman Ropes, John Chipman Gray |
| Company Type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | www.ropesgray.com |
Ropes & Gray LLP is a national U.S. law firm with offices located in Boston, New York City, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Hong Kong and Tokyo; and a conference center in London. The firm has over 1,000 lawyers worldwide and its clients include corporations and financial institutions, government agencies, universities, and health care organizations. It was founded in 1865 by John Codman Ropes and John Chipman Gray.
The firm's major practice areas include general corporate law, litigation, antitrust, bankruptcy and business restructuring, international, labor and employment, tax and benefits and government relations. The firm is also a leader in intellectual property law as a result of its 2005 absorption of New York-based Fish & Neave, now called the Fish & Neave Group of Ropes & Gray.[1] In 2003, the firm acquired New York City-based private equity law firm Reboul, MacMurray, Hewitt & Maynard.
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Rankings
Ropes & Gray is highly ranked in several publications, including Vault, Best Lawyers, Chambers, and The American Lawyer, among many others. Chambers recognizes Ropes & Gray in several practice areas, including Intellectual Property, Private Equity, Life Sciences and Tax. In 2008, the Chambers USA guide recognized 80 Ropes & Gray attorneys as leaders in their fields. In addition, the firm's Intellectual Property and Private Equity practice were finalists for a Chambers "Award for Excellence." [2] Also in 2008, Best Lawyers in America listed 107 Ropes & Gray attorneys.[3] Ropes & Gray is ranked at number 31 in the AmLaw 100, which ranks firms by gross revenue. The firm is currently ranked 24th in Vault's "prestige" ranking of America's top one hundred law firms including a #1 regional ranking in Boston and a #1 ranking in the overall category of "best firms to work for."[4] For the third consecutive year, the firm has ranked first in Private Equity Analyst's list of the "Most Active Law Firms by Number of Funds."
Prominent cases and controversies
The firm came under fire in 2006 for representing Massachusetts Catholic Charities, which performs adoption services and has an open policy of preferring heterosexual couples. Eventually Ropes & Gray declined to assist further the client after several Harvard Law students challenged the firm's representation.[5][6]
Notable attorneys
- Mark Barnes (Counsel)
- Diane Bemus Patrick (Partner) First Lady of Massachusetts (2007-present)
- Yochai Benkler (Associate, 1994-1995) Jack N. and Lillian R. Berkman Professor for Entrepreneurial Legal Studies, Harvard Law School.
- John Palfrey co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, vice dean for library and information resources, and a tenured professor at Harvard Law School.
- Stephen L. Braga (Partner) a top criminal defense attorney known for his successful pro bono representation of Martin Tankleff.
- Robert C. Clark (Associate, 1972-1974) Former Dean of the Faculty of Law (1989-2003), and Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor (2003-present), Harvard University
- Elliot Richardson (Associate, 1949-1953, 1955-1957; Partner, 1961-1965), Former Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare (1970-1973); Secretary of Defense (1973); Attorney General (1973); Ambassador to the Court of St. James (1975-1976) and Secretary of Commerce (1976-1977).
- James Vorenberg (Associate, 1954-1960; Partner, 1960-1962) Former Dean of the Faculty of Law, Harvard University (1981-1989)
- Roger A. Moore (Associate, 1956-1964, Partner, 1964-1990), Chairman of the Board, National Review (1960-1990), Chief Legal Advisor, Presidential Campaign of Barry Goldwater (1964), General Counsel of the Republican National Committee (1981-1989)
- Jane Willis (Partner) part of the MIT Blackjack Team
Miscellaneous
The firm's nameplate was featured in the film Bride Wars. In the film, Kate Hudson's character who is an associate at a New York law firm is seen entering and exiting the firm's New York offices.[7]
References
- ^ "Ropes & Gray's New York IP Practice Ranked #1 by Chambers USA", Business Wire, May 25, 2005
- ^ www.chambersandpartners.com
- ^ bestlawyers.com
- ^ www.vault.com
- ^ Bishops to oppose adoption by gays, Patricia Wen and Frank Phillips, Boston Globe, February 12, 2006.
- ^ Harvard Law group hits Ropes & Gray, Sacha Pfeiffer, Boston Globe, March 15, 2006
- ^ ‘Bride Wars’ Character Appears to Be a Ropes & Gray Lawyer. ABA Journal, Jan 30, 2009
External links
Coordinates: 42°21′23″N 71°03′05″W / 42.35639°N 71.05139°W
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