Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is a multinational law firm headquartered in New York City with offices in the United States, France, and Japan.

History

The firm's history dates back to the late 19th century, when it counted among its partners future

Chief Justice of the United States The chief justice of the United States is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of the United States and is the highest-ranking officer of the U.S. federal judiciary. Appointments Clause, Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution g ...

Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

. Hughes Hubbard has practice areas in both the litigation and corporate fields.

1871–1899

* 1871 - In the wake of the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

, Chicago-based lawyer Walter S. Carter had so many claims to prosecute involving insurers bankrupted by the fire that he moved his office to New York City. Faced with more business than he could personally handle, Carter tried hiring the most promising law students to help him and, in a departure from standard practice, paid these "associates" a salary. One of them was then-future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

. * 1888 - Four years after joining the firm, then known as Chamberlain, Carter & Hornblower, Hughes was made partner, and the firm's name was changed to Carter, Hughes & Cravath.

1900–1999

* 1910 - After four years as governor of New York, Hughes was appointed to the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

. * 1916 - Hughes resigned from the Court to run for president against

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

. After he was defeated, Hughes rejoined his old partners and, with the exception of four years he served as Secretary of State under President Harding, he remained a partner in the firm until 1930. * 1929 - Charles Evans Hughes, Jr. (1862–1948), also a partner in the firm, resigned to become US Solicitor General. * 1930 - Hughes was appointed Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. Upon his father's appointment, Charles Evans Hughes, Jr. resigned from his position as Solicitor General and rejoined the firm as a partner. * 1937 - In June, the firm suddenly dissolved, due to what the media at the time reported was Charles Evans Hughes, Jr.'s desire to insulate his father from a political attack directed at one of Hughes, Jr.'s partners at the firm by Roosevelt's

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

. On June 10 of that year, Hughes, Richards, Hubbard & Ewing opened its offices at One Wall Street, where it would remain for over 50 years. * In the 1960s, Hughes Hubbard started representing

Coopers & Lybrand PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, along ...

, culminating in its multibillion-dollar merger with

Price Waterhouse PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, along ...

. Other clients who remained with the firm over multiple decades include Merck, BMI,

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...

(now United), and

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...

. * 1968 - The firm became Hughes Hubbard & Reed. * In the 1970s, Hughes Hubbard defended

Bristol Myers The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, doing business as Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consiste ...

in an antitrust case and

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

in Pinto fuel tank cases, which was the start of the firm's product liability practice. * In the 1990s, Hughes Hubbard represented musician

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

's widow against 11 people who alleged they were Marley's children and sought recovery from his estate. * 1999 - The firm elected Candace Beinecke as Chair of the firm, making her the first woman to lead a major New York City law firm.

Since 2000

* 2007 - Hughes Hubbard led the drafting of a $4.8 billion global settlement program to resolve over 99.9% of eligible

Vioxx Rofecoxib is a COX-2-selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ( NSAID). It was marketed by Merck & Co. to treat osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, acute pain conditions, migraine, and dysmenorrhea. Rofec ...

claims against its client Merck alleging heart attacks, ischemic strokes, and sudden cardiac death. * 2008 - Hughes Hubbard partner James Giddens was appointed trustee for the $123 billion liquidation of

Lehman Brothers Lehman Brothers Inc. ( ) was an American global financial services firm founded in 1850. Before filing for bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States (behind Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Merril ...

, the largest bankruptcy in US history, and Hughes Hubbard was selected as his counsel. In the following years, Hughes Hubbard returned $110 billion to customers and general creditors. * 2011 - Hughes Hubbard partner James Giddens was appointed trustee for the liquidation of

MF Global MF Global Holdings Ltd., formerly known as Man Financial, was a major global financial derivatives broker, or commodities brokerage firm that went bankrupt in 2011. MF Global provided exchange-traded derivatives, such as futures and options ...

, the eighth-largest bankruptcy in US history, and Hughes Hubbard was selected as his counsel. In the following years, Hughes Hubbard distributed $8.1 billion and achieved a full recovery for former customers and secured creditors and a 95% recovery for unsecured creditors. * 2014 - Hughes Hubbard served as lead counsel to Merck in its acquisition of antibiotics maker

Cubist Pharmaceuticals Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was an American biopharmaceutical company that targeted pathogens like MRSA. . The company employed 638 people, mostly in Lexington, Massachusetts. On 8 December 2014, Merck & Co. acquired Cubist for $102 per share ...

for $9.5 billion. * 2015 - Hughes Hubbard represented Merck in a $3.8 billion deal to buy Idenix Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company. * 2017 - Hughes Hubbard convinced federal prosecutors and the

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

to drop all criminal and civil charges against two former

JPMorgan JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is the largest bank in the United States, and the world's largest bank by mar ...

traders, concluding the four-year “London Whale” case. * 2018 - Hughes Hubbard won the first of two arbitration proceedings at

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

against the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, following its 2014 invasion and occupation of

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

. In 2022, the Court of Appeals of The Hague upheld jurisdictional awards rendered in both cases. * 2021 - Hughes Hubbard advised

Grab Holdings Grab Holdings Inc. is a multinational technology company headquartered in One-North, Singapore. It is the developer of a super-app for ride-hailing, food delivery, and digital payment services on mobile devices that operates in Singapore, Mala ...

in its $40 billion merger with Altimeter Growth Corp. in the largest

special-purpose acquisition company A special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC; ), also known as a blank check company or a blind-pool stock offering, is a shell corporation listed on a stock exchange with the purpose of acquiring (or merging with) a private company, thus taking ...

deal in the world to date. * 2022 - Hughes Hubbard distributed final payout in the liquidation of

, which remained the largest bankruptcy case in the world. * 2023 - A Connecticut federal court tossed a

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

criminal antitrust case, entering a judgment of acquittal for Hughes Hubbard client Harpreet Wasan immediately after the government rested.

Rankings and reputation

According to the National Law Journal's 2023 NLJ 500 ranking of firms based on size, Hughes Hubbard & Reed has 218 attorneys and is ranked 195th in the United States. The firm placed 136th on The American Lawyer's 2023 Am Law 200 ranking. According to Law.com, the firm’s current revenue-per-lawyer is $1,181,000.

Notable people

* George Davidson (born 1942), former President of the

Legal Aid Society The Legal Aid Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit legal aid provider based in New York City. Founded in 1876, it is the oldest and largest provider of legal aid in the United States. Its attorneys provide representation on criminal and civil mat ...

* Oscar R. Ewing (1889–1980), vice chairman of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

(1942–1947), administrator of the

Federal Security Agency The Federal Security Agency (FSA) was an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government established in 1939 pursuant to the Reorganization Act of 1939. For a time, the agency oversaw food ...

(1947–1953), and adviser to President Harry S Truman *

(1862–1948),

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

(1907–10),

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is a Justice (title), justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the J ...

(1910–1916),

US Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

(1921–1925) and

(1930–1941) * Charles Evans Hughes, Jr. (1889–1950), US Solicitor General (1929–1930) *

Amalya Lyle Kearse Amalya Lyle Kearse (born June 11, 1937)Goldstein, Tom. "Amalya Lyle Kearse; Woman in the News", ''The New York Times'', June 25, 1979. is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and a wo ...

(born 1937), Judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1979–present) * Howard Matz (born 1943), former judge on the US District Court for the Central District of California (1998–2011) * Powell Pierpoint (1922–1998), General Counsel of the Army (1961–1963) * Abraham David Sofaer (born 1938), former judge on the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (1979–1985), then a legal adviser to the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

, before joining firm 1990–1999, and then a senior fellow at the

Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace and formerly The Hoover Institute and Library on War, Revolution, and Peace) is an American public policy think tank which promotes personal and economic ...

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Mitchell Silk Mitchell (Moyshe) Allen Silk is an American lawyer, author, and former government official who served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Markets under President Donald Trump. He is recognized as an expert in Chinese law and ...

, former

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury is one of several positions in the United States Department of the Treasury, serving under the United States Secretary of the Treasury. History According to the U.S. statute, there are eight Assis ...

during the Trump administration. * James W. Treffinger, former County Executive of

Essex County, New Jersey Essex County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey, and is one of the centrally located counties in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's second-most populous county,< ...

(1995–2003) * Tim Zagat (born 1940), restaurant critic * Keisha A. McGuire (born 1982), Grenadian Permanent Representative to the United Nations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes Hubbard and Reed Law firms based in New York City Law firms established in 1888