McDermott Will & Emery is an international
law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
with a diversified business practice. The firm is one of the
largest-grossing law firms in the United States and globally, and its lawyers represent a wide range of commercial, industrial, and financial enterprises.
History
Chicago lawyers Edward H. McDermott and William M. Emery founded the firm in 1934. They were initially focused as a
tax law
Tax law or revenue law is an area of legal study in which public or sanctioned authorities, such as federal, state and municipal governments (as in the case of the US) use a body of rules and procedures (laws) to assess and collect taxes in a ...
firm, and a
corporate
A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as "born out of s ...
department was established in 1941 when Howard A. Will joined the firm. As the century progressed, the firm added capabilities across the legal spectrum, eventually opening eight more offices. By 1984, the firm had amassed one hundred fifty lawyers. Over the ensuing twenty years, the firm grew; in 2004, McDermott numbered over one thousand lawyers.
In November 2023, amid a wave of
antisemitic
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
incidents at elite U.S. law schools, McDermott Will & Emery was among a group of major law firms that sent a letter to top
law school dean
A law school dean is usually the highest-ranking administrator in a law school.
Functions and duties
Almost every American law school refers to its highest-ranking administrator as a dean. Most also have several assistant, associate, or vice d ...
s warning them that an escalation in incidents targeting Jewish students would have corporate hiring consequences:
We look to you to ensure your students who hope to join our firms after graduation are prepared to be an active part of workplace communities that have zero tolerance policies for any form of discrimination or harassment, much less the kind that has been taking place on some law school campuses.
Organization
McDermott has more than 1,177 lawyers across twenty-three offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. It has a
strategic alliance
A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more Legal party, parties to pursue a set of agreed upon objectives needed while remaining independent organizations.
The alliance is a cooperation or collaboration which aims for a synergy wh ...
with MWE China Law Offices in
Shanghai, China
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
.
The firm consists of multiple legal entities that are coordinated through
service agreements:
* McDermott Will & Emery LLP – based in
Illinois, U.S., with other offices throughout the country and a foreign office in South Korea
* McDermott Will & Emery AARPI – France
* McDermott Will & Emery Belgium LLP – based in
Delaware, U.S., with offices in Belgium
* McDermott Will & Emery
Rechtsanwälte Steuerberater Steuerberater (StB) is the professional license for tax advisors in Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to t ...
LLP – based in Delaware, U.S., with offices in Germany
* McDermott Will & Emery Studio Legale Associato – Italy
* McDermott Will & Emery UK LLP – United Kingdom
Recognition and rankings
*In 2010, recognized by ''The Chambers Global Guide'' for excellence in numerous practice areas; several McDermott lawyers were ranked as leaders in their field.
*In 2009, the
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...
named McDermott Will & Emery as one of the record numbers of US companies earning the top rating of 100 percent in its annual Corporate Equality Index.
*For the third quarter of 2008, McDermott's
Mergermarket
Acuris is a British financial news and data firm known for its fixed income research provider ''Debtwire'' and ''Mergermarket'', a specialist in M&A intelligence. It is owned by ION Investment Group, a financial software and data business which ...
rankings included the top 20 for the number of US buyouts, the top 10 for the number of US-Midwest region deals, and the top 10 by the value of deals in Swedish M&A. According to Mergerstat, McDermott ranked in the top 20 for US-announced deals and among the top for US middle market advisors and US private equity advisors based on both value and number of deals.
*In 2006, ''
The National Law Journal
''The National Law Journal'' (NLJ) is an American legal periodical founded in 1978. The NLJ was created by Jerry Finkelstein, who envisioned it as a "sibling newspaper" of the ''New York Law Journal''.
Originally a tabloid-sized weekly news ...
'' named McDermott one of the top 15 defense litigation law firms in the United States on its annual Defense Hot List. Also in 2006, the firm was named one of the top 10 law firms on BTI Consulting Group's Market Movers list.
*In 2005, the firm was named one of the top 10 law firms representing the growing healthcare industry in the United States.
[Analysis of lawsuits brought by or against the 250 largest publicly traded health care companies in 2005. Health Law360.]
Notable alumni
*
Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha, California state court judge
*
Neil Auerbach
Neil Z. Auerbach (born December 3, 1958) is a private equity investor and a pioneer in the sustainable investment sector. Over the course of his 20+ years in the sustainability sector, Auerbach has led over 30 investments in 26 countries and is k ...
, co-founder of Hudson Clean Energy Partners
*
Steven Baddour
Steven A. Baddour (born 1969) is an American attorney and politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a former member of the Massachusetts Senate representing the 1st Essex District, which enc ...
, member of the
Democratic Party and a former member of the
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...
representing the
1st Essex District
*
M. Miller Baker, judge of the
United States Court of International Trade
The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Ct. Int'l Trade), or CIT, is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in Lower Manhattan, New York City, ...
*
Andrew Batavia
Andrew ("Drew") I. Batavia (June 15, 1957 – January 6, 2003) was a disability rights activist, health policy researcher, author, and associate professor at Florida International University who, at the age of 16, sustained a spinal cord injury. ...
, disability rights activist, health policy researcher, author, and associate professor at
Florida International University
Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...
*
Robert J. Cordy, former associate justice of the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously fu ...
*
Lanny Davis, political operative, lawyer, consultant, lobbyist, author, and television commentator
*
Eric Hargan, former
United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services
The Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (formerly the under Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1953–1979, and the under Secretary of Health and Human Services, 1979–1990) is the Chief Operating Officer of the United States ...
*
Jerrold Hercenberg, subject-matter expert for the healthcare and health insurance industries
*
Lucy Koh
Lucy Haeran Koh (born August 7, 1968) is an American lawyer serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Koh previously served as a United States district judge of the United States Distri ...
, United States district judge of the
*
E. Grey Lewis, former
general counsel of the Navy
*
Jim Moran
James Patrick Moran Jr. (born May 16, 1945) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, from 1985 until 1990, and as the U.S. representative for , including the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria, all of Arl ...
, former U.S. representative for
Virginia's 8th congressional district
Virginia's 8th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district located just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It comprises several populous cities and suburbs in Northern Virginia, including all of Alexandria, Arlingt ...
in
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several County (United States), counties and independent city (United States), independent cities in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. ...
*
Anne Pramaggiore, former senior executive vice president and CEO of Exelon Utilities
*
Atif Qarni
Atif Mustafa Qarni (born 1978) is an American teacher, former military non-commissioned officer, and Democratic politician who was appointed by Governor Ralph Northam as Virginia Secretary of Education.
Early life and education
Emigrating fro ...
, Democratic politician and
Virginia Secretary of Education
The secretary of education is a member of the Virginia Governor's Cabinet. The office is currently held by Aimee Guidera.
List of secretaries of education
References
{{Virginia Cabinet leaders
1972 establishments in Virginia
Government ...
*
Neil F. Quinter, former member of the
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...
*
Larry Ribstein, law professor and author
*
Andrew Sherman, corporate and transactional lawyer and author and senior partner at
Seyfarth Shaw
*
Bryan Steil
Bryan George Steil ( ; born March 3, 1981) is an American attorney, businessman, and Republican politician from Janesville, Wisconsin. He is a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 1st congressiona ...
, member of the
Republican party who serves as the
U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
for
Wisconsin's 1st congressional district
Wisconsin's 1st congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southeastern Wisconsin, covering Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Kenosha County, Racine County, Wisconsin, Racine County, and most of ...
*
Bill Weld
William Floyd Weld (born July 31, 1945) is an American attorney, businessman, author, and politician who served as the Governor of Massachusetts, 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997.
A Harvard University, Harvard graduate, Weld be ...
, former
governor of Massachusetts
The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...
*
Michael Wilder, American chess grandmaster
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDermott Will and Emery
Law firms established in 1934
Law firms based in Chicago
1934 establishments in Illinois