Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on King & Spalding LLP
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
King & Spalding
- Designation: Atlanta
- Head Count: 838
- Gross Revenues: $827,500,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $990,000
- Profits Per Partner: $1,985,000
- Year Over Year Change: 1
For most of its history—and it’s a long one, stretching back to 1885—King & Spalding was a regional leader, one of the Southeast’s top law firms. Sure, it had built a top–flight litigation group (largely thanks to clients from the automotive, pharmaceutical, and tobacco industries), and even opened a Washington, D.C., office in the late 1970s to support its growing food and drug practice. But for the most part, you didn’t think King & Spalding without thinking Atlanta.
That changed as the millennium came to a close and the firm’s strategy—and ambitions—shifted. To support more transactional work, King & Spalding opened a New York office in 1990. To expand its energy, finance, and corporate practices into Europe, it opened a London office in 2003. More outposts came in short order, including three in the Middle East, where King & Spalding now has its highest concentration of clients outside of the United States and has developed major practice areas in Islamic finance, international arbitration, and private equity (in all, King & Spalding has 17 offices across the globe, with nearly 800 lawyers, including some 150 equity partners).
The growth hasn’t come without some hiccups. The firm—thirty–third on the 2011 Am Law 100 list with $718 million in gross revenue—laid off over 100 people (including several dozen associates and counsel) at the height of the recession in 2009. Its rankings on The American Lawyer’s Midlevel Associates Survey have left ample room for improvement—coming in 116th in 2010 and ninety–sixth in 2011—as has its finish on the magazine’s pro bono scorecard (ninety–second of 200 firms in 2011). It also suffered some very public hits—from all sides of the political spectrum—when it took, then withdrew from, a 2011 assignment from the U.S. House of Representatives to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. (After the firm’s withdrawal, Paul Clement, the head of the firm’s appellate practice, resigned in protest.) There have been bright spots, too. King & Spalding’s product liability practice has grown into one of the nation’s largest, and accounted for 19 percent of the firm’s revenues in 2010. It was a finalist as The American Lawyer’s top product liability department in both 2004 and 2012 (for overall litigation the firm earned honorable mentions in 2006, 2008, and 2012). The health care law group, too, has shone. Numbering more than 200 lawyers, it is one of the nation’s largest such departments and has helped to shape recent health care reform laws. In the process, it has kept the firm healthy, too.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 30 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 30 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 36 | 1 | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | NR | N/A | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 92 | 6 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | NR | N/A | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | 96 | no change | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | 29 | 5 | Summer programs |
In the News
Reverse Commute
Elliott Hurwitt : Corporate Counsel : May 1, 2013
The Churn: Lateral Moves in The Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : April 30, 2013
Katten Muchin Rosenman hires eight attorneys in its new Houston office; Husch Blackwell brings aboard a business litigation partner in Chicago; and Morrison & Foerster welcomes back a partner in Hong Kong. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
At the Supreme Court, A Waiting Game for Decisions
Marcia Coyle : The National Law Journal : April 29, 2013
On April 24, just two minutes after 11 a.m., Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. announced in a voice tinged with satisfaction, "Our last case of the year," and opened arguments in a Title VII retaliation challenge.
The Rebound from Recession Has Been Slow, but the Business Fundamentals are Strong
Leigh Jones : The National Law Journal : April 29, 2013
Hit hard by the recession in 2008, Atlanta's economy is on the rebound — but slowly. For a perspective on how the city's legal sector has weathered the recession and is positioned for a regrowth, the NLJ spoke with Linda Klein, managing shareholder in the Atlanta office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz.
Correction
The Editors : Daily Report : April 25, 2013
The April 8 Daily Report Dozen contained several errors in the client and attorney movement sections in an article about Alston & Bird.
Commercial Litigation Award: Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs, The Analyzers
Mary Welch, Special to the Daily Report : Daily Report : April 25, 2013
At Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs, client representation often begins with an explanation of how a firm with just 70 attorneys can get results going up against giant firms.
Supreme Court Urged to Curb Employment Retaliation Claims
Marcia Coyle : The National Law Journal : April 24, 2013
Four years ago, a divided U.S. Supreme Court raised the bar for proving claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. On Wednesday, employers urged the justices to impose the same high standard for retaliation claims under the nation's major job bias law—Title VII—and under similarly worded laws.
King & Spalding Adds Singapore Arbitration Partner
Jessica Seah : The Asian Lawyer : April 23, 2013
King & Spalding has hired Peter Megens, formerly the co-head of King & Wood Mallesons' arbitration practice, as a new partner for its Singapore office. Megens, who will relocate from Melbourne, specializes in advising clients on disputes related to the construction, energy, mining and infrastructure sectors.
MOVERS
: The National Law Journal : April 22, 2013
George Joseph has been elected managing partner of Nossaman. He succeeds Michael Heumann, who will continue his litigation practice. Plus more law firm movers in this week's column.
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