Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
Sutherland Asbill & Brennan
- Designation: Atlanta
- Head Count: 387
- Gross Revenues: $314,500,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $815,000
- Profits Per Partner: $1,045,000
- Year Over Year Change: 1
Founded in Atlanta in 1924, Sutherland grew to distinction on one big insight: whatever else corporate clients might want, they’d always need sophisticated tax advice, both in the south and in Washington, D.C., where the firm opened in 1937. Two of its partners went on to head the IRS and over time the firm spread its reach to add a broad menu of big firm services including: corporate, energy and environmental, financial services, intellectual property, litigation and real estate. It also offers—rather uniquely among the Am Law 100—a crisis management team, to help clients respond to emergencies stemming from external disasters or internal problems.
Despite its early expansion to Washington, Sutherland counts just five offices including small outposts in New York and Houston. The firm has worked to maintain a cohesive culture. Sutherland did take a hit during the recession, seeing its revenues drop by some $20 million between 2007 and 2009 (a fair chunk of its then $289 million revenue). And its lawyer roster also contracted during that time, decreasing by some 50 lawyers (some of whom had been laid off by Sutherland in April 2008). But by the end of 2010, revenue and profits had recovered.
On diversity, Sutherland lags far behind the industry leaders. It ranked 140th of 194 firms on The American Lawyer’s 2011 Diversity Scorecard: Just 10 percent of the firm’s roughly 400 lawyers (and less than 5 percent of the partnership) are minorities. Pro bono work comes in around the average.
Sutherland ranked 105th of 200 firms on our 2011 Pro Bono Report, with attorneys averaging some 33 hours of nonpaying work. But progress may be apace when it comes to junior lawyers’ satisfaction. Sutherland ranked in the bottom half of firms on The American Lawyer’s 2010 Midlevel Associates Survey, but finished in the top third in 2011.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 98 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 98 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 116 | no change | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | NR | N/A | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 105 | 56 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | 120 | no change | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | 38 | 32 | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | 44 | 34 | Summer programs |
In the News
Critiquing Your AML Compliance Program
John H. Walsh : Corporate Counsel : April 1, 2013
With key regulators actively promoting new anti-money laundering initiatives for 2013, stricter AML oversight for corporations is all but certain.
Justice Watch: FiNra flexing its muscle since financial crisis
John Pacenti : Daily Business Review : March 25, 2013
Are regulations working in the wake of the financial crisis? FiNRA statistics show higher fines on fewer complaints by consumers about brokers.
Bringing billing into the digital age
Mary Helen Martin, Special to the Daily Report : Daily Report : March 25, 2013
For solo practitioner Anne Raduns, technology has transformed her monthly billing system into an efficient process.
D.C. MOVES
: The National Law Journal : March 25, 2013
Task force proposes laws for electronic discovery
Kathleen Baydala Joyner : Daily Report : March 21, 2013
A task force of lawyers has recommended legislation regulating discovery of electronically stored information, an increasingly complex part of civil litigation that most other states have addressed in their laws. Rocco Testani (above) said the task force of lawyers wanted a "mechanism for cooperation."
FINRA fines up in 2012, focused on suitability
Catherine Dunn : Daily Business Review : March 19, 2013
The latest annual report on FINRA disciplinary actions finds that the regulator brought an increased number of cases for the fourth year in a row—filing 1,541 actions in 2012, up 3.6 percent from the 1,488 cases in 2011.
FINRA Fines Up in 2012, Focused on Suitability
Catherine Dunn : Corporate Counsel : March 18, 2013
As Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fines soared 15 percent in 2012, the watchdog that oversees securities firms paid particular attention to the suitability of investment products, according to a new analysis from Sutherland Asbill & Brennan.
The Churn: Lateral Moves in The Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : March 12, 2013
K&L Gates expands its energy and insurance practices while adding two partners in Hong Kong; Adobe Systems's general counsel moves to Sidley Austin; and a former assistant chief at the Department of Justice joins Paul Hastings. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
D.C. MOVES
: The National Law Journal : March 11, 2013
Anti-Money Laundering in the Spotlight
John H. Walsh : Corporate Counsel : March 4, 2013
New and stricter anti-money laundering oversight is in the offing—with initiatives that will impact the country's broker-dealers and investment advisors, including the trillion-dollar-plus hedge fund industry.
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