Firm Profiles
IN-DEPTH RESEARCH REPORT
on Winston & Strawn LLP
- - Financial Information
- - Compensation
- - Billing Rates
- - Lateral Partner Moves
- - Pro bono
- - Key Contacts
Winston & Strawn
- Designation: National
- Head Count: 842
- Gross Revenues: $755,000,000
- Revenue Per Lawyer: $895,000
- Profits Per Partner: $1,490,000
- Year Over Year Change: 1
Based in Chicago since the mid nineteenth century, Winston & Strawn boasts one of the nation’s premier litigation practices. The chair of the firm, Dan Webb, is one of the nation’s leading corporate defense lawyers. He made his reputation as a corruption–busting U.S. Attorney in Chicago and as a down–to–earth defender of General Electric, Microsoft and Philip Morris. Winston’s litigation practice as a whole picked up a finalist nod in The American Lawyer’s 2004 Litigation Department of the Year contest, as well as honorable mentions in 2006 and 2010. And it was was a finalist in the 2010 IP Litigation Department of the Year competition, thanks largely to its successful advocacy in patent cases for generic drug makers (the firm’s IP group was also one of the first to expand into new media work).
Yet it is not just the trial lawyers getting all the glory. Winston is well–respected for its antitrust and trade regulation, employment and labor, and trusts and estates work. It’s also known for steering through some hard times in its history, like the recent global financial crisis. While revenues took a bit of hit, by 2011 they had topped the firm’s prerecession peak. Significantly, too, Winston was seeing renewed success recruiting lateral partners. In 2011 it wooed 40 of them, including 19 from the now–defunct Howrey.
Like many of its peers, Winston has been looking to Asia for growth, leveraging offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai (the firm’s other international outposts are in Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, and Paris). Stateside, the firm has a major presence in Washington, D.C., where its practice includes strong antitrust and regulatory groups (other U.S. offices are in Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Newark, and San Francisco).
Winston has scored above–average grades for pro bono work (coming in seventy–seventh of 200 firms on The American Lawyer’s 2011 Pro Bono Report, with lawyers averaging about 48 hours of annual nonpaying work). But junior lawyers have had gripes: Winston finished near the bottom on both our 2010 (135th of 137 firms) and 2011 (121st of 126 firms) midlevel associates surveys. Consistency, it turns out, is not always a virtue.
—Updated as of 1/1/12
Firm Rankings
| Survey | Rank | Year Over Year Change | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Am Law 100 | 34 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| Am Law 200 | 34 | 1 | Gross revenue |
| NLJ 250 | 25 | 6 | Lawyer head count |
| The A-List | NR | N/A | Overall excellence |
| Pro Bono Scorecard | 77 | 26 | Pro-bono commitment |
| Diversity Scorecard | 81 | 8 | Minority head count |
| Midlevel Associates Survey | 121 | 14 | Job satisfaction |
| Summer Associates Survey | 45 | no change | Summer programs |
In the News
Introducing 50 California Lawyers on the Fast Track
: The Recorder : April 19, 2013
The Churn: Lateral Moves in The Am Law 200
Diane Jeantet : The Am Law Daily : April 19, 2013
Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart opens a Richmond office, the firm's 44th location; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher takes a practice group leader from Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton; and Hunton & Williams welcomes back a partner in Charlotte. The Churn is constant. Please send all announcements to thechurn@alm.com.
Winston & Strawn Sues for $500K in Unpaid Fees
Zoe Tillman : The National Law Journal : April 17, 2013
Girl power
Lisa Holton : The National Law Journal : April 15, 2013
Profile of Kathryn Kimura Mlsna, chief strategy officer and legal officer of Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
Skadden Fuels Up on $9.8 Billion Deal for Company It Helped Brew
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : April 12, 2013
German conglomerate Joh. A. Benckiser has once again turned to Skadden for counsel on its latest large M&A deal—a $9.8 billion purchase of Sara Lee spinoff D.E. Master Blenders 1753 to bolster its growing coffee empire. Allen & Overy and three other European firms are also advising on the proposed transaction.
Personal Notes on Lawyers
: New York Law Journal : April 10, 2013
Elizabeth Geddes has been named chief of the organized crime and gangs section in the Eastern District U.S. Attorney's Office.
Settlement Includes Guidelines for ICE Raids
Mark Hamblett : New York Law Journal : April 8, 2013
Settling a class action with eight Latino families who claim Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents illegally entered their homes, the agency also has agreed to pay $1 million in damages.
NFL Players' Union Runs Up Big Bills
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : April 4, 2013
A close look at the legal fees accrued by the National Football League Players Association in its collective bargaining battle with owners in 2011.
Alston & Bird, Kirkland join raft of firms circling potential Dell deal
Brian Baxter : The Am Law Daily : April 3, 2013
The takeover battle for Dell Inc. may not have yet reached the level of Wall Street legend, but the proposed $24.4 billion leveraged buyout for the company has drawn in enough high-powered lawyers to make a small screen drama.
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