Chadbourne & Parke
Encyclopedia
Chadbourne & Parke LLP, founded in 1902 by Thomas L. Chadbourne, currently has some 400 lawyers and tax advisors in 13 offices in ten countries. Chadbourne is probably best known for its global practice in project finance
and energy, international insurance
and reinsurance
practice, multi-jurisdictional litigation in courts from Rhode Island to Russia, and corporate transactions.
In 1973 the firm moved from its original Wall Street home to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where it now occupies eight floors, to become more accessible to its national and international clients. An even earlier “move” occurred in 1935 when it formed one of the first branch offices of a New York law firm in Washington, DC. Beginning in 1990 in Moscow, Chadbourne established offices in England, Poland, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, receiving a significant boost in its Eastern Europe network from the dissolving firms Altheimer & Gray
and Coudert Brothers
. Its newest offices opened in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Istanbul, Turkey respectively. The firm also has a small satellite office in China.
On 14 November 2007 the firm announced that talks had collapsed with the U.K. law firm Watson, Farley & Williams
about a possible merger.http://www.legalweek.com/Navigation/27/Articles/1070147/Chadbourne,+Watson+Farley+talks+collapse.html In March 2008, the firm acquired the Mexico City
office of the New York firm Thacher Proffitt & Wood as well as an associated team of lawyers in New York focusing on Latin America-related arbitration and transactions.
The firm has numbered among its individual clients Thomas Edison
, Winston Churchill
, James Joyce
and the Wright brothers
. In 1924, Tom Chadbourne orchestrated the consolidation of New York City’s subway system. The firm’s success in two landmark cases before the United States Supreme Court in the 1980s created the legal framework for development of the cogeneration and independent power production industries. In its successful representation of French and U.S. clients in the De Lorean
sports car fiasco in Northern Ireland, the disclosure of Cabinet minutes was compelled for the first time in British history.
In 2006, two Chadbourne transactions were named “deals of the year” in The Americas by Project Finance International. Chadbourne’s project finance practice is regularly recognized by legal guides such as Chambers Global - The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business.{(see)} The firm’s primary projects focus is on energy, telecommunications and toll roads.
The firm's general corporate and antitrust practices have a substantial presence in Latin American corporate and private funds transactions. The firm’s bankruptcy and financial restructuring practice has represented financial institutions, creditors, receivers and other parties in prominent cases involving companies such Enron
, Refco
, Spiegel, Inc./Eddie Bauer
Inc., Parmalat
USA Corp. and Yukos
Oil.
In February 2008, Chadbourne formed a climate change practice, led by Gov. Pataki
and Mr. Cahill. The practice draws on the experience of Chadbourne’s transactional, insurance, regulatory, energy, environmental, litigation and public policy attorneys, and includes expertise in market-based carbon cap and trade programs.
In April 2008, Chadbourne formed a nanotechnologies practice, drawing on the firm's existing practices in energy, insurance, private equity, intellectual property, litigation and products liability.
In April 2008, Chadbourne launched a firm-wide "Green Initiative" to implement more environmentally-sustainable practices in the firm's daily practices.
The firm’s European offices are predominantly staffed by nationals of those countries who provide legal services and advice on local law and foreign direct investment on a par with standards in the United States. Chambers Global - The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business for 2007 ranked 19 attorneys from Chadbourne’s Russian, Central Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) offices as leaders in their field, including partners in the Moscow, Warsaw, Kyiv and Almaty offices.
(1902) Washington, D.C.
(1935) Los Angeles
(1987)
Project finance
Project finance is the long term financing of infrastructure and industrial projects based upon the projected cash flows of the project rather than the balance sheets of the project sponsors...
and energy, international insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
and reinsurance
Reinsurance
Reinsurance is insurance that is purchased by an insurance company from another insurance company as a means of risk management...
practice, multi-jurisdictional litigation in courts from Rhode Island to Russia, and corporate transactions.
Overview
In recent years the firm has pursued all of the foregoing disciplines, and more, in a variety of emerging markets. It is active throughout Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Turkey and the Middle East.In 1973 the firm moved from its original Wall Street home to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where it now occupies eight floors, to become more accessible to its national and international clients. An even earlier “move” occurred in 1935 when it formed one of the first branch offices of a New York law firm in Washington, DC. Beginning in 1990 in Moscow, Chadbourne established offices in England, Poland, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, receiving a significant boost in its Eastern Europe network from the dissolving firms Altheimer & Gray
Altheimer & Gray
Altheimer & Gray was a Chicago-based law firm, which operated from 1914 to 2003.It opened in 1914 as Altheimer, Mayer, Woods, and Smith. Founding lead partner Benjamin J. Altheimer was the son of Arkansas planter Louis Altheimer, who established Altheimer, Arkansas...
and Coudert Brothers
Coudert Brothers
Coudert Brothers LLP was a New York-based law firm with a strong international outlook that practiced from 1853 until its dissolution in 2006.-History:...
. Its newest offices opened in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Istanbul, Turkey respectively. The firm also has a small satellite office in China.
On 14 November 2007 the firm announced that talks had collapsed with the U.K. law firm Watson, Farley & Williams
Watson, Farley & Williams
-History:From its beginnings in shipping and shipping finance in 1982, Watson, Farley & Williams has developed a broader practice: Finance & Investment, Maritime, Energy, Natural Resources, Transport, Real Estate and ICT...
about a possible merger.http://www.legalweek.com/Navigation/27/Articles/1070147/Chadbourne,+Watson+Farley+talks+collapse.html In March 2008, the firm acquired the Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
office of the New York firm Thacher Proffitt & Wood as well as an associated team of lawyers in New York focusing on Latin America-related arbitration and transactions.
The firm has numbered among its individual clients Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
and the Wright brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
. In 1924, Tom Chadbourne orchestrated the consolidation of New York City’s subway system. The firm’s success in two landmark cases before the United States Supreme Court in the 1980s created the legal framework for development of the cogeneration and independent power production industries. In its successful representation of French and U.S. clients in the De Lorean
De Lorean Motor Company
The original DeLorean Motor Company was a short-lived automobile manufacturer formed by automobile industry executive John DeLorean in 1975. It is remembered for the one model it produced — the distinctive stainless steel DeLorean DMC-12 sports car featuring gull-wing doors — and for its brief and...
sports car fiasco in Northern Ireland, the disclosure of Cabinet minutes was compelled for the first time in British history.
Practices
Practices include mergers and acquisitions, securities, project finance, private funds, corporate finance, energy, communications and technology, commercial and products liability litigation, securities litigation and regulatory enforcement, special investigations and litigation, intellectual property, antitrust, domestic and international tax, insurance and reinsurance, environmental, real estate, bankruptcy and financial restructuring, employment law and ERISA, trusts and estates and government contract matters.In 2006, two Chadbourne transactions were named “deals of the year” in The Americas by Project Finance International. Chadbourne’s project finance practice is regularly recognized by legal guides such as Chambers Global - The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business.{(see)} The firm’s primary projects focus is on energy, telecommunications and toll roads.
The firm's general corporate and antitrust practices have a substantial presence in Latin American corporate and private funds transactions. The firm’s bankruptcy and financial restructuring practice has represented financial institutions, creditors, receivers and other parties in prominent cases involving companies such Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
, Refco
Refco
Refco was a New York-based financial services company, primarily known as a broker of commodities and futures contracts. It was founded in 1969 as "Ray E. Friedman and Co." Prior to its collapse in October, 2005, the firm had over $4 billion in approximately 200,000 customer accounts, and it was...
, Spiegel, Inc./Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc. is a holding company that operates the Eddie Bauer clothing store chain, headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, United States. EBH was formed after Eddie Bauer's former parent company, Spiegel, Inc., went bankrupt in 2003...
Inc., Parmalat
Parmalat
Parmalat SpA is a multinational Italian dairy and food corporation. Having become the leading global company in the production of ultra high temperature milk, the company collapsed in 2003 with a €14 billion hole in its accounts in what remains Europe's biggest bankruptcy...
USA Corp. and Yukos
YUKOS
OJSC "Yukos Oil Company" was a petroleum company in Russia which, until 2003, was controlled by Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and a number of other prominent Russian businessmen. After Yukos was bankrupted, Khodorkovsky was convicted and sent to prison.Yukos headquarters was located in...
Oil.
In February 2008, Chadbourne formed a climate change practice, led by Gov. Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
and Mr. Cahill. The practice draws on the experience of Chadbourne’s transactional, insurance, regulatory, energy, environmental, litigation and public policy attorneys, and includes expertise in market-based carbon cap and trade programs.
In April 2008, Chadbourne formed a nanotechnologies practice, drawing on the firm's existing practices in energy, insurance, private equity, intellectual property, litigation and products liability.
In April 2008, Chadbourne launched a firm-wide "Green Initiative" to implement more environmentally-sustainable practices in the firm's daily practices.
The firm’s European offices are predominantly staffed by nationals of those countries who provide legal services and advice on local law and foreign direct investment on a par with standards in the United States. Chambers Global - The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business for 2007 ranked 19 attorneys from Chadbourne’s Russian, Central Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) offices as leaders in their field, including partners in the Moscow, Warsaw, Kyiv and Almaty offices.
Notable mandates
- PepsiCoPepsiCoPepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
in its acquisition of JSC Lebedyansky, a Russian juice manufacturer. - Counsel to GazpromGazpromOpen Joint Stock Company Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company. Its headquarters are in Cheryomushki District, South-Western Administrative Okrug, Moscow...
in the $20 billion project financeProject financeProject finance is the long term financing of infrastructure and industrial projects based upon the projected cash flows of the project rather than the balance sheets of the project sponsors...
to develop the Shtokman fieldShtokman fieldThe Shtokman field , one of the world's largest natural gas fields, lies in the central part of Russian sector of the Barents Sea, north of Kola Peninsula. Its reserves are estimated at of natural gas and more than 37 million tons of gas condensate.-History:The Shtokman field was discovered...
. - Advised the Asian Development BankAsian Development BankThe Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
in the $412 million project financeProject financeProject finance is the long term financing of infrastructure and industrial projects based upon the projected cash flows of the project rather than the balance sheets of the project sponsors...
for an electrical generating plant in Ba Ria-Vung Tau ProvinceBa Ria-Vung Tau ProvinceBà Rịa–Vũng Tàu is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the coast of the country's southeastern region. It also includes the Côn Đảo islands, located some distance off Vietnam's southeastern coast...
, VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. - AntitrustAntitrustThe United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
counsel in Brazilian mining company Companhia Vale do Rio Dolce's tender offerTender offerTender offer is a corporate finance term denoting a type of takeover bid. The tender offer is a public, open offer or invitation by a prospective acquirer to all stockholders of a publicly traded corporation to tender their stock for sale at a specified price during a specified time, subject to...
for Canadian nickel company Inco, now called CVRD Inco. - Products liability counsel for British American TobaccoBritish American TobaccoBritish American Tobacco p.l.c. is a global tobacco company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second largest quoted tobacco company by global market share , with a leading position in more than 50 countries and a presence in more than 180 countries...
in the $280 billion government Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations ActRacketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations ActThe Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
(RICO) action against cigarette manufacturers. - ArbitrationArbitrationArbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
on behalf of Lloyd's of LondonLloyd's of LondonLloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
related to the EnronEnronEnron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
and Worldcom losses.
Pro bono
- In 1999, Chadbourne was one of the first law firms to name a Pro Bono Partner entirely devoted to structuring and developing a pro bono program.
- Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Chadbourne housed more than 100 attorneys and staff of the City of New York’s Law Department for almost eight months, after their offices near Ground Zero could not be used.
- New York City Mayor Michael BloombergMichael BloombergMichael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
later officially proclaimed May 17, 2002 "Chadbourne & Parke Day" in New York. - In 2005, Chadbourne established a fellowship program to place attorneys at the Legal Services Center of The Door, a youth development agency in New York.
Notable attorneys
- Ed Muskie, Secretary of State and a Vice Presidential candidate in 1968, was for many years senior partner of the Washington office.
- George Bundy SmithGeorge Bundy SmithGeorge Bundy Smith is a retired judge in New York State. While he was a law student at Yale University, he was part of the Freedom Ride fromAtlanta, Georgia, to Montgomery, Alabama .-Early life:...
joined Chadbourne in December 2006, as a partner in the litigation practice in New York, after retiring as an Associate Judge of the New York Court of AppealsNew York Court of AppealsThe New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...
(the highest court in New York state). - George PatakiGeorge PatakiGeorge Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
, New York Governor - George A. SpaterGeorge A. SpaterGeorge Alexander Spater was chairman of American Airlines from 1968 to 1973.-Early life:He was born in Detroit, Michigan, graduated from the University of Michigan in 1930 with an A.B. degree magna cum laude. He was associated with the Michigan Daily there...
, American Airlines chairman who earlier advised airlines for the firm from the 1930s through the 1960s - John CahillJohn P. CahillJohn P. Cahill was the Secretary and Chief of Staff to New York Governor George E. Pataki and Development Chief of Lower Manhattan. Cahill advised the Governor on a wide array of critical policy issues...
, Pataki's chief of staff
Offices
New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(1902) Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(1935) Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(1987)
MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(1990)
BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
(1990) (representative office)
Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
(1993) (closed)
LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(1994)
SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
(1997) (closed) Houston (2002) (closed, 2009)
AlmatyAlmatyAlmaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
(2004)- St. Petersburg (2004) (closed)
KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
(2004)
WarsawWarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
(2004)
DubaiDubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
(2007)
Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
(2008)
São PauloSão PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
(2010)
IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(2011)
External links
- Chadbourne & Parke LLP - official site
- Chadbourne & Parke LLP - profile on LawPeriscope