McDermott Will & Emery
Encyclopedia
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
, also known by its initials, MWE, was founded in 1934 and is an international law firm
headquartered in Chicago
. It is one of the top 10 largest law firms in the United States and one of the 20 largest in the world. McDermott is a diversified business practice representing a wide range of commercial, industrial and financial enterprises, both publicly and privately held. The firm also houses the largest tax practice in the United States.
companies, and is one of the 20 largest law firms globally. McDermott Will & Emery represents clients in 70 countries across 6 continents, with 45 different languages spoken.
McDermott's client base breakdown, from the firm's top 250 clients:
efforts and states that it is committed to its communities. Through its pro bono and community service program, the firm serves disadvantaged communities and ensures that low-income individuals and families have access to justice. In 2008, the firm devoted more than 94,900 hours to pro bono matters and community service, and more than 70 percent of its lawyers provided pro bono legal services to the poor, to organizations that serve the indigent and to certain not-for-profit organizations and small businesses focused on serving low-income communities.
Limited liability partnership
A limited liability partnership is a partnership in which some or all partners have limited liability. It therefore exhibits elements of partnerships and corporations. In an LLP one partner is not responsible or liable for another partner's misconduct or negligence. This is an important...
, also known by its initials, MWE, was founded in 1934 and is an international law firm
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 clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
headquartered in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. It is one of the top 10 largest law firms in the United States and one of the 20 largest in the world. McDermott is a diversified business practice representing a wide range of commercial, industrial and financial enterprises, both publicly and privately held. The firm also houses the largest tax practice in the United States.
Size
Currently numbering nearly 1,100 lawyers with 580 partners, McDermott has sixteen offices across the United States and in Europe. McDermott currently advises more than 60% of the Fortune 100 and more than 50% of the Fortune 500Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
companies, and is one of the 20 largest law firms globally. McDermott Will & Emery represents clients in 70 countries across 6 continents, with 45 different languages spoken.
Practice areas
McDermott offers clients counsel in a variety of practice areas and industries, including: accounting, agriculture, architecture and engineering, broadcasting, commercial and investment banking, construction, consumer finance, distribution, financial services, food and beverage processing, healthcare, insurance, investment syndication, life sciences and biotechnology, manufacturing, media, mining, oil and gas, publishing, real estate, retailing, savings and loans, technology, telecommunications, utilities and venture capital.McDermott's client base breakdown, from the firm's top 250 clients:
- Public companies, including subsidiaries and divisions - 67%
- Privately owned businesses - 26.4%
- Nonprofit organizations - 5.2%
- Governmental entities - 1.4%
History
Founding the firm in 1934, Chicago lawyers Edward H. McDermott and William M. Emery initially specialized in tax law; a corporate department was established when Howard H. Will joined the firm in 1941. As the century progressed, the firm added capabilities across the legal spectrum, eventually opening eight more offices on both coasts. By 1984, the firm numbered 150 lawyers; over the ensuing 20 years, however, the firm underwent a significant growth spurt—by the firm's 70th anniversary in 2004, McDermott numbered over 1,000 lawyers.International experience
With a high profile on both sides of the Atlantic, McDermott has been involved in crossborder matters in virtually every sector of business. Matters of an international nature include cross-border mergers and acquisitions; joint ventures; financings; corporate restructuring and reorganisations; the structuring of distributorship, licensing and agency arrangements; the negotiation of commercial contracts; compliance with investment laws; privatisation; multi-national tax planning; international litigation and dispute resolution; environmental; real estate; banking; anti-competition; e-business and intellectual property.Locations
McDermott currently has 16 offices in the United States and Europe. The number in parentheses indicates the year the office opened.North America
- Chicago, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
(1934) - Boston, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
(1981) - Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(1987) - Miami, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
(1977) - New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New YorkNew YorkNew 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...
(1988) - Orange CountyOrange County, CaliforniaOrange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(1987) - San DiegoSan Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(2003) - Palo Alto, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(1997); relocated to Menlo Park, CaliforniaMenlo Park, CaliforniaMenlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...
in 2009 - 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....
(1978) - Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
(2008)
Europe
- BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
(2004) - DüsseldorfDüsseldorfDüsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(2002) - 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...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(1998) - MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(2009) - MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(2002) - Rome, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(2003) - ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(2011)
Recognition and rankings
- Named as one of the top 15 defense litigation law firms in the United States by The National Law Journal on its annual Defense Hot List.
- Ranked among the top 10 law firms singled out by corporate counsel as driving innovative changes in the legal services marketplace.
- Recognized as one of the top 10 law firms representing the growing health care industry in the United States.
- Recognized by The Chambers Global Guide for excellence in numerous practice areas, and several McDermott lawyers were ranked as leaders in their field.
- The Human Rights CampaignHuman Rights CampaignThe Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
(HRC) named McDermott Will & Emery as one of the record number of U.S. companies earning the top rating of 100 percent in its annual Corporate Equality Index. - For the third quarter of 2008, McDermott's mergermarket rankings included top 20 for number of U.S. buyouts, top 10 for number of U.S.-Midwest region deals and top 10 by value of deals in Swedish M&A. According to Mergerstat, McDermott ranked in the top 20 for U.S. announced deals, as well as ranked among the top for U.S. middle market advisors and U.S. private equity advisors based on both value and number of deals.
Community service and Pro bono
McDermott Will & Emery engages in a number of pro bonoPro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
efforts and states that it is committed to its communities. Through its pro bono and community service program, the firm serves disadvantaged communities and ensures that low-income individuals and families have access to justice. In 2008, the firm devoted more than 94,900 hours to pro bono matters and community service, and more than 70 percent of its lawyers provided pro bono legal services to the poor, to organizations that serve the indigent and to certain not-for-profit organizations and small businesses focused on serving low-income communities.