Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
Encyclopedia
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is a law firm
founded in New York City in the early 20th century that has grown into an international law firm with offices in New York City
, Washington, DC, London
, Paris
, Frankfurt
, Hong Kong
and Shanghai
. The firm has 468 attorneys
worldwide. Its headquarters office is in the One New York Plaza
.
and Leslie Jacobson.
Fried Frank has seven offices today. Domestically, it opened a Washington, D.C. office in 1949. Fried Frank also opened a Los Angeles office in 1985, but closed it in 2005. In 1970, Fried Frank opened a London
office becoming one of the first U.S. law firms to establish a European presence. A Paris office followed in 1993. It opened in Frankfurt
in 2004. The three European offices tend to focus on international corporate transactions. The firm officially launched an office in Shanghai
in October 2007.
Efforts to merge with an established UK law firm have been unsuccessful. In 2002, Fried Frank engaged in extenstive talks with UK giant Ashurst
Morris Crisp, but talks fell apart. Fried Frank in 2004 hired Ashurst's former managing partner, Justin Spendlove, who has since become Fried Frank's managing partner.
In December 2006, the firm opened its Hong Kong
office, raiding the Hong Kong and Shanghai
offices of the London
based international firm Simmons & Simmons
, and recruiting from their Hong Kong office their greater China managing partner, Huen Wong and a number of other key partners. In order to fulfill the Law Society of Hong Kong
requirements where a foreign law firm must associate itself with a local firm for at least 3 years before it can use its own name independently, Huen Wong founded a local firm under the name of Huen Wong & Co., and associated itself with Fried Frank.
The credit crisis hurt Fried Frank as it was forced to lay off lawyers and reduce its staffing. In March 2009, Fried Frank publicly said it was laying off 41 associates and 58 staff members. By September 2009, its attorney head count had shrunk 26.4 percent, the largest percentage decrease of any of the 250 largest law firms in the country.
; domestic and international capital markets and complex financings; asset management; corporate governance
; securities regulation, compliance and enforcement; corporate reorganization, bankruptcy
and debt restructuring; antitrust
; intellectual property
and technology; securities and shareholder litigation; white-collar crime
; commercial litigation; real estate
; benefits and compensation; tax
; and trusts and estates
.
The Washington office has practices in corporate transactions, in addition to securities regulation and enforcement, antitrust, tax, intellectual property and technology, commercial litigation, government contracts, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution
, and white-collar crime and internal investigations.
As a whole, the firm has a major corporate practice, and from January 1, 2002 through the second quarter of 2006, represented clients in over 410 public merger and acquisition and private equity transactions with a combined value of over $1 trillion.
Fried Frank is well known for its securities and shareholder litigation practices in the United States, and has served as defense counsel in major class actions and securities litigation. The firm has an established white-collar practice, representing clients in many of the major internal investigations and securities enforcement matters in recent years.
Fried Frank's real estate practice is predominant in New York City, and the firm handles many of the largest transactions involving commercial office space.
, Legal Counsel for the Elderly, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, the Southern Poverty Law Center
and the Veterans Pro Bono Consortium.
Whereas the firm represents many pro bono criminal defendants and many individuals with various immigration issues, they also represent some pro bono clients with civil cases. In a recent (2008) representation they took on pro bono, a client was so dissatisfied with their conduct that she sued the firm, additionally naming Douglas Baruch, the partner in charge of the pro bono office in Washington, DC, Amy Day, a former associate, and John Modzelewski, a former associate who now works for Ernst & Young in McLean, Virginia, for malpractice, fraud, fraudulent concealment, breach of implied warranty and assorted other causes of action. Mr. Modzelewski was only accused of negligence in this suit.
The complaint was filed in Washington, DC on October 13, 2011 and the Plaintiff is now having the defendants served. There is some evidence that the associate named Amy Day has been strenuously trying to avoid service but professional process servers in San Diego (where she relocated with her husband, a JAG in the Marines) claim that she has been served. Trial has not yet occurred and the ex-client believes the firm will work very hard to have her case dismissed before she can get her information before a jury. Although in the past, lawsuits against the firm have usually been brought by lawyers or large corporations (see http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=900005525865&slreturn=1, http://www.law360.com/appellate/articles/71788/court-rejects-negligence-suit-against-fried-frank, http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-1st-circuit/1486257.html) the plaintiff in the aforementioned suit is an individual. She commented, “That’s why they believed they could get away with this – what could a single individual, poor enough to need pro bono help, do to a big firm that chose to sell her down the river? They thought I couldn’t do anything. We shall see if they were correct in that gamble.”
As of 11/23/2011, the aforementioned suit is still open.
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...
founded in New York City in the early 20th century that has grown into an international law firm with offices in New York City
New York City
New 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...
, Washington, DC, London
London
London 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...
, Paris
Paris
Paris 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...
, Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong 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...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. The firm has 468 attorneys
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
worldwide. Its headquarters office is in the One New York Plaza
One New York Plaza
1 New York Plaza is an office building in New York City, built in 1969, and is located at the intersection of South and Whitehall Streets . It is the southernmost of all Manhattan skyscrapers.- History :...
.
History
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson traces its origins back nearly a century to the predecessor firms Riegelman & Bach, Riegelman Hess & Strasser and Strasser Spiegelberg Fried and Frank. These firms were founded by German Jewish attorneys at a time when such attorneys had few career opportunities. In 1971, the firm took its current form with name partners Walter Fried, Hans Frank, Sam Harris, Sargent ShriverSargent Shriver
Robert Sargent Shriver, Jr., known as Sargent Shriver, R. Sargent Shriver, or, from childhood, Sarge, was an American statesman and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family, serving in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations...
and Leslie Jacobson.
Fried Frank has seven offices today. Domestically, it opened a Washington, D.C. office in 1949. Fried Frank also opened a Los Angeles office in 1985, but closed it in 2005. In 1970, Fried Frank opened a London
London
London 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...
office becoming one of the first U.S. law firms to establish a European presence. A Paris office followed in 1993. It opened in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
in 2004. The three European offices tend to focus on international corporate transactions. The firm officially launched an office in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
in October 2007.
Efforts to merge with an established UK law firm have been unsuccessful. In 2002, Fried Frank engaged in extenstive talks with UK giant Ashurst
Ashurst (Law firm)
Ashurst LLP is a full-service international law firm. Its principal business focus is mergers and acquisitions, corporate and structured finance...
Morris Crisp, but talks fell apart. Fried Frank in 2004 hired Ashurst's former managing partner, Justin Spendlove, who has since become Fried Frank's managing partner.
In December 2006, the firm opened its Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong 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...
office, raiding the Hong Kong and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
offices of the London
London
London 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...
based international firm Simmons & Simmons
Simmons & Simmons
Simmons & Simmons is an international legal practice with over 1,500 people and 19 offices located throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Its largest office is located in London, where almost half its legal staff are based....
, and recruiting from their Hong Kong office their greater China managing partner, Huen Wong and a number of other key partners. In order to fulfill the Law Society of Hong Kong
The Law Society of Hong Kong
Established in 1907, the Law Society of Hong Kong is the professional association and law society for solicitors in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Bar Association is the equivalent association for barristers in Hong Kong....
requirements where a foreign law firm must associate itself with a local firm for at least 3 years before it can use its own name independently, Huen Wong founded a local firm under the name of Huen Wong & Co., and associated itself with Fried Frank.
The credit crisis hurt Fried Frank as it was forced to lay off lawyers and reduce its staffing. In March 2009, Fried Frank publicly said it was laying off 41 associates and 58 staff members. By September 2009, its attorney head count had shrunk 26.4 percent, the largest percentage decrease of any of the 250 largest law firms in the country.
Practice
The New York office has practices in public M&A and private equityPrivate equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
; domestic and international capital markets and complex financings; asset management; corporate governance
Corporate governance
Corporate governance is a number of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions which have impact on the way a company is controlled...
; securities regulation, compliance and enforcement; corporate reorganization, bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
and debt restructuring; antitrust
Antitrust
The 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,...
; intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
and technology; securities and shareholder litigation; white-collar crime
White-collar crime
Within the field of criminology, white-collar crime has been defined by Edwin Sutherland as "a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation" . Sutherland was a proponent of Symbolic Interactionism, and believed that criminal behavior was...
; commercial litigation; real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
; benefits and compensation; tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
; and trusts and estates
Trusts and estates
The law of trusts and estates is generally considered the body of law which governs the management of personal affairs and the disposition of property of an individual in anticipation of the event of such person's incapacity or death, also known as the law of successions in civil law...
.
The Washington office has practices in corporate transactions, in addition to securities regulation and enforcement, antitrust, tax, intellectual property and technology, commercial litigation, government contracts, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution
Alternative dispute resolution
Alternative Dispute Resolution includes dispute resolution processes and techniques that act as a means for disagreeing parties to come to an agreement short of litigation. ADR basically is an alternative to a formal court hearing or litigation...
, and white-collar crime and internal investigations.
As a whole, the firm has a major corporate practice, and from January 1, 2002 through the second quarter of 2006, represented clients in over 410 public merger and acquisition and private equity transactions with a combined value of over $1 trillion.
Fried Frank is well known for its securities and shareholder litigation practices in the United States, and has served as defense counsel in major class actions and securities litigation. The firm has an established white-collar practice, representing clients in many of the major internal investigations and securities enforcement matters in recent years.
Fried Frank's real estate practice is predominant in New York City, and the firm handles many of the largest transactions involving commercial office space.
Representative clients
- AEA InvestorsAEA InvestorsAEA Investors is one of the oldest private equity investment firm in the United States. The firm focuses on leveraged buyout, growth capital and mezzanine capital investments in manufacturing, service, distribution, specialty chemicals, consumer product and business services companies in the...
- American ExpressAmerican ExpressAmerican Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
- ANC Rental Aquila
- Banc of America SecuritiesBanc of America SecuritiesBanc of America Securities LLC , based in New York City, was an investment banking subsidiary of Bank of America. The firm competed in both the domestic and international equity and investment banking markets, and pursued a strategy pioneered by Citigroup that combines corporate lending with...
- Bell South
- Chevron CorporationChevron CorporationChevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
- CommScopeCommScopeCommScope Inc. is a multinational telecommunications company based in Hickory, North Carolina since its founding in 1976. CommScope is a 1997 spin-off of General Instruments, and now has over 15,000 employees worldwide, with customers in over 130 countries....
- Delta & Pine Land
- Deutsche BankDeutsche BankDeutsche Bank AG is a global financial service company with its headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. It employs more than 100,000 people in over 70 countries, and has a large presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and the emerging markets...
- Dial
- Dow Jones
- El PasoEl PasoEl Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
- First Union Securities
- GE CapitalGE CapitalGE Capital is the financial services unit of General Electric, one of five major units. Its various divisions include GE Capital Aviation Services, GE Capital Real Estate, GE Energy Financial Services and GE Money....
- Goldman SachsGoldman SachsThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
- HumanaHumanaHumana Inc. , founded in 1961 in Louisville, Kentucky, is a Fortune 100 company that markets and administers health insurance. With a customer base of over 11.5 million in the United States, the company is the largest Fortune 100 company headquartered in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and has a...
- InvensysInvensysInvensys plc is a global engineering and information technology company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It was formed in 1999 through the merger of BTR plc and Siebe plc. It has offices in more than 50 countries and its products are sold in around 180 countries.Invensys is organised into...
- JP Morgan Chase
- Lazard Frères
- Lloyd's
- Merck & Co.Merck & Co.Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
- Merrill LynchMerrill LynchMerrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
- Michelle Etlin
- MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
- MGM
- Morgan StanleyMorgan StanleyMorgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
- NTLNTLNTL Incorporated, was a U.S.-listed British company, that became the first "quadruple-play" media-company in the UK, bringing together television, Internet, mobile phone and fixed-line telephone services. While NTL has its headquarters in New York City, the company's activities focus heavily on...
- Northrop GrummanNorthrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
- NYSE
- ONEOKONEOKONEOK, Inc. is a diversified Fortune 200 corporation based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1906 as Oklahoma Natural Gas Company, it is one of the largest natural gas distributors in the United States. It changed its corporate name to ONEOK in December 1980...
- Panksa
- PermiraPermiraPermira is a United Kingdom-based private equity firm with global reach. The firm advises funds with a total committed capital of approximately €20 billion....
- Procter & GambleProcter & GambleProcter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
- Salomon Smith Barney
- Sara Lee
- TelevisaTelevisaTelevisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
- TIAATIAATIAA can refer to*Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association, part of TIAA-CREF*Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association...
- Tishman Speyer PropertiesTishman Speyer PropertiesTishman Speyer Properties is a real estate building and operating company set up in 1978 by two founding partners, Jerry Speyer and Robert Tishman.-Overview:...
- TracindaTracindaTracinda Corporation is a private investment corporation owned by Kirk Kerkorian. Major investments include a minority interest of MGM Resorts International . Tracinda is headquartered on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills...
- UBS
- Urenco
Pro bono
Fried Frank was listed as one of the top twenty firms in the United States for pro bono by The American Lawyer. The firm has worked on behalf of such organizations as the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Children’s Defense Fund, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, the Legal Aid SocietyLegal Aid Society
The Legal Aid Society in New York City is the United States' oldest and largest provider of legal services to the indigent. It operates both traditional civil and criminal law cases.-History:...
, Legal Counsel for the Elderly, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City....
, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, the Southern Poverty Law Center
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
and the Veterans Pro Bono Consortium.
Whereas the firm represents many pro bono criminal defendants and many individuals with various immigration issues, they also represent some pro bono clients with civil cases. In a recent (2008) representation they took on pro bono, a client was so dissatisfied with their conduct that she sued the firm, additionally naming Douglas Baruch, the partner in charge of the pro bono office in Washington, DC, Amy Day, a former associate, and John Modzelewski, a former associate who now works for Ernst & Young in McLean, Virginia, for malpractice, fraud, fraudulent concealment, breach of implied warranty and assorted other causes of action. Mr. Modzelewski was only accused of negligence in this suit.
The complaint was filed in Washington, DC on October 13, 2011 and the Plaintiff is now having the defendants served. There is some evidence that the associate named Amy Day has been strenuously trying to avoid service but professional process servers in San Diego (where she relocated with her husband, a JAG in the Marines) claim that she has been served. Trial has not yet occurred and the ex-client believes the firm will work very hard to have her case dismissed before she can get her information before a jury. Although in the past, lawsuits against the firm have usually been brought by lawyers or large corporations (see http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=900005525865&slreturn=1, http://www.law360.com/appellate/articles/71788/court-rejects-negligence-suit-against-fried-frank, http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-1st-circuit/1486257.html) the plaintiff in the aforementioned suit is an individual. She commented, “That’s why they believed they could get away with this – what could a single individual, poor enough to need pro bono help, do to a big firm that chose to sell her down the river? They thought I couldn’t do anything. We shall see if they were correct in that gamble.”
As of 11/23/2011, the aforementioned suit is still open.
Notable alumni
- Michael R. BromwichMichael R. BromwichMichael R. Bromwich is a litigation attorney who was designated by Barack Obama on June 15, 2010, to be the first director of the newly created Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, which replaces the Minerals Management Service in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil...
- Douglas J. Feith
- Martin D. GinsburgMartin D. GinsburgMartin David Ginsburg was an internationally renowned taxation law expert. He was Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. and of counsel to the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson....
- Sargent ShriverSargent ShriverRobert Sargent Shriver, Jr., known as Sargent Shriver, R. Sargent Shriver, or, from childhood, Sarge, was an American statesman and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family, serving in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations...
- William Howard Taft IVWilliam Howard Taft IVWilliam Howard Taft IV is an attorney who has served in the United States government under several Republican administrations. He is the son of William Howard Taft III and the great-grandson of U.S. President William Howard Taft....
- Marc ZellMarc ZellL. Marc Zell is a Washington, DC born attorney, currently based in Israel.Graduated with an A.B. from Princeton University in Germanic Languages and Literatures with a concentration in theoretical linguistics and a J.D. with honors from the University of Maryland at Baltimore...
- Vanessa RuizVanessa RuizVanessa Ruiz is an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the highest court for the District of Columbia....