McKenna, Long & Aldridge
Encyclopedia
McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (MLA) is a full-service, U.S. law firm
. It has more than 475 lawyers and public policy
advisors in nine locations in the U.S. and one in Europe. The firm provides transactional, litigation and governmental and regulatory services in the areas of corporate
; environment, energy, and climate change
; global infrastructure and public-private partnerships; government contracts; health care; intellectual property
and technology; international law
; labor and employment; public policy and regulatory affairs; and real estate.
In 2009, the firm’s government contracts practice marked its 60th year making it the oldest government contracts practice in the U.S. The same year, it was ranked as the 106th largest law firm in the country by The National Law Journal’s “NLJ 250” rankings and placed 102nd on The American Lawyer
's “AmLaw 200” rankings with US$
270,000,000 in gross revenue in 2010. Chambers USA has called McKenna Long & Aldridge "a true titan in the field" with “fantastic knowledge of the intricacies of the sector and its capacity for dealing with the political dimensions of public procurement.” The firm represents the top five and 10 of the top 15 largest defense contractors, based on total contracting dollars in 2010.
's former attorney general, Homer Stille Cummings
. In a December 1999 profile of McKenna & Cuneo, the Legal Times
noted that early lawyers at the firm, Gilbert Cuneo and Albert Reeves Jr., helped create the nation’s first government contracts practice. The firm that would become Long Aldridge & Norman was founded in 1974 by Clay Long, John Aldridge and Bill Stevens. The firm focused on corporate and business law through its Atlanta and Washington, DC offices.
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...
. It has more than 475 lawyers and public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
advisors in nine locations in the U.S. and one in Europe. The firm provides transactional, litigation and governmental and regulatory services in the areas of corporate
Corporate law
Corporate law is the study of how shareholders, directors, employees, creditors, and other stakeholders such as consumers, the community and the environment interact with one another. Corporate law is a part of a broader companies law...
; environment, energy, and climate change
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
; global infrastructure and public-private partnerships; government contracts; health care; 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; international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
; labor and employment; public policy and regulatory affairs; and real estate.
In 2009, the firm’s government contracts practice marked its 60th year making it the oldest government contracts practice in the U.S. The same year, it was ranked as the 106th largest law firm in the country by The National Law Journal’s “NLJ 250” rankings and placed 102nd on The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer is a monthly law magazine published by ALM. It was founded in 1979 by Steven Brill. Features include the annual AmLaw 100 Survey and AmLaw 200 Survey , "The View From the Top", their annual poll of law firm chairpersons, and their "Corporate Scorecard"...
's “AmLaw 200” rankings with US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
270,000,000 in gross revenue in 2010. Chambers USA has called McKenna Long & Aldridge "a true titan in the field" with “fantastic knowledge of the intricacies of the sector and its capacity for dealing with the political dimensions of public procurement.” The firm represents the top five and 10 of the top 15 largest defense contractors, based on total contracting dollars in 2010.
History
McKenna Long & Aldridge was formed by the 2002 merger of two firms—the Washington, DC-based McKenna & Cuneo and the Atlanta-based Long Aldridge & Norman. The firm that would become McKenna & Cuneo was founded in 1939 by Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's former attorney general, Homer Stille Cummings
Homer Stille Cummings
Homer Stille Cummings was a U.S. political figure who was United States Attorney General from 1933 to 1939. He also was elected mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, three times before, founding the legal firm of Cummings & Lockwood in 1909...
. In a December 1999 profile of McKenna & Cuneo, the Legal Times
Legal Times
Legal Times is a weekly legal newspaper based in Washington, D.C. It is owned by ALM....
noted that early lawyers at the firm, Gilbert Cuneo and Albert Reeves Jr., helped create the nation’s first government contracts practice. The firm that would become Long Aldridge & Norman was founded in 1974 by Clay Long, John Aldridge and Bill Stevens. The firm focused on corporate and business law through its Atlanta and Washington, DC offices.
Predecessor Firms
- Long, Aldridge & Norman
- McKenna & Cuneo
- McKenna, Conner & Cuneo
- McKenna & Fitting
- Sellers, Conner & Cuneo
Noteworthy Cases
- The firm represented the government of CanadaGovernment of CanadaThe Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
in connection with the record-breaking reorganizations of ChryslerChryslerChrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
and General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
(GM). The firm served as lead counsel in both transactions for the government of Canada. The firm advised the government of Canada on the court-supervised sale of Chrysler that resulted in an alliance with Italian car maker FiatFiatFIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
. As part of the transaction, the Canadian government along with the province of OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
provided a $3.775 billion loan, which enabled Canada to maintain its 20 percent production share in the North American market and protect nearly one million Canadian jobs. In connection with the court-supervised sale of a majority interest in GM to the equity owned largely by the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Canadian government along with the province of Ontario provided a $9.5 billion loan to the new GM—an amount proportional to the $50 billion package provided by the U.S. government.
- The firm’s assisted the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in what is believed to be the first contested union election conducted under a tribal labor statute. The tribe owns and operates Foxwoods Resort CasinoFoxwoods Resort CasinoFoxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel-casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. Together with the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, it is one of the largest casino complexes in the world in terms of floor space for gaming. The entire resort comprises of space. The casino has over 380 gaming tables...
and hired the firm when the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) sought to unionize Foxwoods’ bartenders and beverage servicers. The firm began representing the tribe and Foxwoods in late 2007 after the National Labor Relations Board asserted jurisdiction over the tribe, which allowed the United Auto Workers to use federal law to successfully unionize Foxwoods’ table games dealers. To avoid the same fate and, more importantly, to preserve tribal sovereignty, the team persuaded the UFCW to hold an election using the Mashantucket Pequot Labor Relations Law instead of the National Labor Relations Act.
- In January 2009, MLA closed a $142 million project finance deal for Balfour BeattyBalfour BeattyBalfour Beatty plc is a British construction, engineering, military housing, rail and investment services company. It is one of the largest construction companies in the UK, and the 15th largest in the world...
Communities to design, build, develop, renovate and manage privatized family housing at Lackland Air Force BaseLackland Air Force BaseLackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located west-southwest of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, TexasSan Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
Alumni
- Luis A. AguilarLuis A. AguilarLuis A. Aguilar is a Democratic commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He was appointed by President George W. Bush on March 31, 2008 and confirmed by the United States Senate on June 27, 2008. He was sworn in as a Commissioner on July 31, 2008.-Background:Prior to his...
, Democratic commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2008. - Homer Stille CummingsHomer Stille CummingsHomer Stille Cummings was a U.S. political figure who was United States Attorney General from 1933 to 1939. He also was elected mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, three times before, founding the legal firm of Cummings & Lockwood in 1909...
, U.S. Attorney General and McKenna & Cuneo co-founder. - Stephen GoldsmithStephen GoldsmithStephen "Steve" Goldsmith is the former mayor of Indianapolis and most recently served as the Deputy Mayor of New York City for Operations, stepping down effective August 4, 2011 after a domestic violence arrest. He is also the Daniel Paul Professor of Government at the John F...
, former mayor of Indianapolis and current deputy mayor of New York for operations.
Attorneys and professionals
- Thurbert BakerThurbert BakerThurbert E. Baker was the Attorney General of the U.S. state of Georgia, serving from 1997, when he was appointed by Governor Zell Miller...
, former Attorney General of the state of Georgia - Phillip CarterPhillip CarterPhillip Carter may refer to:*Phillip Carter , deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs*Phillip Carter a partner with the law firm Carter & Carter...
, Iraq War veteran and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs - Howard DeanHoward DeanHoward Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
, former Governor of Vermont, Presidential Candidate, and Democratic National CommitteeDemocratic National CommitteeThe Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
Chairman, was named a Senior Strategic Advisor on March 5, 2009. - Randy EvansRandy EvansJames Randolph "Randy" Evans is an American lawyer and Republican from Georgia who specializes in government ethics. He worked as a longtime advisor to the Republican Party of Georgia. He has worked closely with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at various times throughout his career. Evans is a...
, former outside counsel to Speakers of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt GingrichNewt GingrichNewton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....
and Dennis Hastert - Gordon GiffinGordon GiffinGordon D. Giffin became the thirty-fourth Ambassador of the United States to Canada on September 17, 1997.Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, Gordon Giffin moved to Canada before his first birthday. He lived in Montreal and Toronto for 17 years, attending Valois Park Elementary School in Pointe...
, U.S. Ambassador to Canada, 1997–2001 - Josh Hochberg, court appointed Examiner in the Washington MutualWashington MutualWashington Mutual, Inc. , abbreviated to WaMu, was a savings bank holding company and the former owner of Washington Mutual Bank, which was the United States' largest savings and loan association until its collapse in 2008....
, DBSI Inc. and RefcoRefcoRefco 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...
bankruptcies - Paul McHale, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense
- Zell MillerZell MillerZell Bryan Miller is an American politician from the US state of Georgia. A Democrat, Miller served as Lieutenant Governor from 1975 to 1991, 79th Governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999, and as United States Senator from 2000 to 2005....
, former U.S. Senator and Governor of Georgia, currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor in the firm's Government Affairs practice. - Dave Pollak, a co-chair of the New York State Democratic Committee
- David SkaggsDavid SkaggsDavid Evans Skaggs was a Democratic Congressman from the state of Colorado from 1987 to 1999.Skaggs was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but grew up in the New Jersey suburbs of New York City. He attended Wesleyan University, and after earning his degree in Philosophy in 1964, went on to Yale University,...
, former Congressman from Colorado from 1987 to 1999, currently serves as an Senior Strategic Advisor and Independent Consultant in the firm's Denver office. - Donald Sweitzer, former political director of the Democratic National Committee under former President Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
- Eric TanenblattEric TanenblattEric J. Tanenblatt is a U.S. Republican Party activist from the state of Georgia. He was a presidential elector in 2000 and 2004. He served as Chief of Staff to Governor Sonny Perdue.-Political career:...
, former chief of staff to Georgia Governor Sonny PerdueSonny PerdueGeorge Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III, was the 81st Governor of Georgia. Upon his inauguration in January 2003, he became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Benjamin F. Conley served during Reconstruction in the 1870s....
and longtime advisor to the late U.S. Senator Paul CoverdellPaul CoverdellPaul Douglas Coverdell was a United States Senator from Georgia, elected for the first time in 1992 and re-elected in 1998, and director of the Peace Corps from 1989 until 1991...
Locations
The firm maintains nine offices in the United States and one in Europe:
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Rankings
- The National Law Journal NLJ 250: 106th largest firm in the United States in 2009.
- The American LawyerThe American LawyerThe American Lawyer is a monthly law magazine published by ALM. It was founded in 1979 by Steven Brill. Features include the annual AmLaw 100 Survey and AmLaw 200 Survey , "The View From the Top", their annual poll of law firm chairpersons, and their "Corporate Scorecard"...
AmLaw 200: 102nd largest firm in the United States, by gross revenue ($270 million), in 2010. - The Chambers USA Guide: 10 practice groups and 27 lawyers ranked; 2010 edition.
- Legal Times’ “Influence 50”: Survey ranked MLA 10th on its law firm list and 14th on its overall list based on 2008 revenues.
- Legal 500: Recommends MLA as a “tier one” firm for mergers and acquisitionsMergers and acquisitionsMergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
work in the South Atlantic region for the second year in a row; 2009. - Bloomberg Global Legal Advisory Rankings Report: Ranked 2nd in Legal Advisor for Bankruptcy Liquidation league table; 6th in Legal Advisor for Cross Border Announced Deals (by volume) league table; 2nd in Legal Advisor for the Consumer, Cyclical Industry league table; 2nd in Legal Advisor for Canada Announced Deals (by volume) league table.