Winston & Strawn LLP is an international
law firm headquartered in
Chicago. It has more than 900 attorneys spread across ten offices in the United States and six offices in Europe, Asia and South America.[1] Founded in 1853, it is one of the largest and oldest law firms in Chicago.[2][3][4]
Winston & Strawn LLP was founded in Chicago in 1853 by
Frederick H. Winston, who was joined by the firm's other name partner,
Silas H. Strawn, in 1892.[9]
In 2016 Winston & Strawn became the first Chicago law firm to match the record starting salary of $180,000 for first-year associates, beginning a "salary war" among large Chicago law firms after years of no change.[12][13]
In 2016, the firm announced a gender-neutral parental leave policy, allowing both male and female associates to take up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave within the first year of a child's life.[14]
In February 2017, the firm opened an office in Dallas with twenty-three partners from eight different law firms in Texas.,[15][16][17] In July of that year it added twelve partners to its employee benefits and executive compensation team, all from McDermott Will & Emery LLP.[18]
In January, 2020, the firm closed its office in
Dubai, which the firm had opened four years earlier.[19]
In August 2020, the firm announced the formation of an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Advisory Team, designed to assist companies navigate their ESG Profiles.[20]
In 2017, the firm's reported revenue was $985 million in 2017.[22][23] Its reported 2019 revenue was $1.01 billion.[1] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, revenue decreased about three percent, to $981.2 million, while partner profits increased by more than four percent due to reduced expenses.[24]
Notable representations
Winston & Strawn has handled high-profile matters for its clients, including its organizing the
Union Stockyard and Transit Company in 1894; challenging the
War Powers Act in 1944 on behalf of department store
Montgomery Ward; and representing the
Atlanta Braves baseball franchise in 1966 litigation involving its relocation from Milwaukee to Atlanta. More recently:
2017: Achieved a favorable settlement for client Beef Products, Inc., BPI Technology, Inc., and Freezing Machines, Inc. (BPI) in a lawsuit against
ABC News that has been described as "one of the most high-stakes defamation court battles in U.S. history."[25][26]
2016: On behalf of
Warner Chilcott (owned by
Teva Pharmaceuticals), secured a judgment invalidating the patent for
NuvaRing—the first combined contraceptive vaginal ring marketed in the U.S. The judgment struck down
Merck & Co's patent infringement claims.[27][28]
2016: Represented Verizon as Employment & Employee Benefits Counsel in Acquisition of
Yahoo![29][30]
2016: Led by
Dan Webb, released report regarding review of the Federal Civil Rights Litigation Division of the
City of Chicago Department of Law[31][32]
In an antitrust lawsuit led by
Jeffrey Kessler,[33] representing a group of current and former college athletes seeking to strike down unlawful compensation restraints imposed by the
NCAA on
Division I men's basketball and football programs
Represented
Luxottica Group S.p.A. in acquisitions, including its $1.6 billion hostile takeover of U.S. Shoe Corporation, owner of
LensCrafters, in 1995 and its 2007 $2 billion acquisition of
Oakley[34][35]
Jeffrey Kessler: Winston & Strawn co-executive chairman and antitrust, sports law, and trial lawyer. Represented
Tom Brady in Brady v. NFL, which led to the end of the
2011 NFL lockout.[45][46]
Winston & Strawn LLP is an international
law firm headquartered in
Chicago. It has more than 900 attorneys spread across ten offices in the United States and six offices in Europe, Asia and South America.[1] Founded in 1853, it is one of the largest and oldest law firms in Chicago.[2][3][4]
Winston & Strawn LLP was founded in Chicago in 1853 by
Frederick H. Winston, who was joined by the firm's other name partner,
Silas H. Strawn, in 1892.[9]
In 2016 Winston & Strawn became the first Chicago law firm to match the record starting salary of $180,000 for first-year associates, beginning a "salary war" among large Chicago law firms after years of no change.[12][13]
In 2016, the firm announced a gender-neutral parental leave policy, allowing both male and female associates to take up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave within the first year of a child's life.[14]
In February 2017, the firm opened an office in Dallas with twenty-three partners from eight different law firms in Texas.,[15][16][17] In July of that year it added twelve partners to its employee benefits and executive compensation team, all from McDermott Will & Emery LLP.[18]
In January, 2020, the firm closed its office in
Dubai, which the firm had opened four years earlier.[19]
In August 2020, the firm announced the formation of an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Advisory Team, designed to assist companies navigate their ESG Profiles.[20]
In 2017, the firm's reported revenue was $985 million in 2017.[22][23] Its reported 2019 revenue was $1.01 billion.[1] In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, revenue decreased about three percent, to $981.2 million, while partner profits increased by more than four percent due to reduced expenses.[24]
Notable representations
Winston & Strawn has handled high-profile matters for its clients, including its organizing the
Union Stockyard and Transit Company in 1894; challenging the
War Powers Act in 1944 on behalf of department store
Montgomery Ward; and representing the
Atlanta Braves baseball franchise in 1966 litigation involving its relocation from Milwaukee to Atlanta. More recently:
2017: Achieved a favorable settlement for client Beef Products, Inc., BPI Technology, Inc., and Freezing Machines, Inc. (BPI) in a lawsuit against
ABC News that has been described as "one of the most high-stakes defamation court battles in U.S. history."[25][26]
2016: On behalf of
Warner Chilcott (owned by
Teva Pharmaceuticals), secured a judgment invalidating the patent for
NuvaRing—the first combined contraceptive vaginal ring marketed in the U.S. The judgment struck down
Merck & Co's patent infringement claims.[27][28]
2016: Represented Verizon as Employment & Employee Benefits Counsel in Acquisition of
Yahoo![29][30]
2016: Led by
Dan Webb, released report regarding review of the Federal Civil Rights Litigation Division of the
City of Chicago Department of Law[31][32]
In an antitrust lawsuit led by
Jeffrey Kessler,[33] representing a group of current and former college athletes seeking to strike down unlawful compensation restraints imposed by the
NCAA on
Division I men's basketball and football programs
Represented
Luxottica Group S.p.A. in acquisitions, including its $1.6 billion hostile takeover of U.S. Shoe Corporation, owner of
LensCrafters, in 1995 and its 2007 $2 billion acquisition of
Oakley[34][35]
Jeffrey Kessler: Winston & Strawn co-executive chairman and antitrust, sports law, and trial lawyer. Represented
Tom Brady in Brady v. NFL, which led to the end of the
2011 NFL lockout.[45][46]