Winston & Strawn LLP

Infobox Law Firm
firm_name = Winston & Strawn LLP
firm_
headquarters = Chicago, Illinois
num_offices = 11 total, 4 international
num_attorneys = 912 (2007)
num_employees = approximately 2,000 total
practice_areas =
key_people = Thomas P. Fitzgerald, Managing Partner; Dan K. Webb, Chairman; Gov. James R. Thompson, Senior Chairman
revenue = $1 billion +
date_founded = 1853
founder = Frederick H. Winston
company_type = Limited liability partnership
homepage = [http://www.winston.com/ www.winston.com]
dissolved =

Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with nearly 1,000 attorneys among 11 offices in the United States and Europe.

Locations

Charlotte, North Carolina (2008); Chicago, Illinois (1853); Geneva, Switzerland (1993);London, England (2003); Los Angeles, California (1999); Moscow, Russia (2005); Newark, New Jersey (2000); New York, New York (1989); Paris, France (1995); San Francisco, California (2003); Washington, D.C. (1970)

The firm serves the legal needs of enterprises of all types and sizes, in both the private and the public sector, in a wide range of practice areas. See Winston & Strawn's [http://www.chambersandpartners.com/usa/FirmProfile.aspx?fid=3677 Chambers USA] profile for a list and description of the firm's primary practice areas.

History

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 1894.

In the past two decades, a series of mergers, office openings, and lateral hires has resulted in a global law firm spanning 11 offices across the United States and Europe. Throughout its history, Winston & Strawn has handled many significant, 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 Braves baseball franchise in 1966 litigation involving its relocation from Milwaukee to Atlanta. More recently:

* Defending General Electric in its much-publicized industrial diamond price-fixing case [http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/press_releases/2004/204592.htm]

* Representing Luxottica Group S.p.A. in myriad acquisitions, including its $1.6 billion hostile takeover of U.S. Shoe Corporation, owner of LensCrafters, in 1995 and its recent $2 billion acquisition of Oakley [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&refer=news&sid=aR8q4u9zD6kA]

* Assisting Barr Laboratories to invalidate a key patent on Prozac in a case "Fortune" magazine calls "the mother of all patent challenges" [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2001/08/13/308077/index.htm]

* Achieving a decisive victory for Microsoft Corporation in the remedy phase of its battle against federal and state antitrust claims [http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Past-News/Back-to-Court-for-Microsoft-DOJ/]

* Representing the New York Stock Exchange in the Grasso compensation investigation and subsequent litigation [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/08/business/grasso.php]

* Assisting Lear Corporation in connection with the recent bid for the company by Carl Icahn. [http://www.forbes.com/markets/2007/07/09/lear-icahn-update-markets-equity-cx_af_0709markets20.html]

Diversity and Inclusiveness

Winston & Strawn's [http://www.winston.com/siteFiles/PracticeAreas/27D94E7E17BA0AAEAA0368F0B0ACEE0F.pdf Diversity Charter] formally adopted by the Executive Committee, articulates the firm's responsibility for achieving greater diversity and the principles that drive its efforts in hiring, recruitment, and retention; promoting diversity on the basis of merit and performance; professional development; and maintaining a leadership position in diversity endeavors. A [http://www.winston.com/index.cfm?contentID=6&itemType=30 Diversity Committee] guides the firm's activities and implements its diversity policies and programs.

The firm's diversity newsletter, "[e-mail]", was honored by the prestigious Burton Foundation as the "best law firm newsletter, which presents either the ongoing work and efforts of the firm or analysis of current issues in the law." View the latest issue of [http://www.winston.com/siteFiles/publications/[e-mail] [e-mail].]

Recognition

* The Minority Corporate Counsel Association has recognized the firm's diversity efforts by presenting its Sager Award to Winston & Strawn three times in nine years. [http://www.mcca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&PageID=1059&varuniqueuserid=03393186575] [http://www.mcca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&PageID=1050&varuniqueuserid=03393186575] (Northeast region-1999, 2000; Midwest region-2000) [http://www.mcca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid=489]

* In Chicago Lawyer's 2007 "Diversity Survey (of Chicago's 30 largest law firms), Winston ranked No. 2 in highest number of minority partner and No. 1 in highest number of African-American partners (tie). [http://www.winston.com/index.cfm?contentID=30&itemID=420]

* In 2005, the New York Urban League chose the firm for a "Champions of Diversity" award. [http://www.nyul.org/champions_diversity08.html]

* In 2006, the Hispanic Bar Association of Washington, D.C. honored the firm with its 2nd Annual Award for recruitment and retention of Hispanic lawyers. [http://www.winston.com/index.cfm?contentID=30&itemID=320]

Pro Bono and Community Service

Winston & Strawn was one of the first large law firms in the country to adopt a written pro bono policy in 1991, to become a signatory to the Pro Bono Institute Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge [http://www.probonoinst.org/challenge.sigs.php] , to establish a well-funded charitable foundation, and to hire a full-time Director of Public Interest Law.

The firm's Pro Bono Policy was revised in 2004 to incorporate Winston's 150th anniversary Pro Bono Pledge to devote at least 35 hours per lawyer to pro bono work each year. Winston has provided representation in matters involving community economic development, criminal defense, First Amendment/free speech, contested guardianship, landlord/tenant, not-for-profit corporate organization, political asylum, post-conviction relief in death penalty cases, and public assistance. [http://www.winston.com/siteFiles/PracticeAreas/72C932B9121D55A9D2C8155E68B29162.pdf]

Among other things, the firm has devoted hundreds of hours helping the Innocence Project, a nationally-recognized advocacy organization that seeks to exonerate persons convicted of criminal offenses based on DNA evidence. The firm's collaboration with the Project has been immensely successful, involving hundreds of attorneys, paralegals, IT staff, summer associates, and others at the firm, so that more than 200 persons who were wrongfully convicted have now been exonerated.

In 2008, the firm led the Chicago Bar Foundation's ground-breaking "Campaign for Justice," which was a city-wide effort to raise more than $1 million to support the city's 250 public interest lawyers and the 40 legal aid organizations they work for.

View the latest issue of the firm's [http://www.winston.com/siteFiles/publications/ProBonoReporter_2008.pdf "Pro Bono Report,"]

Recognition

* 2006 ABA "Pro Bono Publico" award for the firm's efforts on a guardian ad litem project with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation. [http://www.lawfuel.com/show-release.asp?ID=7409]

* 2006 "Volunteer of the Year" award from the Pro Bono Partnership in New York.

* 2007 "Best Bar Project" award from the District of Columbia Bar Association in recognition of the firm's efforts on the Bar's Small Business Initiative. [http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/pro_bono/resources/report.cfm] [http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/resources/publications/washington_lawyer/august_2007/legalbeat.cfm]

* 2007 its "Most Innovative Use of Technology for a Pro Bono Project" award from American Lawyer Media's Law Technology News. [http://www.winston.com/siteFiles/publications/McConnellLTN4-07.pdf]

Winston & Strawn Foundation

For more than 15 years, the firm has provided financial support to civic and charitable organizations through the Winston & Strawn Foundation. In the past year, the Foundation awarded more than $1.5 million in cash grants to civic and charitable organizations involved in health and social welfare, community, arts and culture, education, and legal advocacy activities. In addition to supporting organizations, the firm has instituted a matching program to support the charitable and volunteer work of its staff.

References

Winston & Strawn's [http://www.vault.com/companies/company_main.jsp?product_id=428&ch_id=242&co_page=2&v=1 Vault profile]

External links

* [http://www.winston.com/ Winston & Strawn LLP] official Web site