Allen & Overy

Infobox Law Firm
firm_name = Allen & Overy
firm_
num_offices = 28 Worldwide
num_attorneys = 2,700
headquarters = London
num_employees = about 5,000
practice_areas = General practice
revenue = 887m
date_founded = January 1, 1930
founder =
company_type = Limited liability partnership
homepage = [http://www.allenovery.com/ www.allenovery.com]

Allen & Overy is a leading London-based international law firm with almost five thousand staff and over 28 offices worldwide. It is part of the so-called Magic Circle, the five UK law firms perceived to be in a class of their own. The firm was founded on January 1, 1930. In May 2004, the worldwide partnership of Allen & Overy converted to a limited liability partnership, Allen & Overy LLP, which works together with associated undertakings in some jurisdictions to form a worldwide legal practice.

Allen & Overy has offices in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the USA.

As of 2007, it was the 6th [ [http://www.legalweek.com/Articles/1057747/Global+100+international+converts+put+pressure+on+Wall+Street%E2%80%99s.html Global 100: international converts put pressure on Wall Street’s elite - Legal Week, legal news, comment, events and legal jobs ] ] largest law firm in the world by revenue.

Cases

Guantanamo Bay detainees

Allen & Overy partner Pamela Chepiga led a team of six lawyers who filed habeas corpus petitions on behalf of fifteen Yemeni captives in Guantanamo, and filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Court of the United States when it considered Rasul v. Bush.cite news
url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-07-15-gitmo-lawsuit_x.htm
title=Lawyers sue U.S. government for 15 Guantanamo detainees from Yemen
publisher=USA Today
date=July 15 2004
accessdate=2008-01-19] cite news
url=http://www.allenovery.com/AOWEB/Knowledge/Editorial.aspx?contentTypeID=1&contentSubTypeID=7944&itemID=31309&prefLangID=413
title=Lawyers want "fair trial" for Guantanamo Bay detainees
publisher=Allen & Overy
author=Douglas Cox
date=15 September 2006
accessdate=2008-01-13]

Charles "Cully" Stimson, thenDeputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs, stirred controversy when he went on record criticizing the patriotism of law firms that allowed employees to assist Guantanamo captives:"corporate CEOs seeing this should ask firms to choose between lucrative retainers and representing terrorists."cite news
last = Lewis
first = Neil
title = Official attacks top law firms over detainees
publisher = New York Times
date = 2007-01-13
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/washington/13gitmo.html
accessdate = 2007-01-17] Stimson's views were widely criticized. The Pentagon disavowed them. And he resigned shortly thereafter.

Discrimination case against the firm

Allen & Overy were the first London law firm to be successfully caught in a discrimination case. It lost to Shazia Wahab in the London Central Employment Tribunal, on the claim of victimisation. Wahab had also claimed other discrimination, which the tribunal found was not the case (and in fact it commended A&O's anti-discrimination policies). However, Wahab had been told that by bringing a claim she was committing professional suicide, and would never work in the City again, which the tribunal found amounted to victimisation. [Julia Cahill, [http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=107095 'A&O ‘victimised’ employee'] (1.10.2003) "The Lawyer.com"] Allen & Overy was also briefly embroiled in a New York religious discrimination suit. Allegedly the office fired a Jewish associate who insisted on not working Saturdays. [Peter Lattman, [http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2007/12/24/allen-overy-hit-with-religious-discriminaton-lawsuit/ 'Allen & Overy Hit With Religious Discrimination Lawsuit'] (24.12.2007) "Wall Street Journal"]

Offices

*Abu Dhabi
*Amsterdam
*Antwerp
*Bangkok
*Beijing
*Bratislava
*Brussels
*Budapest
*Dubai
*Duesseldorf
*Frankfurt
*Hamburg
*Hong Kong
*London (Spitalfields and Canary Wharf)
*Luxembourg
*Madrid
*Mannheim
*Milan
*Moscow
*New York
*Paris
*Prague
*Riyadh
*Rome
*Shanghai
*Singapore
*Tokyo
*Warsaw

References

External links

* [http://www.allenovery.com/ Allen & Overy Web Site]
* [http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/03-12-2007/0004543843&EDATE= Allen & Overy Tokyo Expands Practice As Japanese Economy Remains Active]