Dickstein Shapiro LLP (formerly Dickstein, Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky[4]) was a large U.S. law firm and lobbying group based in Washington, D.C., with five offices across the United States. According to the National Law Journal's 2012 rankings, it was the 128th largest law firm in the United States.[citation needed] The firm also ranked 75th in profit per attorney on the 2012 AmLaw 200 survey.[2]
 | |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 4 |
| No. of attorneys | approximately 400 |
| No. of employees | approximately 800 |
| Major practice areas | Litigation, intellectual property, public policy, corporate law, insurance law, antitrust |
| Key people | James D. Kelly, Chairman[1] |
| Revenue | $281 million[2] |
| Date founded | 1953[3] |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | Dicksteinshapiro.com |
Practice areas
editThe firm was divided into six practice groups, each of which handle various aspects of their respective specialties: Complex Dispute resolution, Corporate & Finance, Government Law & Strategy (includes lobbying, political law, regulatory law and government contracts), Insurance coverage, Intellectual property, and Litigation.
Pro Bono
editDickstein Shapiro was recognized by the DC Bar for its leadership in pro bono representation.[5] It was one of the law firms representing the detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
History
editDickstein Shapiro was founded by Sidney Dickstein and David I. Shapiro in New York City in 1953. By 1956, the firm moved its headquarters to Washington, DC.[6] The firm quickly established its reputation by winning several high-profile cases, including Silver v. New York Stock Exchange before the United States Supreme Court.
Over the following decades, the firm grew organically and through lateral hiring. In 2001, Dickstein Shapiro merged with Roberts, Sheridan & Kotel, a New York boutique firm that had spun off from Cravath, Swaine & Moore and which was primarily focused on corporate finance and tax law.[7]
In 2012, the firm entered into merger discussions with San Francisco-based international firm Pillsbury Winthrop, but those talks ended by early 2013.[8]
Dickstein Shapiro hired former Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert as a lobbyist shortly after he resigned his seat in Congress. Hastert was later indicted in May 2015 on charges of illegally withdrawing money from banks to pay hush money to an individual that he committed misconduct against years ago. Hastert resigned his lobbyist position the day the indictment was unsealed. Hastert's biography was quickly removed from the firm's website, and the firm also purged all mentions of Hastert from its previously posted press releases.[9] Hastert's resignation from Dickstein Shapiro following the indictment against him left the law firm and lobbying firm "reeling," according to news reports.[9] The firm's lobbying business had already been struggling; it was reported that the firm had billed $130,000 on behalf of eight clients for the first quarter of 2015, "not close to being on track for its overall 2014 billings, when it brought in $3.7 million for the year."[9] In the few years preceding the indictment, Dickstein Shapiro had already "faced an exodus of ... talent" to rival firms Greenberg Traurig and Cozen O'Connor, as well as "the loss of major client contracts" including Lorillard Tobacco Co., Peabody Energy Corp., Bayer Corp., and Covanta Energy Corp.[9] Following the Hastert indictment, it was reported that Dickstein Shapiro's biggest domestic client, Fuels America, terminated its lobbying contract with the firm.[9]
In February 2016, it was announced that the firm would discontinue operation and that Blank Rome would hire approximately 100 of its lawyers.[10] Equity partners are expected to lose all of their firm capital.[11][needs update]
Offices
editNotable lawyers and employees
edit- Seymour Glanzer, former Watergate scandal prosecutor, is now senior counsel to the firm.[12]
- Pete Hoekstra, former U.S. Representative for Michigan's 2nd congressional district, currently a senior adviser to the government relations group.[13]
- Tim Hutchinson, former U.S. Senator from Arkansas, currently senior advisor to the firm's Public Policy & Law practice.[14]
- Scott E. Thomas, former Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission
- Albert Wynn, former U.S. Representative for Maryland's 4th congressional district, currently senior advisor to the firm's Public Policy & Law practice.[15]
Notable alumni
edit- Charles Colson, Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973, founder of Prison Fellowship, Templeton Prize winner and cultural commentator
- Wendell H. Ford, former U.S. Senator from Kentucky, currently senior advisor to the firm's Public Policy & Law practice.[16]
- Joseph H. Gale, Judge on the United States Tax Court, first openly gay man appointed to the Federal judiciary.
- Dennis Hastert, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, former senior advisor to the firm's Public Policy & Law practice. Resigned following a federal indictment was filed against him. Charges include lying to the FBI about multiple money transfers to a past victim to hide past sexual misconduct.[17]
- James R. Jones, former U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma and a former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
- Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former Chief of Staff to the Vice President of the United States (for Vice President Dick Cheney).
- J. Bruce Llewellyn, prominent African-American business leader and co-founder of 100 Black Men of America, an international civic and philanthropic organization
- James F. McGovern, former United States Under Secretary of the Air Force (from 1986 to 1989) and former President of Teledyne
- Floyd McKissick Jr., North Carolina State Senator.
- David I. Shapiro, American civil liberties attorney
- Andrew Sherman, business author and transactional attorney
- Ira Lee Sorkin, American attorney best known for representing Bernard Madoff, the American businessman who has pleaded guilty to perpetrating the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person.[18]
- Joseph Tydings, former U.S. Senator from Maryland, previously of counsel to the firm.[19]
Notable clients
edit- Activision Blizzard[20]
- AT&T[20]
- BB&T Corporation[20]
- Chrysler Group LLC[20]
- Deephaven Capital Management[20]
- Dole Food Company, Inc.[20]
- Duke Energy[20]
- Fannie Mae[20]
- Fox Entertainment Group[20]
- John Hinckley Jr., attempted assassin[21]
- Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and other iconic comic book characters[20]
- Loews Corporation[20]
- Nike[22]
- Olympus Corporation[20]
- PepsiCo Inc.[20]
- Pfizer Inc.[20]
- Priceline.com[20]
- Sempra Energy[20]
- Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.[20]
- Under Armour, Inc.[20]
- Yamaha Corporation[20]
References
edit- ^ "Kelly's attorney bio". Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ a b "AmLaw200 Performance Statistics, 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
- ^ Firm Website
- ^ "Press release mentioning name change" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
- ^ "D.C. Bar Raises $650,000 for Pro Bono". BLT- Blog of the Legal Times. Legal Times. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
- ^ Kashino, Marisa M. (February 1, 2012). "Hey, That's My Name on the Building". Washingtonian. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ Balestier, Bruce (January 24, 2001). "Roberts Sheridan Merges With D.C.'s Dickstein Shapiro" (PDF). New York Law Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 15, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ Post, Ashley (January 14, 2013). "Pillsbury, Dickstein end merger talks". Inside Counsel. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Parti, Tarini; Palmer, Anna (June 4, 2015). "Dennis Hastert's lobbying firm reeling after indictment". Politico. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ^ "Once-Mighty Dickstein Shapiro Closing Up Shop," The Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2016
- ^ "Dickstein Shapiro partners are informed their capital is gone; some could lose more than $1M," ABA Journal, February 16, 2016
- ^ Glanzer's firm bio
- ^ Cranson, Jeff (February 1, 2011). "Former U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra named senior adviser at Washington law and lobbying firm". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ "Hutchinson's firm bio". Archived from the original on June 29, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
- ^ "Wynn's firm bio". Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
- ^ "Ford's firm bio". Archived from the original on June 29, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
- ^ "Hastert resigns lobbying position after indictment". May 28, 2015.
- ^ "Sorkin's firm bio". Archived from the original on February 3, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2010.
- ^ "Tydings' firm bio". Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Firm Experience". Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ "firm bio of attorney Barry William Levine". Archived from the original on May 28, 2014.
- ^ Frankel, Alison (June 27, 2012). "Supreme Court forces Nike to defend its right not to defend its trademarks". Thomson Reuters. Retrieved December 7, 2012.