Hughes Hubbard & Reed

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP

Headquarters	New York, N.Y.
No. of offices	8 (2 international)
No. of attorneys	343 (2007)
Major practice areas	General practice
Key people	Candace Krugman Beinecke, Chair of the firm,^[1] Charles H. Scherer, Managing partner^[2]
Revenue	$258 million USD (2007)
Founder	Walter S. Carter^[3]
Company type	Limited liability partnership
Slogan	Critical matters. Critical thinking.
Website
www.hugheshubbard.com

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP (a.k.a. "Hughes Hubbard," or "HH&R"), founded in 1888, is a law firm headquartered in New York City.

The firm's history dates back to the late 19th century when it counted among its partners former Chief Justice of the United States Charles Evans Hughes.

Hughes Hubbard was recently ranked first among law firms designated the best in the United States by The American Lawyer in its July/August 2011 issue ("The A-List").^[4] Hughes Hubbard has also been one of the country's leaders in promoting diversity in law firms. In 2006, Hughes Hubbard was ranked the nation's #1 law firm in diversity by Multicultural Law Magazine. The firm also has the highest percentage of female partners in the AmLaw 200.^[5]

Hughes Hubbard is a general-practice firm with 30 practice areas under its belt in both the litigation and corporate fields, though it is probably best known for its vast litigation experience and expertise, particularly in the areas of product liability, insurance coverage, white-collar defense and art law. Also renowned for its pro bono achievements, in 2006 Hughes Hubbard received the New York State Bar Association's President's Pro Bono Service Award, in the large law firm category.

In November 2008, Hughes Hubbard was one of the firms retained by the United States Department of the Treasury to assist in the administration of the 2008 financial services bailout.^[6]

History

1871 - In the wake of the Great Chicago Fire, Chicago-based lawyer Walter S. Carter had so many claims to prosecute involving insurers bankrupted by the fire that he moved his office to New York City. Faced with more business than he could personally handle, Carter tried hiring the most promising law students to help him and, in a departure from standard practice, paid these “associates” a salary. One of them was then-future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Charles Evans Hughes.
1884 - Upon graduating from Columbia Law School, Charles Evans Hughes joined the firm, then known as Chamberlain, Carter & Hornblower.
1888 - Hughes was made partner, and the firm's name was changed to Carter, Hughes & Cravath.
1906 - Hughes was elected Governor of New York.
1910 - After two terms as governor, Hughes was appointed to the Supreme Court by President William Howard Taft.
1916 - Hughes resigned from the Court to run for President against Woodrow Wilson. After he was narrowly defeated, Hughes rejoined his old partners and, with the exception of the time he served as Secretary of State under Presidents Harding and Coolidge, he remained a partner in the firm until 1930.
1929 - Charles Evans Hughes, Jr., also a partner in the firm, resigned to become United States Solicitor General.
1930 - Hughes was appointed Chief Justice of the United States. Upon his father's appointment, Charles Evans Hughes, Jr. resigned from his position as Solicitor General and rejoined the firm as a partner.
1937 - In June, the firm suddenly dissolved, due to what the media at the time reported was Charles Evans Hughes, Jr.'s desire to insulate his father from a political attack directed at one of Hughes, Jr.'s partners at the firm by Roosevelt's Secretary of the Treasury. On June 10, Hughes, Richards, Hubbard & Ewing opened its offices at One Wall Street, where it would remain for over 50 years.
1966 - Hughes Hubbard became one of the first American firms to open an office in Paris. The office was opened by Axel H. Baum, who currently still works there.
1968 - The firm became Hughes Hubbard & Reed
1972 - Hughes Hubbard opened offices in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, becoming the first New York law firm to open an office in L.A.
1980 - The firm began to aggressively build its practice capabilities, adding a number of lateral partners to bolster its banking and financial services practices in New York, and its real estate practice in Los Angeles. The firm simultaneously began organizing its Latin America and Pacific Basin practices.
1999 - Already recognized for its record of promoting women to positions of authority, the firm again broke ground by electing Candace Beinecke as Chair of the Firm, making her the first woman to lead a major New York City law firm.^[7]