Reed Smith

Reed Smith LLP

Headquarters	Three PNC Plaza Pittsburgh
No. of offices	26
No. of attorneys	1,800+
Major practice areas	Energy & Natural Resources, Financial, Life Sciences & Health, Media & Entertainment
Revenue	$1.15 billion (2014) [1]
Profit per equity partner	$1.2 million (2014) [1]
Date founded	1877 (Pittsburgh)
Founder	Philander Knox and James Hay Reed
Company type	Limited liability partnership
Slogan	The business of relationships.
Website
www.reedsmith.com

Reed Smith LLP is an international global law firm, with more than 1,800 lawyers in 26 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.^[2] Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services; deliver regulatory counsel, and execute strategic domestic and cross-border transactions.^[3] Reed Smith is an advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education.^[3]

The firm counsels 13 of the world's 15 largest commercial and savings banks; 25 of the world's 35 largest oil and gas companies; and the world's three largest pharmaceutical distribution and wholesale companies. Reed Smith's shipping practice has been designated among the most preeminent in the world, and its advertising law practice is regarded as among the legal industry's finest.

In 2014, Reed Smith was listed by Law 360 as one of the Global 20 Firms, firms that had the biggest global presence and handled the most large, significant and groundbreaking international and cross-border matters.^[4]

In 2014, revenues at Reed Smith reached a record breaking $1.15 billion. Profits per partner grew 6% to $1,200,000.00, while revenue per lawyer increased by 2% to $703,000.00.^[5]

History

Reed Smith was founded in Pittsburgh in 1877 by Philander C. Knox and James H. Reed.^[6] The two partners soon created a symbiotic relationship with the American industrial tycoon, Andrew Carnegie, the creator of U.S. Steel, the world's first billion-dollar corporation. Soon after, other large businesses such as, Heinz (company), Mellon and Frick joined the firm's client roster. In the 1880s, Edwin W. Smith and other partners joined the firm and in 1922 the firm adopted the name Reed Smith Shaw & McClay, a name that would stand until being shortened in 2000. During the New Deal era, Reed Smith established a securities practice and partner Ralph H. Demmler became chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.^[6]

Through 1970 to the present, the firm engaged in a series of strategic mergers & acquisitions, as well as new offices, to create one of the largest law firms in the world.

In the 1970s, Reed Smith domestically grew with new offices beyond Pittsburgh. It set up an office in Washington, DC and in 1989, merged with Beltway firm Pierson, Ball & Dowd, thereby obtaining a well-regarded health care practice. Reed Smith opened new offices in New York and New Jersey in the 1990s and acquired a leading Northern Virginia firm, Hazel & Thomas.

During the 2000s Reed Smith experienced rapid international growth, both organically and through mergers. Acquiring the UK law firm Warner Cranston turned Reed Smith transatlantic in 2001 and opened offices in Paris and Munich four years later. Domestically, it opened an office in Delaware and combined with a California law firm, Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May, which moved the firm to a rank among the 20 largest law firms.^[6] In 2007 Reed Smith merged with UK law firm, Richards Butler, which added offices in France, Greece, the Middle East and Hong Kong one year later.^[7]

Since 2009 their office has been located in Reed Smith Centre, a LEED-certified workspace that helped jumpstart the modernization of the City's "Fifth Avenue ," on the perimeter of Pittsburgh's Cultural District. More than 275 lawyers comprise the Pittsburgh office, making it the largest law office in the city and the largest Reed Smith office in the United States. Pittsburgh also is home to the firm's Global Customer Center, which provides service to Reed Smith's lawyers and offices around the world.

Main practice areas

Reed Smith has four industry-focused groups: Energy & Natural Resources, Entertainment & Media, Financial Industry and Life Sciences Health Industry Group. The main practice areas include:^[8]

Offices

As of January 2015, Reed Smith has 26 offices across three continents. London is the largest office with over 350 attorneys, while Pittsburgh is the founding office and with over 300 attorneys.^[9][10] This makes it the largest Reed Smith office in the U.S. and the largest law office in Pittsburgh.^[11]

As well as numerous offices, Reed Smith has the Global Customer Centre, also located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses Reed Smith's 24/7/365 firm-wide administrative operations, including the Network Operating Center, IT Help Desk and the Business Centre.^[12]

Recognition

• Legal Week's 2013 annual Client Satisfaction Report ranks Reed Smith #5 in the U.S. International firms category. We were especially recognized for the quality of our legal and commercial advice as well as personal/partner relationships. For the full report, please visit the Legal Week website.^[13]
• Reed Smith named Best Global Law Firm for Weather Risk, in the 2014 Environmental Finance Annual Market Rankings.^[14]
• Reed Smith ranked # 8 on the 2013 inaugural "Social Index" of Am Law 50 Firms in survey ranking use of social media technologies.^[15]
• Reed Smith advances eight spots on Acritas’ Sharplegal US Law Firm Brand Index 2014, earning recognition as a lTop 20 U.S. brand.^[16]
• Ranked 12th largest law firm by the National Law Journal in 2012.
• Ranked 16th on Law360’s Global 20 Ranking in 2012.^[17]
• Ranked 19th among American law firms with the most gross revenue by AmLaw 100 in 2010.^[18]
• Ranked 1st out of 411 law firms by The BTI Client Relationship Scorecard for building and maintaining client relationships, June 2009.^[19]
• Ranked 2nd best law firm for women by Am Law Daily.^[20]

Notable alumni

Individuals who have worked at Reed Smith include:

• Rip Sullivan, Northern Virginia community activist and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Virginia's 48th district
• Philander C. Knox, American lawyer, bank director and politician who served as United States Attorney General, a Senator from Pennsylvania and Secretary of State
• Jack McGregor, former Pennsylvania State Senator from Pittsburgh and the founder of the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins
• James Hay Reed, founding member of the law firm Reed, Smith, Shaw & Beal and a United States federal judge
• Cathy Bissoon, American lawyer and judge who serves on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
• David W. Marston, lawyer, author and United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Paul Martha, former American football safety who played seven seasons in the National Football League and was CEO of Pittsburgh Penguins
• Sheryl H. Lipman, United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee and former Counsel to the University of Memphis
• Thomas Hardiman, a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and former United States District Court judge
• Ralph H. Demmler, an American lawyer specializing in corporate banking law and an appointed United States government official
• Ronald D. Castille, served on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1994 to 2014, and was Chief Justice from 2008 to 2014

Popular culture

The firm is depicted in Laurence Leamer's book The Price of Justice.^[21]

See also

• Johnstown Flood
• List of 100 largest law firms globally

References

External links

• Official website
• The American Lawyer
• Martindale
• Organizational Profile at the National Law Review