Blank Rome

Blank Rome LLP

Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. of offices	13 offices (1 international)
No. of attorneys	620
Major practice areas	Multi-practice law and government affairs
Key people	Alan Hoffman, Chairman and Managing Partner
Date founded	1946
Company type	Limited liability partnership
Website	Official website

Blank Rome (formerly known as Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley^[1]) is an American law firm. The company has about 600 attorneys serving clients around the world, and represents businesses and organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-up entities. Founded in 1946, Blank Rome advises its clients on a full spectrum of legal matters involving litigation; M&A and securities; finance, business restructuring, and bankruptcy; cybersecurity and data privacy; environment and mass torts; government contracts; insurance coverage; intellectual property; labor and employment; international trade; matrimonial and family law; political law; tax and benefits; and white collar defense and investigations.^[2] The firm also represents pro bono clients in a wide variety of cases and matters. Blank Rome is annually ranked and recognized for its leading middle-market corporate, M&A, real estate, and finance practices, and is internationally acclaimed for its global maritime practice and capabilities. The firm is currently ranked 94th by the AmLaw 100 Survey in 2016.

Blank Rome has thirteen offices in the United States: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New York City; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Houston, Texas; Princeton, New Jersey; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware; Cincinnati, Ohio; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Tampa, Florida. In May 2011, the firm expanded internationally by opening a Shanghai office in the People's Republic of China.

History

Blank Rome was founded in 1946.^[3] The firm has combined with ten other firms since its founding: Wexler Weisman Forman & Shapiro in 1984, Wigman, Cohen, Leitner & Myers in 1998; Tenzer Greenblatt LLP in 2000; Dyer, Ellis & Joseph in 2003, Healy & Baillie in 2006,^[3] Abrams Scott & Bickley, L.L.P. in 2011, Bell, Ryniker & Letourneau, PC in 2013, Finestone & Richter and Margolis & Tisman LLP in 2014, and Wong, Cabello, Lutsch, Rutherford & Brucculeri LLP in 2015. In 2016, the firm added about 100 attorneys from Dickstein Shapiro LLP, as well as attorneys and additional staff from Los Angeles' top family law firm, Phillips Lerner, to the firm's Matrimonial and Family Law group.

Practice areas

Blank Rome's practice areas include commercial and corporate litigation; consumer finance; corporate, M&A, and securities; energy, environment, and mass torts; finance, restructuring, and bankruptcy; government contracts; insurance coverage; intellectual property and technology; labor and employment; maritime and international trade; matrimonial and family law; policy and political law; real estate; tax, benefits, and private client; and white collar defense and investigations.^[4]

Blank Rome Government Relations LLC ("BRGR"), an affiliate of Blank Rome LLP, is a government affairs firm composed of top lobbying professionals with first-hand knowledge of the policymaking and political processes in Washington, D.C. Members of the BRGR team bring to the table decades of experience from senior positions in government, and have a strong, bipartisan network of relationships with congressional and executive branch officials and staff. Key services include advocacy, coalition building and management, congressional oversight and policy implementation, government business, and legislation and regulation.

Notable lawyers and alumni

• Geraldine Ferraro, former congresswoman and Vice-Presidential candidate, was a principal of Blank Rome Government Relations LLC.
• Keith Gottfried, former general counsel to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and a senior official in the administration of President George W. Bush, was a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm from 2007 to 2012.
• Nathaniel R. Jones, former judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and former general counsel to the NAACP, was the law firm's former Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer.
• Frederica Massiah-Jackson, Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas judge, worked at the law firm before her election to the bench in 1983.
• David A. Norcross, former chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee and executive assistant to New Jersey Governor William T. Cahill, is a partner at the law firm.^[5]
• Stephen Orlofsky, former judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, is a partner at the law firm, and the head of their appellate practice group.^[6]
• Gil Stein, former president and general counsel to the National Hockey League, worked at the law firm before becoming an executive with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976.

References

External links

• Blank Rome LLP homepage
• Blank Rome's firm profile from LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
• Blank Rome's firm profile from Chambers & Partners