Arnold & Porter
Encyclopedia
Arnold & Porter LLP is a nine-office international law firm based in Washington, D.C.
Arnold & Porter is well known for its trial
, corporate
, and antitrust
work, and for its pro bono
commitments and support for liberal
causes.
veterans Thurman Arnold
, a former Yale Law School
professor and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge on the D.C. Circuit, and Abe Fortas
, another former Yale Law School
professor who later became a Supreme Court Justice. In 1947, Paul A. Porter
, a former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
joined the firm and it was renamed Arnold, Fortas & Porter. In 1965, Abe Fortas' name was dropped from the firm's moniker after his ascension to the Supreme Court.
in the landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright
, subject of the Edgar Award
-winning book Gideon's Trumpet
by Anthony Lewis
. The firm also represented the survivors of the Buffalo Creek Flood
, one of the worst mining disasters in U.S. history. Their representation was the subject of the book Buffalo Creek Disaster by Gerald M. Stern, which is required reading in many law schools. In addition, it was the only significant law firm to represent the victims of Joseph McCarthy
and the "loyalty review boards" that ruined the careers of many loyal government employees. All three founders of the firm were so upset by the use of secret evidence that at one point the firm's lawyers were spending half of their time fighting these cases.
More recently, Arnold & Porter successfully defended Random House
from a claim of copyright infringement
against the Da Vinci Code written by Dan Brown
. Arnold & Porter served as outside counsel to the Independent Review Committee as it scrutinized the management style of Lawrence Small, the former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
who resigned when some details of excessive expenses became public. The firm was also counsel to Philip Morris
in the mass tort
litigation of the 1990s, WorldCom executive Scott Sullivan
, Martha Stewart
, and CBS
in its litigation against Howard Stern
.
The firm also successfully represented the government of Venezuela
in its case against the United States' Clean Air Act
, on the grounds that the CAA violated World Trade Organization
agreements.
Arnold & Porter represented US Airways
in its merger with America West. Arnold & Porter also assisted SBC Communications Inc. in its acquisition of AT&T Corp., forming the new AT&T Inc.
The firm is also noted for its pro bono
work including assisting the family of Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper
in obtaining the first posthumous Presidential pardon in U.S. history, and representation of Ukrainian mail order bride Nataliya Fox against international marriage broker Encounters International in a ground breaking case that helped to establish the rights of such women.
Denver London
Los Angeles
McLean, Virginia
New York
San Francisco Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Arnold & Porter is well known for its trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
, corporate
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
, and antitrust
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
work, and for its pro bono
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
commitments and support for liberal
Liberalism in the United States
Liberalism in the United States is a broad political philosophy centered on the unalienable rights of the individual. The fundamental liberal ideals of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion for all belief systems, and the separation of church and state, right to due process...
causes.
History
Arnold & Porter was founded in 1946 by New DealNew Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
veterans Thurman Arnold
Thurman Arnold
Thurman Wesley Arnold was an iconoclastic Washington, D.C. lawyer. He was best known for his trust-busting campaign as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Department of Justice from 1938 to 1943...
, a former Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
professor and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge on the D.C. Circuit, and Abe Fortas
Abe Fortas
Abraham Fortas was a U.S. Supreme Court associate justice from 1965 to 1969. Originally from Tennessee, Fortas became a law professor at Yale, and subsequently advised the Securities and Exchange Commission. He then worked at the Interior Department under Franklin D...
, another former Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
professor who later became a Supreme Court Justice. In 1947, Paul A. Porter
Paul A. Porter
Paul Aldermandt Porter was an American lawyer and politician. He served as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1944 to 1946. He later joined Washington, DC law firm Arnold & Fortas, now known as Arnold & Porter.Born in Joplin, Missouri, Porter's family moved to Winchester,...
, a former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
joined the firm and it was renamed Arnold, Fortas & Porter. In 1965, Abe Fortas' name was dropped from the firm's moniker after his ascension to the Supreme Court.
Noteworthy cases and deals
Prominent cases the firm has been involved with include its work as counsel to Clarence Earl GideonClarence Earl Gideon
Clarence Earl Gideon was a poor drifter accused in a Florida state court of felony theft. His case resulted in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Gideon v...
in the landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright
Gideon v. Wainwright
Gideon v. Wainwright, , is a landmark case in United States Supreme Court history. In the case, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that state courts are required under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution to provide counsel in criminal cases for defendants who are unable to afford their own...
, subject of the Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
-winning book Gideon's Trumpet
Gideon's Trumpet
Gideon's Trumpet is a book by Anthony Lewis describing the story behind Gideon v. Wainwright, in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that criminal defendants have the right to an attorney even if they cannot afford it...
by Anthony Lewis
Anthony Lewis
Anthony Lewis is a prominent liberal intellectual, writing for The New York Times op-ed page and The New York Review of Books, among other publications. He was previously a columnist for the Times . Before that he was London bureau chief , Washington, D.C...
. The firm also represented the survivors of the Buffalo Creek Flood
Buffalo Creek Flood
The Buffalo Creek Flood was a disaster that occurred on February 26, 1972, when the Pittston Coal Company's coal slurry impoundment dam #3, located on a hillside in Logan County, West Virginia, USA, burst four days after having been declared 'satisfactory' by a federal mine inspector.The resulting...
, one of the worst mining disasters in U.S. history. Their representation was the subject of the book Buffalo Creek Disaster by Gerald M. Stern, which is required reading in many law schools. In addition, it was the only significant law firm to represent the victims of Joseph McCarthy
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond "Joe" McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957...
and the "loyalty review boards" that ruined the careers of many loyal government employees. All three founders of the firm were so upset by the use of secret evidence that at one point the firm's lawyers were spending half of their time fighting these cases.
More recently, Arnold & Porter successfully defended Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
from a claim of copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
against the Da Vinci Code written by Dan Brown
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...
. Arnold & Porter served as outside counsel to the Independent Review Committee as it scrutinized the management style of Lawrence Small, the former Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
who resigned when some details of excessive expenses became public. The firm was also counsel to Philip Morris
Philip Morris USA
Philip Morris USA is the United States tobacco division of Altria Group, Inc. Philip Morris USA brands include Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson and Hedges, Merit, Parliament, Alpine, Basic, Cambridge, Bucks, Dave's, Chesterfield, Collector's Choice, Commander, English Ovals, Lark, L&M, Players and...
in the mass tort
Tort
A tort, in common law jurisdictions, is a wrong that involves a breach of a civil duty owed to someone else. It is differentiated from a crime, which involves a breach of a duty owed to society in general...
litigation of the 1990s, WorldCom executive Scott Sullivan
Scott Sullivan
Scott Sullivan may refer to:*Scott Sullivan , accountant and executive involved in the WorldCom scandal*Scott Sullivan , baseball pitcher*Scott Sullivan , founder of charity Corps of Compassion...
, Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
, and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in its litigation against Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
.
The firm also successfully represented the government of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
in its case against the United States' Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act
A Clean Air Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution in general. The use by governments to enforce clean air standards has contributed to an improvement in human health and longer life spans...
, on the grounds that the CAA violated World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
agreements.
Arnold & Porter represented US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
in its merger with America West. Arnold & Porter also assisted SBC Communications Inc. in its acquisition of AT&T Corp., forming the new AT&T Inc.
The firm is also noted for its pro bono
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
work including assisting the family of Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper
Henry Ossian Flipper
Henry Ossian Flipper was an American soldier and though born into slavery in the American South, was the first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1877 at the age of 21 and earn a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army.Following Flipper's...
in obtaining the first posthumous Presidential pardon in U.S. history, and representation of Ukrainian mail order bride Nataliya Fox against international marriage broker Encounters International in a ground breaking case that helped to establish the rights of such women.
Offices
BrusselsBrussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
Denver London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
McLean, Virginia
McLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....
New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
San Francisco Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Awards
- "100 Best Companies to Work For" by Fortune Magazine (2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005)
- "Great Places to Work" by Washingtonian magazine (2009, 2007, 2006, 2005)
- "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers," Working Mother Magazine (2009, 2007, 2006, 2005)
- John Pickering Pro Bono Award
- American Lawyers A-List (2010, 2009, 2007)
- 19th in the United States in the Vault Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms (4th in Washington, DC, 1st in Antitrust, 13th in Diversity)
Notable alumni
- Thurman ArnoldThurman ArnoldThurman Wesley Arnold was an iconoclastic Washington, D.C. lawyer. He was best known for his trust-busting campaign as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division in Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Department of Justice from 1938 to 1943...
, founder — U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for the D.C. Circuit , Yale Law SchoolYale Law SchoolYale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
Professor - Brooksley Born - Chairwoman, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Joseph A. Califano - U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Chairman of the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse
- Abe FortasAbe FortasAbraham Fortas was a U.S. Supreme Court associate justice from 1965 to 1969. Originally from Tennessee, Fortas became a law professor at Yale, and subsequently advised the Securities and Exchange Commission. He then worked at the Interior Department under Franklin D...
, founder — Supreme Court Justice, Yale Law SchoolYale Law SchoolYale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
professor - Merrick Garland - U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for the D.C. Circuit
- Charles HalpernCharles HalpernCharles Halpern is a pioneer in the public interest law movement, a successful public interest entrepreneur, an innovator in legal education, a long-time meditation practitioner and advocate, and author of Making Waves and Riding the Currents: Activism and the Practice of Wisdom Halpern earned his...
- Founder of the Center for Law and Social Policy, first Dean of City University of New York School of LawCity University of New York School of LawCUNY School of Law is a law school in New York City, founded in 1983.In 1981, CUNY hired Charles Halpern to be its founding Dean. This law school was established as a public interest law school. The curriculum integrates clinical teaching methods with traditional areas of legal study.In Spring of...
, Berkeley School of Law professor - Irv Nathan - Attorney General of the District of Columbia
- Paul A. PorterPaul A. PorterPaul Aldermandt Porter was an American lawyer and politician. He served as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission from 1944 to 1946. He later joined Washington, DC law firm Arnold & Fortas, now known as Arnold & Porter.Born in Joplin, Missouri, Porter's family moved to Winchester,...
, founder — Chairman of the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications CommissionThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the... - Eli Whitney Debevoise IIEli Whitney Debevoise IIEli Whitney Debevoise II is U.S. Executive Director of the World Bank Group . He was previously a partner at Arnold & Porter LLP and served as Commissioner of the Maryland Port Commission in Baltimore....
, U.S. Executive Director of the World BankWorld BankThe World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty... - Michael Solender - General Counsel Bear Sterns
- James W. Jones, managing partner (1986-1995) - Managing Director, Hildebrandt International. Chairman, The Hildebrandt Institute.
- John Hart ElyJohn Hart ElyJohn Hart Ely is one of the most widely-cited legal scholars in United States history, ranking just after Richard Posner, Ronald Dworkin, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., according to a 2000 study in the University of Chicago's Journal of Legal Studies.-Biography:Born in New York City, John Hart...
, influential legal scholar and former dean of Stanford Law SchoolStanford Law SchoolStanford Law School is a graduate school at Stanford University located in the area known as the Silicon Valley, near Palo Alto, California in the United States. The Law School was established in 1893 when former President Benjamin Harrison joined the faculty as the first professor of law...