Drinker Biddle & Reath
Encyclopedia
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP is a national law firm
founded in Philadelphia in 1849 by John Christian Bullitt
. The firm has 650 lawyers located in 11 offices in the United States: Philadelphia; Chicago
; Washington, D.C.
; Florham Park; Princeton
; New York City
; Albany
; Los Angeles
; San Francisco; Milwaukee; and Wilmington
. The firm maintains a broad range of practices, including commercial litigation, corporate and securities, corporate restructuring, government and regulatory affairs, labor and employment, environmental, communications litigation, products liability and mass tort litigation, healthcare, employee benefits and executive compensation, insurance coverage, investment management, life insurance and annuities, intellectual property
and real estate
.
Corporate Board Member magazine ranked Drinker Biddle as the #4 corporate law firm in the Philadelphia market (2005).
, a young Kentucky
lawyer
, arrived in Philadelphia on March 5, 1849, the day Zachary Taylor
was sworn in as the 12th President of the United States
. Bullitt had chosen to relocate to Philadelphia, an area with a population of 120,000, on the advice of Secretary of State
James Buchanan
, whom he had met on a tour in Washington, D.C.
After his admission to the Philadelphia Bar on June 4, 1849, he opened the law offices of Bullitt and Fairthorne, Attorneys at Law. Bullitt's first client was the Bank of Kentucky, for which he spent the next 40 years collecting on a judgment in a fraudulent stock case.
Among his many accomplishments, he founded the Fourth Street National Bank in 1886, the only large bank founded in the city in the last quarter of the 19th century, and spearheaded the construction of the Bullitt Building on South Fourth Street. Drinker Biddle's founding partner practiced law in Philadelphia for more than 50 years until his death in 1902. William C. Bullitt, his direct descendent, is a partner in the firm's Private Client Practice Group.
general practice firm of Shanley & Fisher, P.C., the 2001 combination with the Philadelphia intellectual property firm of Seidel, Gonda, Lavorgna & Monaco, and the 2001 combination with the San Francisco firm of Preuss Shanagher Zvoleff & Zimmer as well as the addition of lawyers from Haight, Brown & Bonesteel in Los Angeles
, both with strong products liability and general litigation practices. In 2003, Drinker Biddle opened its office in Wilmington, Delaware
with a focus on bankruptcy and litigation services. Drinker Biddle joined the ranks of the AmLaw 100 in 2003, and two years later opened its tenth office in Chicago
.
announced their plans to combine. The merger of these two long-established, client-focused firms cemented a national footprint with more than 650 lawyers in 12 offices. The merger, effective January 1, 2007, also made the firm one of the 70 largest law firms in the United States. From the beginning of the merger Drinker Biddle and Gardner Carton shared in values of the highest standards in client service, legal work and professional ethics.
As a firm founded in 1910 in Chicago, Gardner Carton brought to the newly combined firm its nationally known practices in health law, bankruptcy, employee benefits and executive compensation, government and regulatory affairs, hedge funds and intellectual property, among others. In addition, the merger allowed Drinker Biddle to deepen and strengthen many addition core practice areas, including corporate, commercial litigation, and others.
In March 2009, a group of ten litigators and Real Estate lawyers, including five Partners, joined from WolfBlock LLP.
The training program is meant to last six months, during which the new lawyers' time will be divided into three main parts: a core curriculum, practice-specific training and an "apprenticeship". One of the ways Drinker Biddle was able to provide the time for such training was the decision to free the new lawyers from any requirements regarding billable work for clients during the program. At the end of the program in spring 2010, Drinker Biddle anticipates that the new first years will be ahead of the game and ready to succeed.
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
founded in Philadelphia in 1849 by John Christian Bullitt
John Christian Bullitt
John Christian Bullitt was a prominent lawyer and civic figure in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He founded the law firm known today as Drinker Biddle & Reath.-Early life:...
. The firm has 650 lawyers located in 11 offices in the United States: Philadelphia; Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
; 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....
; Florham Park; Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
; New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
; 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...
; San Francisco; Milwaukee; and Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
. The firm maintains a broad range of practices, including commercial litigation, corporate and securities, corporate restructuring, government and regulatory affairs, labor and employment, environmental, communications litigation, products liability and mass tort litigation, healthcare, employee benefits and executive compensation, insurance coverage, investment management, life insurance and annuities, intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
.
Corporate Board Member magazine ranked Drinker Biddle as the #4 corporate law firm in the Philadelphia market (2005).
Founding of the Firm by John C. Bullitt
John Christian BullittJohn Christian Bullitt
John Christian Bullitt was a prominent lawyer and civic figure in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He founded the law firm known today as Drinker Biddle & Reath.-Early life:...
, a young Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, arrived in Philadelphia on March 5, 1849, the day Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
was sworn in as the 12th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Bullitt had chosen to relocate to Philadelphia, an area with a population of 120,000, on the advice of Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
, whom he had met on a tour in 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....
After his admission to the Philadelphia Bar on June 4, 1849, he opened the law offices of Bullitt and Fairthorne, Attorneys at Law. Bullitt's first client was the Bank of Kentucky, for which he spent the next 40 years collecting on a judgment in a fraudulent stock case.
Among his many accomplishments, he founded the Fourth Street National Bank in 1886, the only large bank founded in the city in the last quarter of the 19th century, and spearheaded the construction of the Bullitt Building on South Fourth Street. Drinker Biddle's founding partner practiced law in Philadelphia for more than 50 years until his death in 1902. William C. Bullitt, his direct descendent, is a partner in the firm's Private Client Practice Group.
Strategic Growth for the 21st Century
In the past several years, Drinker Biddle has undertaken a plan of strategic growth, strengthening practices and opening offices to provide first-tier services nationally in focused area, including, products liability and class action defense, intellectual property and bankruptcy. Key events marking Drinker's expansion have included the 1999 combination with the prominent New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
general practice firm of Shanley & Fisher, P.C., the 2001 combination with the Philadelphia intellectual property firm of Seidel, Gonda, Lavorgna & Monaco, and the 2001 combination with the San Francisco firm of Preuss Shanagher Zvoleff & Zimmer as well as the addition of lawyers from Haight, Brown & Bonesteel in 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...
, both with strong products liability and general litigation practices. In 2003, Drinker Biddle opened its office in Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
with a focus on bankruptcy and litigation services. Drinker Biddle joined the ranks of the AmLaw 100 in 2003, and two years later opened its tenth office in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Gardner Carton & Douglas Combination
On November 13, 2006, Drinker Biddle and Gardner Carton & DouglasGardner Carton & Douglas
Gardner Carton & Douglas was a Chicago-based law firm that practiced from 1910 to 2006 when it merged with Philadelphia-based law firm Drinker Biddle & Reath....
announced their plans to combine. The merger of these two long-established, client-focused firms cemented a national footprint with more than 650 lawyers in 12 offices. The merger, effective January 1, 2007, also made the firm one of the 70 largest law firms in the United States. From the beginning of the merger Drinker Biddle and Gardner Carton shared in values of the highest standards in client service, legal work and professional ethics.
As a firm founded in 1910 in Chicago, Gardner Carton brought to the newly combined firm its nationally known practices in health law, bankruptcy, employee benefits and executive compensation, government and regulatory affairs, hedge funds and intellectual property, among others. In addition, the merger allowed Drinker Biddle to deepen and strengthen many addition core practice areas, including corporate, commercial litigation, and others.
Recent Developments
In 2008, the firm added several groups of lawyers, to include nearly 700 lawyers in twelve offices nationwide. In January, Drinker Biddle officially welcomed twelve lawyers from Miller, Alfano & Raspanti P.C., in Securities, Corporate Governance, and White-Collar Criminal litigation. Miller Alfano's former Managing Partner Gregory P. Miller joined Drinker Biddle as a Partner. The following month, Drinker Biddle added thirteen lawyers from Connelly Sheehan Harris LLP to its National Labor and Employment practice. In late 2008, Drinker Biddle acquired six more lawyers from Thelen LLP for its Labor & Employment Practice Group.In March 2009, a group of ten litigators and Real Estate lawyers, including five Partners, joined from WolfBlock LLP.
Notable Lawyers & Alumni
- Henry Drinker was a dominant presence in the firm from his arrival in 1904. Georg von Trapp asked him to intervene when the family was detained at Ellis Island with visa problems.
- Charles J. BiddleCharles J. Biddle (aviator)Major Charles John Biddle was an American aviator, attorney, and author. He was a flying ace during World War I. Postwar, he launched a career in law and wrote his memoirs.-Family and early life:...
had a profound impact on the firm after joining as its first lateral partner in 1924. He rose to the rank of MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. - Thomas Reath served in the Ordnance Corps (United States Army) in World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and joined the firm in 1919. He embarked on a long process of negotiating a compromise on a $1 million tax lien and reorganizing the Cramp ShipyardWilliam Cramp and Sonsthumb | upright | 1899 advertisement for William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1825 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder in the 19th century. The American Ship & Commerce Corporation bought the yard in 1919 but closed...
in Philadelphia, at the request of President Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
. - Lewis H. Van Dusen joined the firm in 1935 and, for decades, was viewed as a leader of the firm. He served in World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a Lt. ColonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
in the U.S. Army and was awarded numerous decorations, including the Purple HeartPurple HeartThe Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
and the Bronze Star. Van Dusen was later asked to return to the Army to serve as a representative to NATO, which was formed in 1949.Most famously known for his essay Civil Disobedience: The Destroyer of Democracy, Dusen is also obscurely attributed to writing the less known essay, Pizza: The Savior of Democracy. He also helped organize the formation of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation AuthoritySoutheastern Pennsylvania Transportation AuthorityThe Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is a metropolitan transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit—bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolley bus—that serve 3.9 million people in and around Philadelphia,...
(SEPTA) in the 1960s. - Henry W. Sawyer III joined the firm after military service in World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He later worked on the Marshall PlanMarshall PlanThe Marshall Plan was the large-scale American program to aid Europe where the United States gave monetary support to help rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to combat the spread of Soviet communism. The plan was in operation for four years beginning in April 1948...
in EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. During the Army-McCarthy HearingsArmy-McCarthy HearingsThe Army–McCarthy hearings were a series of hearings held by the United States Senate's Subcommittee on Investigations between April 1954 and June 1954. The hearings were held for the purpose of investigating conflicting accusations between the United States Army and Senator Joseph McCarthy...
, Sawyer represented many people accused of being members of the Communist PartyCommunist Party USAThe Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
. - Bernard M. ShanleyBernard M. ShanleyBernard Michael Shanley was best known for his work with U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He served under President Eisenhower as Deputy White House Chief of Staff, Appointments Secretary and Special Counsel .-Biography:Shanley was born in Newark, New Jersey on August 4, 1903 and began his...
founded the New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
firm Shanley & Fisher that combined with Drinker Biddle in 1999. He served President Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
as Deputy Chief of Staff, Appointments Secretary, and Special Counsel to the President. - Seamus Duffy is Chair of the Communications Litigation Practice Group and a Managing Partner of the firm. He represented AT&TAT&TAT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
in the well-known case regarding early termination fees. - Deborah T. PoritzDeborah T. PoritzDeborah Tobias Poritz is an American jurist. She was the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1996 to 2006, and was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1994 – 1996, in both cases becoming the first woman to serve in that position.-Biography:Poritz was born in Brooklyn, New...
is former Chief JusticeChief JusticeThe Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, currently of counsel to the firm's Princeton office. - Arthur Seidel is recognized as a "legend" in Intellectual PropertyIntellectual propertyIntellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
Law in Pennsylvania. He was named the first recipient of the Philadelphia Intellectual Property Law Association's Outstanding Achievement Award. - Wilson M. Brown III serves as a Managing Partner of the firm and as Chair of the firm's national Commercial Litigation Practice Group. AV peer reviewPeer reviewPeer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
rated by Martindale Hubbell. He worked on the famous Herring case and was involved in cutting-edge issues of coverage for asbestos-related claims. - Lawrence J. Fox is former Chairman of the American Bar AssociationAmerican Bar AssociationThe American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA) Standing Committee on EthicsEthicsEthics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
and Professional ResponsibilityProfessional responsibilityProfessional responsibility is the area of legal practice that encompasses the duties of attorneys to act in a professional manner, obey the law, avoid conflicts of interest, and put the interests of clients ahead of their own interests....
. He participated as counsel in one of the longest SEC Rule 10b-5SEC Rule 10b-5SEC Rule 10b-5, codified at 17 C.F.R. § 240.10b-5, is one of the most important rules promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, pursuant to its authority granted under § 10 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934...
trials; he was one of the earliest participants in the mini-trial process; he has extensive publications; and he teaches many law classes. - Andrew C. Kassner joined the firm in 1986 and serves as the Executive Partner and a Managing Partner. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, in the specialty of Bankruptcy and CreditorCreditor's rightsCreditor's rights is a legal term used to describe the set of procedural provisions designed to protect the ability of creditors - persons who are owed money - to collect the money that they are owed...
-DebtorDebtorA debtor is an entity that owes a debt to someone else. The entity may be an individual, a firm, a government, a company or other legal person. The counterparty is called a creditor...
RightsRightsRights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
Law; he has given many lectures on the subject; and he has appeared on Lou DobbsLou DobbsLouis Carl "Lou" Dobbs is an American journalist, radio host, television host on the Fox Business Network, and author. He anchored CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight until November 2009 when he announced on the air that he would leave the 24-hour cable news television network.He was born in Texas and lived...
' show on CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
. - Gregg R. Melinson is the Chief Marketing Partner, former Deputy General Counsel to PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Governor Tom RidgeTom RidgeThomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
, who appointed Melinson to serve on Pennsylvania's Voting Modernization Task Force. Melinson appears regularly on WPVI-TVWPVI-TVWPVI-TV, channel 6, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. WPVI has its studios located on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, and its transmitter is located in the...
's Inside Story and hosts his own radio broadcast on WPHTWPHTWPHT is a CBS Radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, broadcasting on 1210 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it broadcasts in an omnidirectional pattern that allows it to cover most of the eastern half of North America at night. It uses the nickname "Talk Radio 1210 WPHT." The...
, The Big Talker 1210. - Gregory P. Miller is a current Partner and a former Managing Partner of Miller, Alfano & Raspanti PCProfessional corporationProfessional corporations are those corporate entities for which many corporation statutes make special provision, regulating the use of the corporate form by licensed professionals such as attorneys, architects, engineers, public accountants and physicians...
. Miller has been involved in such landmark cases as: United States v. Greber; Foster v. Alexander & Alexander; In re: Diet Drugs Products Liability Litigation, MDLMultidistrict litigationIn the United States, multidistrict litigation refers to a special federal legal procedure designed to speed the process of handling complex cases such as air disaster litigation or complex product liability suits....
No. 1203; and the protection of Act 6 from any revisions.
Notable Cases
- Abington School District v. SchemppAbington School District v. SchemppAbington Township School District v. Schempp , 374 U.S. 203 , was a United States Supreme Court case argued on February 27–28, 1963 and decided on June 17, 1963...
374 U.S. 203 (1963) - United States v. Greber, 760 F.2d 68 3d Cir. Pa. (1985)
- Zarin v. CommissionerZarin v. CommissionerZarin v. Commissioner, 916 F.2d 110 is a United States Third Circuit Court of Appeals decision concerning the cancellation of debt and the tax consequences for the borrower for U.S. federal income tax purposes.-Background:...
916 F.2d 110 (1990) - In Re: Latex Gloves Product Liability Litigation, MDL 1148, 152 F. Supp.2d 667 (2001)
- U.S. v. Reynolds 345 U.S. 1 (1953, 2003)
- Crawford v. Midway Games et al., 2:07-cv-00967, U.S. Dist Ct. California, Central, Dist. (2008)
First Year Program
In 2009, Drinker Biddle launched a ground-breaking training program for first year lawyers. Unlike any other large national law firm, Drinker Biddle began an era in the training and professional development of its first year lawyers. The program increased the quality and intensity of its new lawyers' training, while lowering the first years' billable requirements and rates. The new program was a direct response to the Association of Corporate Counsel's Value Challenge. Through the ACC and other venues, clients made it clear that things needed to change, and the status quo was unacceptable. Drinker Biddle developed their new training program as a result.The training program is meant to last six months, during which the new lawyers' time will be divided into three main parts: a core curriculum, practice-specific training and an "apprenticeship". One of the ways Drinker Biddle was able to provide the time for such training was the decision to free the new lawyers from any requirements regarding billable work for clients during the program. At the end of the program in spring 2010, Drinker Biddle anticipates that the new first years will be ahead of the game and ready to succeed.