Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
Encyclopedia
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a law firm
headquartered in New York City
which employs over 800 attorneys in ten offices worldwide. The firm is highly regarded for its litigation and corporate practices, with special attention focused on its mergers and acquisitions
specialty. Simpson Thacher is consistently among the most profitable large law firms in the world on a per-partner basis according to the American Lawyer’s annual AmLaw 100 Survey. For 2011, Simpson Thacher was ranked #6 on The Vault’s Top 100 Most Prestigious Law Firm Rankings, and #1 in Private Equity. The firm is also recognized in various other surveys, including Vault.com’s 2010 review of the 20 Best Law Firms to Work For.
The firm has relationships with private equity
firms Blackstone Group
and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and it has longstanding ties to JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America
, and the United States Department of the Treasury
.
, Thomas Thacher
and William M. Barnum organized the firm as "Simpson, Thacher & Barnum" on January 1, 1884, with offices at 9 Pine Street. The three were formerly law clerks at the old-line firm Alexander & Green
. The first associate salary was ten dollars, and the first retainer fee was fifty dollars.
In 1889, the name was changed to "Reed Simpson Thacher & Barnum" when former U.S. House Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed
joined the firm. Reed died in 1902, and the name was soon changed to Simpson Thacher Barnum & Bartlett. The final change came in 1904 when it was amended to its current name of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
From its original location at 9 Pine Street, the firm has operated at many offices throughout New York City until finally settling at its present location at 425 Lexington Avenue opposite Grand Central Terminal
. The firm also has offices at the Chrysler Building
across the street.
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...
headquartered in 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...
which employs over 800 attorneys in ten offices worldwide. The firm is highly regarded for its litigation and corporate practices, with special attention focused on its mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
specialty. Simpson Thacher is consistently among the most profitable large law firms in the world on a per-partner basis according to the American Lawyer’s annual AmLaw 100 Survey. For 2011, Simpson Thacher was ranked #6 on The Vault’s Top 100 Most Prestigious Law Firm Rankings, and #1 in Private Equity. The firm is also recognized in various other surveys, including Vault.com’s 2010 review of the 20 Best Law Firms to Work For.
The firm has relationships with private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firms Blackstone Group
Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Group L.P. is an American-based alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate, and credit and marketable alternative investment strategies, as well as financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions ,...
and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and it has longstanding ties to JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
, and the United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
.
History
John W. SimpsonJohn W. Simpson (lawyer)
John Woodruff Simpson was a founding member of law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, then titled Simpson, Thacher, & Barnum.-Biography:...
, Thomas Thacher
Thomas Thacher
Thomas Thacher was a descendant of the Rev. Peter Thacher, the rector of St. Edmonds, Salisbury, England; and of his son, Thomas Thacher, who came to America in 1635, settled in Salem, Massachusetts, and later became the first minister of the Old South Church in Boston. His father, Thomas Anthony...
and William M. Barnum organized the firm as "Simpson, Thacher & Barnum" on January 1, 1884, with offices at 9 Pine Street. The three were formerly law clerks at the old-line firm Alexander & Green
Walter, Conston, Alexander & Green
Walter, Conston, Alexander & Green, P.C. was a mid-sized full service New York-based law firm that existed from 1843-2001 when it merged with Atlanta-based Alston & Bird to launch the New York office of that national firm...
. The first associate salary was ten dollars, and the first retainer fee was fifty dollars.
In 1889, the name was changed to "Reed Simpson Thacher & Barnum" when former U.S. House Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed
Thomas Brackett Reed
Thomas Brackett Reed, , occasionally ridiculed as Czar Reed, was a U.S. Representative from Maine, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1889–1891 and from 1895–1899...
joined the firm. Reed died in 1902, and the name was soon changed to Simpson Thacher Barnum & Bartlett. The final change came in 1904 when it was amended to its current name of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
From its original location at 9 Pine Street, the firm has operated at many offices throughout New York City until finally settling at its present location at 425 Lexington Avenue opposite Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
. The firm also has offices at the Chrysler Building
Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at , it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State...
across the street.
Associate Compensation
In 2007, Simpson Thacher led the market by raising the base salary for first-year associates to $160,000 per year. In the process, it established the market salary for all of its peer firms in New York City.Rankings and awards
Simpson Thacher is consistently among the most profitable large law firms in the world on a per-partner basis according to the American Lawyer’s annual AmLaw 100 Survey. The firm is also recognized in various other surveys, including Vault.com’s 2010 review of the 20 Best Law Firms to Work For.- For 2011, Simpson Thacher was ranked #6 on The Vault’s Top 100 Most Prestigious Law Firm Rankings, and #1 in Private Equity.
- Recognized in 52 categories, including 34 in the top two bands, in Chambers Global 2011: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business.
- Recognized in 49 categories, including 27 in the top two bands, in Chambers USA 2011: America's Leading Lawyers for Business.
- Recognized in 19 categories, including 15 in the top two bands, in Chambers Asia Pacific 2011: Asia Pacific’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
- Recognized in 32 categories, including 20 in the top two tiers in The Legal 500 United States 2011.
- Recognized in 9 categories, including 8 in the top two tiers in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2010/2011.
- Received the Chambers & Partners 2010 Award for Excellence in Finance.
- Named one of sixteen Transatlantic Elite law firms by The Lawyer in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
- Named to Global Arbitration Review’s GAR 100 in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.
- Named Asian-Counsel magazine’s 2010 Firm of the Year for Alternative Investment Funds in Hong Kong.
- Named Asian Legal Business’ 2010 Leading Private Equity & Venture Capital International Law Firm across Asia.
- Received Legal Services NYC’s 2010 Pro Bono Visionary Award.
Notable alumni
Simpson Thacher lawyers have included U.S. Senators, Solicitors General, a Speaker of the House of Representatives, a Secretary of State, a Secretary of the Army, Ambassadors, Judges on U.S. Circuit and District Courts and the New York State Court of Appeals, presidents of the American Bar Association, and presidents of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.- Guido Calabresi (Summer Associate)
- Cyrus VanceCyrus VanceCyrus Roberts Vance was an American lawyer and United States Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1980...
- Karenna Gore SchiffKarenna Gore SchiffKarenna Aitcheson Gore Schiff is an American author, journalist, and attorney. She is the eldest daughter of Al and Tipper Gore and the sister of Kristin Gore.-Background and family:...
- Thomas D. ThacherThomas D. ThacherThomas Day Thacher was a lawyer and judge in New York City.Thacher was born in Tenafly, New Jersey and was the oldest of four children of Thomas Thacher, a prominent New York lawyer, and Sarah McCulloh Thacher...
- Thomas Brackett ReedThomas Brackett ReedThomas Brackett Reed, , occasionally ridiculed as Czar Reed, was a U.S. Representative from Maine, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1889–1891 and from 1895–1899...
- Dennis G. JacobsDennis G. JacobsDennis G. Jacobs is Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He became Chief Judge on October 1, 2006....
- Whitney North SeymourWhitney North SeymourWhitney North Seymour was a prominent New York trial lawyer and bar leader who served in the Hoover Administration and later served as the 84th president of the American Bar Association...
- Wendell Lewis Willkie II
- Suzanne Nora JohnsonSuzanne Nora JohnsonSuzanne Nora Johnson is an American corporate lawyer and executive. Until 2007, she was Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs, Chairman of the Global Markets Institute, head of the firm's Global Investment Research Division, and a member of the firm's Management Committee.Johnson joined Goldman Sachs in...
- Anne-Marie SlaughterAnne-Marie SlaughterAnne-Marie Slaughter was the Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department from January 2009 until February 2011. She is the Bert G...
- Dwight MorrowDwight MorrowDwight Whitney Morrow was an American businessman, politician, and diplomat.-Life:Born in Huntington, West Virginia, he moved with his parents, James E. and Clara Morrow to Allegheny, Pennsylvania in 1875. His father James, was principal of Marshall College, which is now Marshall University...
- Eric Vitaliano
- Lynn Forester de RothschildLynn Forester de RothschildLynn Forester, Lady de Rothschild is the chief executive officer of E.L. Rothschild, a holding company she owns with her third husband, Sir Evelyn Robert de Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family...
North America
- New York CityNew York CityNew 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...
- Houston
- Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos 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...
- Palo Alto
- 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....