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Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

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Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP (known as Morgan Lewis) is an American international law firm with approximately 2,200 legal professionals in 31 offices across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Mergers with other law firms stimulated global growth and led to a ranking of eighth on The American Lawyer's 2018 top 100 firms by gross revenue list.[2] It is also the largest law firm chaired by a woman and represents "three-quarters of the Fortune 100 companies."[3]

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Morgan Lewis
Headquarters2222 Market Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
No. of offices34
No. of attorneys2,200
Major practice areasCorporate Law, Labor and Employment, Litigation, Regulatory, Intellectual Property, Energy and Environmental, Financial services, Healthcare and life sciences, Retail and E-commerce, Technology
Key peopleJami Wintz McKeon, Firm Chair
RevenueIncrease US$2.90 billion (2023)[1]
Date foundedMarch 10, 1873; 151 years ago (1873-03-10)
Founders
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitewww.morganlewis.com

Morgan Lewis is known for high-profile pro bono representations and for filing a historic amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 on behalf of 379 companies, making a business case for legalizing same-sex marriage across the country. In the 2024 Vault Rankings, Morgan Lewis ranked No. 1 for Pro Bono, No. 2 for Associate/Partner Relations, No. 2 for Formal Training, No. 3 for Diversity, and No. 33 Overall.[4]

History

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19th century

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Morgan Lewis was founded in Philadelphia on March 10, 1873, by Civil War veteran Charles Eldridge Morgan, Jr., who later served as Philadelphia Law Academy's vice president,[5][6] and Francis Draper Lewis, son of a wholesale dry goods merchant, whose first cousin was William Draper Lewis,[7] the dean of University of Pennsylvania Law School.

In 1883, Morgan & Lewis hired Morris Rex Bockius, who had graduated in June of that year with Master of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.[8] He became a partner fifteen years after he joined the firm, which he then led until his death in 1939. The firm became Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in 1908, though is still commonly referred to by its sobriquet, "Morgan Lewis."[9][10]

The firm began representing the United Gas Improvement Company, later UGI, in 1882, which became the largest gas and electric utility company in the United States and which, well over a century later, remained a client of the firm. From the early 20th century, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius represented many other companies, including Philadelphia's largest daily newspaper, Philadelphia Bulletin; Pennsylvania's largest railroad, Baldwin Locomotive Works; Scott Paper; and several major banks and trust companies.[11][12]

20th century

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In 1963, Morgan Lewis hired its first female law associate, Gail McKnight Beckman, daughter of Deputy Secretary of Banking of Pennsylvania Irland McKnight Beckman and family psychology author Elizabeth B. Hurlock,[13] and, in 1980, Stephanie Abramson, became its first female law partner; she is now Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law and Director of Law and Business Experiential Classes at New York University School of Law.[14]

21st century

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Morgan, Lewis & Bockius was the original holder of the web domain name MLB.com. In September 2000, they agreed to transfer the domain name to Major League Baseball.[15] Elected in 2015, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is an alumnus of the firm.[16]

Following the chairmanships of Thomas Lefevre,[17] then Francis "Fran" Milone,[18] in 2014, Jami Wintz McKeon– who had started with the firm in 1981 –was elected to chair the firm, distinguishing her as leading the largest female-chaired law firm in the world. Re-elected in 2018;[19] McKeon is a proponent of work flexibility, such as remote work,[20] and has received numerous professional awards, including, in 2017, being named a "Client Service All-Star" by BTT Consulting Group and a "Business Hall of Fame Icon" by The Philadelphia Inquirer.[21] During McKeon's tenure, the firm has continued to scale its national and international presence, growing into one of the largest law firms in the world.[22] Under her leadership, the firm has also been recognized annually with Gold Standard Certification by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF).[23]

In 2012, Morgan Lewis partner and head of the U.S. Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation practice Ted Cruz left Morgan Lewis upon becoming a United States Senator.[24][25]

In 2015, Morgan Lewis filed a historic amicus brief for the definitive Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges, on behalf of 379 companies, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Walmart, JPMorgan Chase, and the New England Patriots,[26] which argued "a business case for legalizing same-sex marriage across the country."[27][28] Partner Susan Baker Manning, who authored the brief,[29] in 2018, was added as a full-time senior trial lawyer to the firm's pro bono group led by senior counsel Rachel Strong, with focus remaining primarily on refugee and civil rights,[30] and "issue-based litigation", according to firm chair Jami McKeon.[31] The firm is an affiliate firm of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA).[32]

In 2018, former Morgan Lewis partner John Ring was confirmed by the National Labor Relations Board, one of several firm partners who have served on its board, including Harry Johnson and senior counsel Charles Cohen.[33]

In 2018, Morgan Lewis published findings of its investigation into sexual harassment at NPR, led by the head the firm's labor and employment group, partner Grace Speights, with partner Margaret Rodgers Schmidt and associate Jocelyn Cuttino; which precipitated the apologetic resignation of NPR's senior vice-president of News, Michael Oreskes.[34] Morgan Lewis recommendations were noted as offering "broad guidance for companies that are taking fresh looks at their own practices."[35] In February 2018, former Humane Society CEO Wayne Pacelle also resigned amid similar allegations, while under investigation by the firm; The National Law Journal referenced Morgan Lewis as working on the "front lines" in representing cases central to "long-overdue reforms in workplaces toxic to women."[36]

In March 2019, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission member and lead drafter of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act Chai Feldblum, whose term had expired January 4,[37] became a partner of the firm, then stating to Bloomberg Law that the move from public service to a "Big Law management-side firm", considered unusual, was the best way to help employers implement the workplace harassment guidelines outlined by herself and Victoria Lipnic at the EEOC, describing the firm as "the place from which to help make that institutional change”, of preventing harassment in the workplace.[38]

In November 2023, amid a wave of antisemitic incidents at elite U.S. law schools, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius was among a group of major law firms who sent a letter to top law school deans warning them that an escalation in incidents targeting Jewish students would have corporate hiring consequences. The letter said "We look to you to ensure your students who hope to join our firms after graduation are prepared to be an active part of workplace communities that have zero tolerance policies for any form of discrimination or harassment, much less the kind that has been taking place on some law school campuses."[39]

Mergers and office locations

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Morgan Lewis was among the avant garde of multinational law firms when its first international office opened in London in 1981[40] and, today, includes more than 2000 legal professionals worldwide,[41] with offices in Abu Dhabi; Beijing; Boston; Brussels; Century City, California; Chicago; Costa Mesa, California; Dallas; Dubai; Frankfurt; Hartford, Connecticut; Hong Kong; Houston; Almaty and Astana, Kazakhstan; London; Los Angeles; Miami; Moscow; New York; Palo Alto (Silicon Valley), California; Paris; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Princeton, New Jersey; San Francisco; Shanghai; Singapore; Tokyo; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, Delaware.[42]

On November 14, 2014, Morgan Lewis's partnership voted to admit 227 partners from Bingham McCutchen LLP into the firm as partners, scaling Morgan Lewis into one of the largest law firms in the world, with the addition of 750 partners, attorneys, and staff joining Morgan Lewis on November 24, 2014.[43][44] On March 15, 2015, Morgan Lewis and Singapore's Stamford Law Corporation announced a combination that created a fully integrated law firm in Singapore. The combination established a business transactions, litigation, and arbitration practice to serve clients with interests in Singapore and across the expanding Asian marketplace.[45][46]

As of 1 March 2019, Morgan Lewis has 31 offices in the United States, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.[47]

Client representation

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Morgan Lewis & Bockius clients include 75 per cent of all Fortune 100 companies, nearly 300 Fortune 500 companies, 65 Fortune Global 100 companies, and nearly half of all Fortune Global 500 companies. Morgan Lewis has also been named among the top 10 BigLaw firm ranked by pro bono hours,[48] with over 1800 pro bono clients,[31] and 117,000 hours contributed to 2,234 pro bono matters by firm attorneys in 2018.[30]

Notable pro bono clients include John Thompson (1963 – 2017), represented by Michael L. Banks and J. Gordon Cooney Jr., whose execution was stayed in 1999 based on forensic evidence which had been "deliberately hidden" by a former assistant prosecutor; Thompson was finally freed in 2003.[49] A book based on Thompson's legal misfortunes, Killing Time: An 18-year Odyssey from Death Row to Freedom, by John Hollway and Ronald M. Gauthier, was optioned for a film by Touchstone Pictures in 2009.[50] Attorneys Christina K. Harper and George Cumming waged a successful 11-year pro bono legal battle to gain freedom for Kelly Savage, whose sentence for a 1995 murder conviction was commuted in 2017 by California Governor Jerry Brown.[51][52][53]

Represented pro bono by Morgan Lewis & Bockius, with Lambda Legal and Immigration Equality;[54] in October 2020, the United States Department of State withdrew its appeal of the verdict in Kiviti v. Pompeo, and declined to appeal Mize-Gregg v. Pompeo.[55] Federal district courts ruled the State Department's refusal to recognize children born oversees to married same-sex, American citizen couples as U.S. citizens to be unlawful in both cases.[54][56] Morgan Lewis partner Susan Baker Manning argued both cases, successfully challenging the State Department's policy of denying children born outside of the U.S. to some American same-sex, married couples birthright citizenship.[54]

As outside counsel, the firm has represented Elon Musk, including in a lawsuit filed by former Twitter executives, in April 2024, alleging that Musk and X Corp withheld severance pay.[57]

U.S. presidents and presidential candidates

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Morgan Lewis has represented several prominent politicians in various venues, including:

  • Donald Trump – Morgan, Lewis & Bockius represented United States President Donald Trump, advising him and the Trump Organization from 2005 to January 2021.[58] Critics have accused Morgan Lewis of aiding Trump in using his presidential office for personal gain.[58] The Wallace Global Fund fired Morgan Lewis over its ties to Trump.[59] Morgan Lewis issued a letter in May 2017 stating they had examined Trump's tax returns and found no significant financial connection to Russia.[60] Sheri Dillon, a member of the firm, is Donald Trump's former tax attorney.
  • Morgan Lewis partner James Hamilton was one of three assistant chief counsellors of the United States Senate Watergate Committee during 1973 - 1974,[61] the findings of which prompted the impeachment process against Richard Nixon that led to Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974. Hamilton was reported by the Washingtonian, in 2016, as the "go-to guy for Democratic nominees in search of a vice-presidential pick;" he has vetted running mates for:[62]
  • Hillary Clinton, in 2016
  • Barack Obama (with Eric Holder and Caroline Kennedy), in 2008
  • John Kerry, in 2004
  • Al Gore, in 2000.

Awards and honors

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Since 2008, Morgan Lewis has been named annually as among the "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality" by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).[63]

The firm's Moscow office was recognized by Chambers & Partners’ 2016 Chambers Europe guide as the "Russia Law Firm of the Year" for excellence in client service, preeminence in the Russian relevant market, notable achievements and wins during 2016, outstanding work, and strategic growth.[64]

In 2016 and 2017, Morgan Lewis was named among "America's Best Corporate Law Firms" by the NYSE Governance Service and FTI Consulting, Inc.[65][66]

In 2018, the Justice and Diversity Center (JDC) awarded Morgan Lewis its "Outstanding Law Firm in Public Service Award" for exceptional pro bono of JDC Legal Services and Diversity programs.[67]

In August 2018, Morgan Lewis was named among the 41 law firms to receive the first Mansfield Certifications, awarded for diversity hiring practices.[68]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The 2021 Am Law 100 Ranked by: Gross Revenue". The American Lawyer. 20 April 2021.
  2. ^ McLellan, Lizzy "How Morgan Lewis Grew Into a Powerhouse on Its Own Terms", April 24, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  3. ^ "Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Firm Profile", Chambers and Partners. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP | Company Profile". Firsthand. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  5. ^ Philomathean Society "Charles Eldridge Morgan (1844 - 1917)," PENN BIOGRAPHIES, PENN University Libraries and Records Center, Philomathean Society, University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  6. ^ Philomathean Society History of the Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania, 1913, page 174. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  7. ^ Draper, Thomas Waln-Morgan The Drapers in America, J. Polhemus Printing Company, New York, USA, 1892. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  8. ^ U of Pennsylvania Archived 2016-01-13 at the Wayback Machine "Catalogue and Announcements 1883 - 1884", University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Penn., USA, 1884, page 104. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  9. ^ International Directory of Company Histories, Volume 29, by Thomas Derdak and Tina Grant, St. James Press, 1999, page 332. 978-1558623880.
  10. ^ St. John, G. J. sinjinlands, by Gerard J. St. John, lulu.com, USA, 2011, pages 193 and 202. ISBN 978-1105559938.
  11. ^ Company-Histories.com "Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP", 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  12. ^ Vault "Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP", Vault.com Inc., 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  13. ^ Obituary "Gail Beckman Obituary" reprinted from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Nov. 22, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  14. ^ PLI "Faculty/Author Profile — Stephanie Abramson — New York University — Dean, Graduate Professional and Executive Education Programs, NYU Shanghai, New York, NY, USA, Practicing Law Institute. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  15. ^ "Morgan Lewis Pitches Web Address To Major League Baseball" "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-08. Retrieved 2014-11-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ Morgan Lewis "Morgan Lewis Alumni Spotlight — Robert Manfred", Morgan Lewis & Bockius, 2015.
  17. ^ Blumenthal, Jeff "Lefevre made a mark at Morgan, UGI", Philadelphia Business Journal, American City Business Journals, July 2, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  18. ^ Blumenthal, Jeff "McKeon, Milone talk Morgan Lewis transition", Philadelphia Business Journal, American City Business Journals, October 1, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  19. ^ Blumenthal, Jeff "Philadelphia Business Journal, American City Business Journals, September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
  20. ^ Lat, David (March 8, 2017). "Another Biglaw Firm Jumps On The Telecommuting Bandwagon". Above The Law.
  21. ^ Morgan Lewis "Jami Wintz McKeon Partner, Chair of the Firm", Morgan Lewis & Bockius company profiles. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  22. ^ Strom, Roy "Kirkland Overtakes Latham as World’s Biggest Firm by Revenue", Law.com, March 21, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  23. ^ WILEF Women in Law Empowerment Forum, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  24. ^ "Ted Cruz made $1 million as lawyer while campaigning for Senate in 2012". Dallas News. 2013-08-05. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  25. ^ Eckholm, Erik (2012-08-01). "A Republican Voice With Tea Party Mantle and Intellectual Heft". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  26. ^ Cadei, Emily "HOW CORPORATE AMERICA PROPELLED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE", Newsweek, June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  27. ^ Ingraham, Nathan "Apple, Facebook, Comcast, and hundreds of others ask Supreme Court for nationwide marriage equality", The Verge, March 5, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  28. ^ "Morgan Lewis Creates Role for 'Large Impact' Pro Bono Matters", by Lizzy McLellan, The Legal Intelligencer (Law.com), January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  29. ^ "Business Won Big, Lost Big At Supreme Court This Term" by Daniel Fisher, Forbes, July 2, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  30. ^ a b "Morgan Lewis Adds Trial Attorney to Grow Pro Bono Group", by Melissa Heelan Stanzione, Bloomberg BNA, January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  31. ^ MCCA "Morgan Lewis", MINORITY CORPORATE COUNSEL ASSOCIATION, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  32. ^ Morath, Eric "Trump Shakes Up NLRB Leadership", The Wall Street Journal, April 13, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  33. ^ Ember, Sydney "NPR C.E.O. Jarl Mohn Apologizes to Staff, Goes on Leave", New York Times, November 7, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  34. ^ Mulvaney, Erin "Inside the Morgan Lewis Investigation of Alleged Misconduct at NPR", National Law Journal,| February 21, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  35. ^ Hancock, Ben "Morgan, Lewis & Bockius", The National Law Journal, May 28, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  36. ^ Biography: Chai Feldblum Archived 2009-03-17 at the Wayback Machine, Georgetown University Law Center. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  37. ^ "EEOC’s Feldblum One of Few Labor Officials to Cross Party Lines" by Stephanie Russell-Kraft, Bloomberg Law, March 14, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  38. ^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; Merced, Michael J. de la; Hirsch, Lauren; Livni, Ephrat (2 November 2023). "Law Firms Warn Universities About Antisemitism on Campus". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  39. ^ "Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP History", Funding Universe. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  40. ^ "Organizational Profile of Morgan Lewis". The National Law Review. 14 December 2017. ISSN 2161-3362.
  41. ^ "Our Firm". www.morganlewis.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  42. ^ "Morgan Lewis Partnership Votes to Admit 227 Partners From Bingham McCutchen" "Morgan Lewis Partnership Votes to Admit 227 Partners from Bingham McCutchen - Yahoo Finance". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  43. ^ Smith, Jennifer "Done Deal: Most of Bingham McCutchen Now Officially Part of Morgan Lewis," Wall Street Journal, November 24, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  44. ^ "Law firm Morgan Lewis opens Singapore office through Stamford deal". Reuters. 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  45. ^ "Morgan Lewis to Combine with Stamford Law in Singapore to Establish Major Asian Hub". www.morganlewis.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  46. ^ "Locations". www.morganlewis.com. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  47. ^ Rubino, Kathryn Which Biglaw Firm Is Best For Pro Bono? (2017) The pro bono all stars!", Above the Law, August 8, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  48. ^ Roberts, Sam "John Thompson, Cleared After 14 Years on Death Row, Dies at 55", The New York Times, October 4, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  49. ^ Weiss, D.C. "Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to Portray Morgan Lewis Lawyers", by Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal, American Bar Association, August 25, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  50. ^ Pishko, Jessica "Serving Life for Surviving Abuse", The Atlantic, January 26, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  51. ^ "Morgan Lewis Secures Victory for Domestic Abuse Survivor After Decade-Long Fight", MorganLewis.com, December 27, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  52. ^ Law, Victoria "Why Is California Keeping Kelly Savage in Prison for a Crime She Didn’t Commit?", Truthout, November 29, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  53. ^ a b c Greene, Jenna (27 May 2021). "Pro Bono Hero: How Morgan Lewis partner Manning helped win citizenship for babies of same-sex couples". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  54. ^ Ring, Trudy (27 October 2020). "State Dept. Quits Fight Over Citizenship of Same-Sex Couples' Kids". advocate.com. The Advocate. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  55. ^ "Victory! State Department Withdraws Appeal in Cases of Same-Sex Couples' Children Refused Passports". www.lambdalegal.org. Lambda Legal. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  56. ^ Baxter, Brian (12 Mar 2024). "Musk's X Taps Morgan Lewis to Handle Twitter Execs' Pay Suit". Bloomberg Law. Bloomberg. Retrieved 30 Apr 2024.
  57. ^ a b Chris Mondics (April 4, 2017). "Investment fund, irked over Trump representation, fires Morgan Lewis". Philly.com. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  58. ^ Dahlia Lithwick (April 1, 2017). "With Stunning Moral Clarity, Wallace Global Fund Fires Firm That Endorsed Donald Trump's Kleptocracy". Slate. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  59. ^ "Trump lawyers push back against Russia ties in letter". Associated Press. LA Times. May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  60. ^ Bloomberg Professional Services Company Overview of BMC PARTNERS LLP", Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  61. ^ Freed, Benjamin. "Meet the DC Lawyer Helping Hillary Clinton Pick a Running Mate", Washingtonian, June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  62. ^ HRC Archived 2020-02-15 at the Wayback Machine "Best Places to Work 2018", Human Rights Campaign, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  63. ^ Mahita Gajanan (January 11, 2017). "Donald Trump's Legal Team Won a 'Russia Law Firm of The Year' Award". Fortune. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  64. ^ FTI Archived 2021-04-16 at the Wayback Machine "NYSE Governance Services & FTI Consulting Announce 16th Annual Corporate Law Firms Rankings", FTI Consulting, May 25, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  65. ^ FTI Archived 2021-01-21 at the Wayback Machine "NYSE Governance Services and FTI Consulting Announce 17th Annual Corporate Law Firms Rankings", FTI Consulting, May 16, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  66. ^ SF Bar Assoc. Archived 2019-12-05 at the Wayback Machine "Justice & Diversity Center Honors Outstanding Volunteers" The Bar Association of San Francisco, April 11, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  67. ^ Tribe, Meghan "Diversity Initiative Names 'Certified' Firms for Women, Minority Leadership . Over 40 law firms can now call themselves 'Mansfield Certified'". August 20, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
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