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| firm_name = Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
| firm_name = Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
| firm_logo =
| firm_logo =
| headquarters = [[New York, New York]]
| headquarters = [[San Francisco, CA]]
| num_offices = 14
| num_offices = 14
| num_attorneys = approximately 800
| num_attorneys = approximately 800

Revision as of 02:34, 23 July 2009

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
HeadquartersSan Francisco, CA
No. of offices14
No. of attorneysapproximately 800
Key peopleJames M. Rishwain, Jr., Firm Chair[1]; Stephen B. Huttler, Executive Vice Chair[2]
Date founded1868
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitewww.pillsburylaw.com

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is an international, full-service law firm with strengths in the energy, financial services, real estate and technology sectors and offices located throughout the United States and the world, including key financial centers such as New York, London, Tokyo and Shanghai.[3]

History

Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro was established in San Francisco following the California Gold Rush, helping to create such giants as Chevron and Pacific Bell, now known as AT&T. Mergers with Los Angeles-based Lillick & McHose in 1990 and Washington, DC-based Cushman Darby & Cushman in 1996 created a presence on both coasts for the firm, and a 2001 merger with Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts expanded the New York office.[4]

Pillsbury as it is known today is the product of a 2005 merger between Pillsbury Winthrop and DC-based Shaw Pittman, a large 300 lawyer law firm with strengths in global sourcing, energy, real estate, technology and communications.[4] Stimson, Putnam & Roberts, the New York precursor to Winthrop, can trace itself back to 1868 by future Secretary of State and Nobel Peace laureate Elihu Root.[4]

Offices

Pillsbury currently has 14 offices worldwide in:[5] Template:MultiCol

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Notable Work

  • As Guantanamo Bay attorneys, lead counsel on Al Odah v. United States, one of the two lead cases arguing for the habeas corpus rights of Guantanamo Bay detainees. On June 12, 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that Guantanamo Bay detainees have rights under the Constitution to challenge their detention in U.S. civilian courts.
  • Co-authored a key amicus brief on a pro bono basis on behalf of more than 60 Asian-American Bar Associations and community groups in California's historic same-sex marriage case. The California Supreme Court overturned California’s ban on gay marriages on May 15, stating that depriving gays and lesbians of the same rights as other citizens is unconstitutional.

Awards & Recognition

  • Asian-Counsel's 2008 UAE Energy Firm of the Year
  • 2008 Black Book of Outsourcing's #1 Global Sourcing legal advisor
  • Winner of a 2008 InnovAction Award from The College of Law Practice Management for its patented business process, ValueChain

Misconduct

Pillsbury has been reprimanded for its representation of a corporate debtor in the bankruptcy case of SONICblue. The federal judge ordered the firm to step down citing the "complete breakdown of creditor confidence" due to the firm's failure to make a required disclosure of a conflict of interest involving a number of hedge funds. Counsel for the official creditors committee gave tacit approval of the conflict as neither law firm brought the matter to the attention of the court.[6] Sequential conflict disclosure misconduct in the SONICblue bankruptcy case has escalated the possible consequences to Pillsbury.[7] The lawyer representing the successor to SONICblue subsequently learned that in addition to the failure to disclose the conflict, the firm also failed to disclose their own withdrawal of funds from the Debtor during the pre-petition preference period and has petitioned the Federal Judge to refer the firm's responsible lawyers for criminal prosecution[8] and is seeking $30 Million in damages from Pillsbury Winthrop and associated parties on the official creditors committee as well as their counsel. [9] [10]

Layoffs

In April 2006, Pillsbury had a round of layoffs. These layoffs were in connection with the merger with Shaw Pitman in April 2005. [11] The layoffs included its unofficial mascot, Martin Macy. [12] Macy, who had started with the firm at the age 17, had been in the San Francisco office for 41 years prior to his dismissal. His was terminated from his position as messenger to save his annual salary of $34,000. [13] At the time, the combined revenue for the partners at the firm had dropped from $780,000 to $760,000 [14] and the firm's assets were over $6 million. [15] To assist Macy, the legal community created a trust fund to which former co-workers, clients and other members of the legal community donated money. [15] The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "His dismissal has become something of a cause celebre in the San Francisco legal community." [15] By April 2007, the alumns had gathered $160,000 for Macy. [16] Macy died in his sleep on February 2008. [17]

References

  1. ^ Rishwain's firm bio
  2. ^ Huttler's firm bio
  3. ^ "Welcome page". Official website. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  4. ^ a b c "History of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman" (JSP). Official website. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
  5. ^ "Offices" (JSP). Official website. Retrieved 2007-05-10.
  6. ^ "BigLaw Firm Bounced From Bankruptcy Case". New York Lawyer. Retrieved March 27, 2007.
  7. ^ "Law Firm Faces Another Conflict Accusation Due to Non-Disclosure". Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Cooper, Rosenlieb & Kimball, LLP. Retrieved Auguest 21, 2008. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ "Motion Asks Judge to Refer Pillsbury Partner for Possible Perjury Prosecution". Retrieved April 17, 2008.
  9. ^ [http://www.bankruptcymisconduct.com/site/content/view/65/89/ - "Pillsbury Winthrop BankruptcyMisconduct"]. Retrieved May 28, 2008. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); line feed character in |url= at position 64 (help)
  10. ^ "Trustee Seeks $30 Million Hit for SonicBlue Law Firms, Creditors". Retrieved April 17, 2008.
  11. ^ "One Year In, Pillsbury Merger Not an Easy Fit", The National Law Journal, Leigh Jones, April 17, 2006
  12. ^ "Beloved staffer downsized at Pillsbury," by Marie-Anne Hogarth, The Recorder, 04/03/2006
  13. ^ "Legal world conjures up a conscience" by Joan Ryan, San Francisco Chornicle, 04/06/2006
  14. ^ Jones
  15. ^ a b c Ryan
  16. ^ "BARometers," The Recorder, 04/13/2007
  17. ^ Niraj Chokshi, "Martin Macy, Ex-Pillsbury 'Mascot,' Dies at 59", The Recorder February 21, 2008

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pillsbury_Winthrop_Shaw_Pittman&oldid=303658621"