Reed Smith
Reed Smith LLP is a global law firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with more than 1,500 lawyers in 30 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. History. Reed Smith was founded in Pittsburgh in 1877 by Philander C. Knox and James H. Reed. The two partners created a relationship with American industrial tycoon, Andrew Carnegie, and the firm grew with Carnegie's business. Large businesses, such as Heinz (company), and personalities – many of whom, like Carnegie, Knox and Reed, were fellow members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club – joined the firm's  client roster, including Andrew Mellon (now The Bank of New York Mellon) and Henry Clay Frick. During the 1880s, Edwin W. Smith and other partners joined the firm and, in 1922, the firm adopted the name Reed Smith Shaw & McClay. During the New Deal era, Reed Smith established a securities practice, and partner Ralph H. Demmler became chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Despite a clear history of refusing repair work to the South Fork Dam, which had been advocated by, most especially, general manager of the Cambria Iron Company and member of the 40th United States Congress and  of the 41st United States Congress, Daniel Johnson Morrell, who had become a member for the express purpose of monitoring the dam's condition; club members Knox and Reed were able to fend off four lawsuits seeking responsibility for the Johnstown Flood of 1889 against the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, stewards of the dam, Colonel Unger, its president, and against 50 named members. Each case was "either settled or discontinued and, as far as is known, no one bringing action profited thereby." The Club was never held legally responsible for the disaster. Knox and Reed successfully argued that  the dam's failure was a natural disaster which was an Act of God, and no legal compensation was paid to the survivors of the flood. The perceived injustice aided the acceptance of “strict, joint, and several liability,” so that a “non-negligent defendant could be held liable for damage caused by the unnatural use of land. From 1970 to the present, the firm engaged in a series of mergers and acquisitions to create one of the largest law firms in the world. In the 1970s, Reed Smith set up office in Washington, DC and in 1989, merged with Washington  firm Pierson, Ball & Dowd, thereby obtaining a health care practice. In 1978, Reed Smith merged with Philadelphia law firm, Townsend Elliott & Munson (which was founded in 1842 by prominent Philadelphia citizen, Joseph B. Townsend whose "pro bono" accomplishments included being Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, Chairman of the Board of Jefferson Medical College, and a Board Manager of Pennsylvania Hospital - see his papers in archives of University of Delaware). Reed Smith opened new offices in New York and New Jersey in the 1990s and acquired a Northern Virginia firm, Hazel & Thomas. During the 2000s Reed Smith experienced rapid international  growth. Acquiring the UK law firm Warner Cranston turned Reed Smith transatlantic in 2001 and it opened offices in Paris and Munich four years later. It opened an office in Delaware and combined with a California law firm, Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May, which moved the firm to among the 20 largest law firms in the US. In 2007 Reed Smith merged with UK law firm, Richards Butler, which added offices in France, Greece, the Middle East and Hong Kong. According to market analyst Adviser Rankings the total market capitalization of Reed Smith's stock market clients in the United Kingdom  is the third highest of all US-law firms. The firm counsels 13 of the world's 15 largest commercial and savings banks; 25 of the world's 35 largest oil and gas companies; and the world's three largest pharmaceutical distribution and wholesale companies. Reed Smith opened their second German office in 2015 in Frankfurt, Germany's financial center, to meet growing client demand in the German market. In 2016, Reed Smith entered into a formal alliance with Singapore firm Resource Law. A year later the firm opened a new office in Miami. On April 30, 2018 Reed Smith  hired Lewis Zirogiannis (General Electric's former Chief Compliance Officer) as a partner for its global regulatory enforcement practice in San Francisco. In 2018, Reed Smith hired 14 lawyers from competitor Norton Rose Fulbright and added a new office in Austin, Texas. In January 2020, the firm hired technology, M&A and private equity lawyer Craig Lilly. Lilly previously led Greenberg Traurig’s Silicon Valley corporate practice group. Recognition. According to "Chambers USA", the firm services clients in matters of bankruptcy, insurance, finance, M&A, labor and employment, and more general litigation, across various industries, including entertainment and media, life sciences, shipping  and finance, and has been awarded 43 "Chambers USA" rankings. "Chambers UK" awards Reed Smith top rankings for shipping, media and entertainment, commodities, and insurance work, and the firm is also ranked in London for its corporate M&A practice and a score of other areas. It is also rated highly for its shipping litigation and climate change work by "Chambers Global". Reed Smith was listed as one of America's Best Corporate Law Firms and one of the 20 world's strongest law firm brands in the 2018 Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index. It was also listed by  market analysts Law360 and BTI Consulting as one of the 20 Elite Global Law Firms. In the financial year of 2018-19 revenues at Reed Smith increased by 5% reaching $1.17 billion and profits per partner grew 7% to $1.26 million. Reed Smith's London office is the firm's largest and generating the 6th highest revenue of all US-law firms in the United Kingdom while highest-earning partners received a profit share of $3.3 million (£2.5 million) over 2017. Notable staff. Attorneys who have worked at Reed Smith include: Popular culture. The firm is  depicted in Laurence Leamer's book "The Price of Justice". Offices. As of January 2018, Reed Smith has 28 offices across three continents. While Pittsburgh and Philadelphia were the two earliest offices practicing law, the London office is the largest office, with over 350 attorneys, . In addition to its offices, Reed Smith has a Global Customer Centre, also located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses Reed Smith's 24/7/365 firm-wide administrative operations, including the Network Operating Center, IT Help Desk and the Business Centre.