Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm whose clients look to us to bring a distinctively high degree of quality, intensity and creativity to resolve their legal challenges effectively and cost-efficiently. Deep partner commitment, industry experience and a strategic approach enable the firm to bring clear commercial judgment to every matter. We draw on the strength of our culture and structure to deliver the best of the firm to every client through true collaboration.
Our Corporate Department’s work spans the full range of general corporate, transactional and regulatory representations, with practices including Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, Funds/Investment Management, Capital Markets, Finance, Restructuring, Real Estate, Insurance, Banking, Intellectual Property and Environmental. We have a strong track record of advising private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, as well as clients in the insurance, banking, healthcare, technology, media, aviation, and consumer and retail industries. More than 90% of our corporate partners are ranked by Chambers, The Legal 500 or IFLR1000.
Our Litigation Department comprises leading practices in White Collar & Regulatory Defense, International Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property Litigation, Commercial Litigation and Data Strategy & Security, as well as the Strategic Crisis Response Group, which brings together a deeply experienced global team to help organizations and boards navigate their most critical issues. With more than 20 former prosecutors and senior government officials—including over a dozen former Assistant U.S. Attorneys, as well as former Attorneys General of both the United States and the United Kingdom—Debevoise litigators bring deep government experience to client matters. The Department includes the former Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mary Jo White; the former Director of the Division of Enforcement at the SEC, Andrew Ceresney; and the Honorable John Gleeson, a former federal district court judge.
Our Tax Department works closely with the firm’s corporate lawyers in structuring complex transactions. The Department also focuses on tax planning and advice for business entities, high-net-worth individuals and exempt organizations, and includes an active executive compensation and employee benefits practice. Based in New York, London and Paris, our Tax Group handles matters in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. The Group is fluent in domestic and international issues, well-connected with a network of local practitioners, and excels at cross-border transactions and multijurisdictional tax planning.
In addition to outstanding client service, the firm’s commitment to pro bono is one of our hallmarks, and we bring the same rigor and intensity to our pro bono work as we do to our fee-earning work. Every year, we work on significant matters that reflect our commitment to creating a more just society and that are fundamental to who we are as individuals and lawyers. The Holloway Project, which seeks to reduce unduly harsh prison sentences faced by prisoners, largely men of color, is among the firm’s most important pro bono initiatives. Since the inception of the project in 2016, Debevoise has achieved sentence reductions or full releases for 55 total clients. The average reduction in our clients’ sentences is more than 40 years, and through our efforts, we have so far shaved off total of more than 2,200 years off prison time.
Debevoise is committed to building and sustaining an inclusive firm community. Our women lawyers hold prominent leadership positions in our Corporate and Litigation Departments. The firm’s Deputy Presiding Partner and Senior Chair are both women and we have women lawyers, lawyers of color and LGBTQ+ lawyers in other key positions throughout the firm.
The recognition Debevoise has received for diversity over the past year includes:
For more information, please visit debevoise.com.
