Winston & Strawn LLP

United States 2024

National Rankings

121

Metro Rankings

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General Information

Practice Areas

128

Individuals recognized in Best Lawyers

281

Client Comments

Year founded: 1853

This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.

Overview

Content is provided by the firm.

Winston & Strawn LLP is an international law firm with more than 900 attorneys among 16 offices in Brussels; Charlotte; Chicago; Dallas; Hong Kong; Houston; London; Los Angeles; Miami; New York; Paris; San Francisco; Sao Paulo; Shanghai; Silicon Valley; and Washington, DC.

Winston was founded in Chicago in 1853 by Frederick H. Winston, who was joined by the firm’s other name partner, Silas H. Strawn, in 1894. Winston has built its reputation on the quality and character of its lawyers, past and present, many of whom are recognized leaders in the American legal community. The firm’s history of more than 160 years is a chronicle of individuals and events that have helped shape it and create the strong foundation on which it continues to build. In the past two decades, a series of mergers, office openings and lateral hires has resulted in a global law firm with 18 offices across the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The legal profession continues to consolidate globally, and Winston will continue to expand its global presence so it can serve its clients wherever it is needed.

The firm serves the needs of enterprises of all types and sizes, in both the private and public sectors. The exceptional depth and geographic reach of its resources enable Winston to manage virtually every type of business-related legal issue.

The firm understands that clients look for value beyond just legal expertise. With this in mind, Winston works hard to understand the level of involvement its clients require of it. The firm’s lawyers take time to learn about clients’ organizations and their business objectives. Significant emphasis is placed on technology and teamwork in an effort to respond quickly and effectively to clients’ needs.

Winston remains committed to the traditions of client service, professional development and community involvement instilled by its leaders of the past, while embracing the innovations driving the legal profession in the 21st century.

Firm News

April 8, 2024

The Latest at Winston & Strawn LLP

Rankings

Winston & Strawn LLP is nationally ranked in 36 practice areas and metro ranked in 50 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.

Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms

"Law Firm of the Year" Awards

2024 "Law Firm of the Year" in Sports Law

National Rankings

Tier 1

Tier 1 for Antitrust Law

Tier 1 for Appellate Practice

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Metro Rankings

Charlotte

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance

Tier 1 for Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law

Tier 2 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 2 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Select Clients

Abbott Laboratories
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Dell Inc.
Discover Financial Services
Google Inc.
JP Morgan
Monsanto Co.
Motorola Mobility LLC
Motorola Solutions, Inc.
National Football League Players Association
Nissan
Omnicare, Inc.
Panasonic Corporation
Philip Morris USA, Inc.
Tate & Lyle
The Charles Schwab Corporation
Verizon Wireless and Verizon Communications
Wells Fargo Bank

Highlighted Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.

Environmental Law

Winston & Strawn is my "go to" firm for environmental issues.

Energy Law

The attorneys at Winston & Strawn have excellent knowledge of energy law.

Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

We have worked with Winston & Strawn to develop an absolutely consistent strategy that has worked very well and saved us substantial amounts of time, energy, and money.

Commercial Litigation

The attorneys that I deal with at Winston & Strawn are simply the best at cutting to the chase.

Energy Law

Winston & Strawn is best in Administrative Law litigation for our industry sector and best for legal and regulatory issues associated with facility decommissioning.

Litigation - Labor and Employment

Winston & Strawn always works toward a solution instead of grandstanding.

Employment Law - Management

Patience and understanding underlie Winston & Strawn's success.

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

I have used Winston & Strawn for many years to deal with a variety of issues. I have always found the firm's attorneys to be highly responsive, and their advice-both technical and practical-spot on.

Litigation - Antitrust

Winston & Strawn are highly experienced lawyers for criminal investigation and complex litigation. There is an authority in each field.

Litigation - Intellectual Property

Winston & Strawn is hands down the best generic side ANDA/Hatch-Waxman patent litigation group. We go to Winston for our most important cases, and they deliver time and again.

Environmental Law

The attorneys in Winston & Strawn’s environmental department are experts in their field, with a wide range of experience. They are responsive, effective, and very business practical.

Employment Law - Management

The employment team at Winston & Strawn is extremely competent and dedicated to getting the best results for their clients. This team successfully defended our company in a lengthy and complex trial.

Antitrust Law

Working on an antitrust case involving a hospital merger is extremely complex for a layman. Our lead attorney, David Dahlquist, with Winston & Strawn has been great. He keeps use updated every step of the way.

Energy Law

Our firm uses Winston & Strawn as our number one resource in legal matters. The partners and associates are highly knowledgeable and responsive to our questions and also commercially reasonable to work with for our clients. Winston takes complicated issues and explains them in a way so that the business side can understand how the deal is impacted. I would highly recommend Winston as a resource for any legal needs.

Energy Law

Winston & Strawn consistently gives great advice and does so in a very efficient and timely manner. I work with Lisa Cottle in their San Francisco office frequently and she is great to work with; she’s very knowledgeable, professional, and helpful.

Litigation - Patent

We've had a lot of success with Winston & Strawn working on litigation matters, and at reasonable costs. Winston strikes a great balance between expertise and cost.

Litigation - Bankruptcy

Winston & Strawn are experienced from both sides of bankruptcy. They have a clear understanding of the mechanics that leads to creative strategy.

Pete Pannes – National Mortgage Insurance Corp.

Commercial Litigation

Winston & Strawn gets up to speed quickly with complex issues; and are razor sharp when developing a strategy.

Pete Pannes – National Mortgage Insurance Corp.

Litigation - Patent

John Keville and his team at Winston & Strawn are exceptional. They were thorough, prepared, and highly strategic in case planning and execution. It is fairly rare to have top notch litigation skills blended with superb technical analytics.

Robert P. K. Mooney – True Science Holdings

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Michael Falk of Winston & Strawn is a real star in the Employee Benefits area. He is especially knowledgeable in navigating the traps through Code Section 409A issues.

Gary Holihan – Law Offices of Gary M. Holihan, P.C.

Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Bob Julian of Winston & Strawn is one of the best in the business.

William Brandt, Jr. – Development Specialists, Inc.

Rankings

"Law Firm of the Year" Awards

2024 "Law Firm of the Year" in Sports Law

National Rankings

Tier 1

Tier 1 for Antitrust Law

Tier 1 for Appellate Practice

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Tier 1 for Employment Law - Management

Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Antitrust

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 1 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 1 for Project Finance Law

Tier 1 for Railroad Law

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Tier 1 for Sports Law

Tier 1 for Tax Law

Tier 2

Tier 2 for Admiralty and Maritime Law

Tier 2 for Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television

Tier 2 for Environmental Law

Tier 2 for Health Care Law

Tier 2 for International Arbitration - Governmental

Tier 2 for Litigation - Environmental

Tier 2 for Oil and Gas Law

Tier 2 for Patent Law

Tier 2 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law

Tier 3

Tier 3 for Energy Law

Tier 3 for International Arbitration - Commercial

Tier 3 for Labor Law - Management

Tier 3 for Litigation - Banking and Finance

Tier 3 for Securitization and Structured Finance Law

Metro Rankings

Charlotte

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance

Tier 1 for Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law

Tier 2 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 2 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 2 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 2 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 3 for Bet-the-Company Litigation

Chicago

Tier 1 for Antitrust Law

Tier 1 for Appellate Practice

Tier 1 for Arbitration

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bet-the-Company Litigation

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Tier 1 for Employment Law - Management

Tier 1 for Environmental Law

Tier 1 for International Arbitration - Commercial

Tier 1 for Litigation - Antitrust

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 1 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Tier 1 for Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants

Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 1 for Patent Law

Tier 1 for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Tier 2 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 2 for International Arbitration - Governmental

Tier 2 for Litigation - Environmental

Tier 2 for Real Estate Law

Tier 2 for Tax Law

Tier 3 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Dallas/Fort Worth

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bet-the-Company Litigation

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Governance Law

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television

Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 1 for Litigation - Securities

Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Tier 1 for Tax Law

Tier 2 for Antitrust Law

Tier 2 for Appellate Practice

Tier 2 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law

Tier 2 for Securitization and Structured Finance Law

Tier 3 for Information Technology Law

Houston

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Tier 1 for Oil and Gas Law

Tier 1 for Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Tier 2 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

Tier 2 for Litigation - Environmental

Tier 3 for Banking and Finance Law

Los Angeles

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 2 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

Tier 2 for Real Estate Law

Tier 3 for Litigation - Banking and Finance

Miami

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Bankruptcy

Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Tier 2 for International Trade and Finance Law

Tier 3 for Litigation - Securities

Tier 3 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Tier 3 for Securities Regulation

New York City

Tier 1 for Antitrust Law

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Energy Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Antitrust

Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 1 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Tier 1 for Project Finance Law

Tier 1 for Sports Law

Tier 1 for Tax Law

Tier 2 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 2 for Corporate Law

Tier 2 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 2 for Health Care Law

Tier 2 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law

Tier 2 for Railroad Law

Tier 2 for Real Estate Law

Tier 3 for Entertainment Law - Music

Tier 3 for Labor Law - Management

Tier 3 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

San Francisco

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television

Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 1 for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Tier 2 for Employment Law - Management

Tier 2 for Litigation - Environmental

Washington, D.C.

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 1 for Railroad Law

Tier 2 for Admiralty and Maritime Law

Tier 2 for Insurance Law

Tier 2 for Litigation - Antitrust

Tier 2 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 2 for Tax Law

Practice Areas

The below are areas of legal specialty volunteered by the firm and do not designate a specialty in which a Best Law Firms ranking is held.

Admiralty and Maritime Law
Antitrust Law
Appellate Practice
Arbitration
Banking and Finance Law
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Bet-the-Company Litigation
Commercial Litigation
Communications Law
Copyright Law
Corporate Law
Criminal Defense: General Practice
Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Employment Law - Individuals
Employment Law - Management
Energy Law
Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television
Entertainment Law - Music
Environmental Law
Health Care Law
Insurance Law
Labor Law - Management
Litigation - Antitrust
Litigation - Banking and Finance
Litigation - Bankruptcy
Litigation - Environmental
Litigation - Intellectual Property
Litigation - Labor and Employment
Litigation - Patent
Litigation and Controversy - Tax
Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants
Mediation
Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Patent Law
Product Liability Litigation - Defendants
Real Estate Law
Securities / Capital Markets Law
Sports Law
Tax Law
Trademark Law
Trusts and Estates

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America^®

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Client Comments

Editions

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Awards

Awards are self-reported by firms and are not verified by the Best Law Firms rankings.

National Law Journal IP Hot List 2013
Chicago Litigation Department of the Year - IP
Hatch-Waxman (Generic) Litigation Team of the Year - LMG Life Sciences
4th in Patent Litigation Survey - Corporate Counsel
"High Yield Deal of the Year" - IFLR 2013 Europe Awards
ALM Arbitration Scorecard - Biggest Defense Wins & One of Top Firms
Minority Corporate Counsel Association 2016 George B. Vashon Innovator Award
Chambers USA 2016 finalist in the “Most Pioneering Firm for Female Lawyers”
Recognized as a Leading Law Firm by Equality Illinois for LGBT Inclusion
Named to Law360 “Litigation Powerhouses” List
Law360 Sports Group of the Year
Law360 Food & Beverage Group of the Year
David Dahlquist Named American Lawyer “Litigator of the Week”
Shargel & Webb Named to Benchmark Litigation’s Top Trial Lawyers
Texas Lawyer''s Litigation Department of the Year: IP
Winston Deal Wins M&A Advisor International M&A Award
Winston Attorneys Recognized as Litigation Stars in Benchmark Litigation
National Law Journal's Chicago Litigation Department of the Year by
Jeffrey Kessler Named American Lawyer “Litigator of the Week”
Three Spots in National Law Journal’s Top 100 Verdicts of 2015
Finalist for American Lawyer's 2014 IP Litigation Department of the Year
Ranked as 4th Busiest Patent Litigation Firm
Winston Receives Perfect Score on 2016 Corporate Equality Index
Global Arbitration Review GAR 100
"2013 Go-To Law Firm for the Top 500 Companies" (ALM)
The Recorder Top Employment Law Firms
Law360 White Collar Practice Groups of the Year
National Law Journal IP Hot List
Financial Times US Innovative Lawyers
100 Percent Rating in Human Rights Campaign's 2013 Corporate Equality Index
MCCA Diversity Innovator Award
Transformative Leadership Award - Firm Wide Policies
2012 Equality Illinois Law Firm Survey
Advertising, Marketing & Entertainment Law Practice Named Media and Entertainment Group of the Year
4 Winston attorneys named "Litigator of the Week" by American Lawyer in 2012 – the most of any firm