Dechert LLP is a worldwide law firm with offices throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
In major business transactions, high-stakes litigation, and other matters, we are committed to achieving our clients’ objectives effectively and efficiently. Our approach to problem-solving starts with a thorough understanding of our clients’ objectives and leads to solutions tailored to our clients’ needs.
Our lawyers have in-depth experience in a broad range of industries and practice areas. We know what it takes to keep our clients ahead of the competition. And with fully integrated offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, and Asia, we have the resources to deliver seamless, high-quality legal services to clients worldwide.
National and International Expansion
Dechert was among the first law firms in the United States to recognize the importance of serving clients abroad, establishing a Brussels office in 1968 and a London office in 1972. Beginning in the mid-‘90s, Dechert’s international presence began to significantly expand, with offices opening in Paris (1995); Luxembourg (2001); Munich (2004); Hong Kong (2007); Beijing (2008); Moscow (2009); Dublin (2010); and Frankfurt, Almaty, Dubai and Tbilisi (2012).
Dechert secured a 32-lawyer Paris team from Coudert Brothers in 1995, which significantly expanded its cross-border corporate/M&A, life sciences and international litigation/arbitration capabilities, as well as its French tax and employment law practices.
In 2000 Dechert merged with Titmuss, Sainer & Webb, a UK firm with roots dating back to the 1930s in London. The merger significantly expanded the international financing and investment funds, litigation, finance and real estate services offered to Dechert clients.
Closer to home, the firm has grown well beyond its Philadelphia roots, opening offices in Washington, D.C. and Harrisburg (1969), New York (1980), Boston and Princeton (1987), Hartford (1996), Orange County (2001), San Francisco (2002), Silicon Valley (2003), Charlotte (2004), Austin (2006), Los Angeles (2011) and Chicago (2012).
Star litigator Andrew Levander and acclaimed antitrust lawyer Paul Denis, along with a group of 63 other Swidler lawyers, joined Dechert’s New York and Washington, D.C. offices in 2005.
Acclaimed Lawyers
Throughout its history, Dechert has attracted, and been shaped by, internationally acclaimed lawyers who have held prominent posts in government and politics before, during and after their association with the firm. Francis Biddle, a partner from 1916 through 1939, held several influential government posts during his time with Dechert, most notably as chair of the National Labor Board, in which capacity he helped to create the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (the Wagner Act), which guaranteed workers the right to form unions and bargain collectively. After leaving the firm, he served as attorney general of the United States for most of World War II, and as the primary American judge during the Nuremberg trials.
Joseph Clark joined the firm in 1934 after practicing law for eight years. In 1951, he was elected mayor of Philadelphia—the city’s first Democratic mayor in more than 60 years. In 1956, he was elected to the United States Senate, serving for 12 years.
Arlen Specter practiced with the firm from 1956–1959. Leaving to serve on the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy (the Warren Commission), he was elected District Attorney of Philadelphia in 1965, returned to Dechert as a partner in 1972 and was elected to the United States Senate in 1980.
Veteran litigator Leonard Garment became a partner in the Washington, D.C. office in 1996. Prior to that, he served as Special Counsel to President Nixon, advising him on crises ranging from the Middle East to the armed occupation of Wounded Knee by members of the American Indian Movement to Watergate. He later represented Reagan officials during the Iran-Contra hearings, and Judge Robert Bork in connection with his Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
Several Dechert lawyers have gone on to become U.S. district court judges for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, including three who are currently serving: Norma Shapiro, the firm’s second female associate when she was hired in 1956 and its first female partner in 1973; Chief Judge Harvey Bartle III and Mary A. McLaughlin.
Andrew Levander joined Dechert’s New York office in 2005. A former federal prosecutor, he is known for representing high-profile Wall Street companies and executives. Levander is currently Chair of the firm’s Policy Committee.
Renowned trial lawyer David Bernick joined the firm’s litigation practice in New York in 2013. Among Bernick’s high-profile victories are the acquittal of W.R. Grace & Co. and three of its executives before a Montana jury in a landmark environmental prosecution brought by the U.S. federal government. The W.R. Grace case is believed to be the largest criminal environmental prosecution ever.
Today
Known today as Dechert, the firm has numerous top-ranked practices and an impressive global footprint. Dechert lawyers represent major players on the world economic scene in headline-making matters requiring deep expertise, commercial judgment and relentless client focus.