- Managing Partner: Richard R Hays
- Number of partners: 346
- Number of other lawyers: 471
- International Offices: The firm also has an office in Brussels.
Firm Overview:
Alston & Bird is a major US law firm with more than 800 attorneys offering services in virtually every practice area, from antitrust to wealth planning. For 13 consecutive years, Alston & Bird has been ranked on the ‘Fortune 100 Best Companies To Work For’ list.
Main Areas of Practice:
Capital Markets/Mergers & Acquisitions:
The firm’s attorneys have extensive experience with complex mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, going-private transactions, joint ventures and similar transactions for clients in a broad range of industries, representing bidders, target companies, stockholders, boards of directors and financial advisors. Alston & Bird lawyers have been involved in all aspects of leveraged buyouts and distressed sales and can handle the acquisition and financing of public and nonpublic companies of any size. Global outsourcing is a strength of the firm as well.
Energy & Sustainability:
Alston & Bird provides energy industry clients with nationally recognized expertise in virtually every aspect of the law affecting the energy industry, from electric and natural gas regulation and project development and financing to carbon management, energy supply transactions and public policy.
Financial Services:
The firm’s banking, insurance, investment management, broker-dealer, mutual fund, payment systems and alternative investment vehicle clients are provided a wide range of corporate governance, merger and acquisition, regulatory, litigation, securities and structured finance services.
Global Finance:
The firm’s global finance attorneys have a wealth of experience in every aspect of the debt capital markets, representing lenders, borrowers, issuers, servicers, trustees and underwriters in most any type of domestic or cross-border financing imaginable.
Healthcare:
Alston & Bird is home to one of the most extensive, full-service healthcare practices in the United States, comprised of over 100 lawyers with demonstrated corporate, securities, merger and acquisition and regulatory compliance expertise, including former health policy and enforcement experts from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the US House of Representatives, the US Senate and the White House.
Intellectual Property:
Numbering more than 180 lawyers, Alston & Bird’s IP practice is one of the largest in any general practice firm in the US. The group provides a full range of intellectual property services, including patentability and prosecution, litigation, patent maintenance, counseling regarding infringement avoidance, and validity and infringement studies and opinions.
Legislative & Public Policy:
Alston & Bird’s legislative team features four former Congressional leaders–Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-KS), US Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Congressmen Billy Tauzin (R,D-LA) and Earl Pomeroy (D-ND). The firm represents clients before Congress, the executive branch and regulatory agencies.
Litigation:
Alston & Bird’s 330 litigators have litigated in virtually every major industrialized jurisdiction, including those in Latin America, Europe and Asia. The firm’s litigation experience includes antitrust, bankruptcy, construction, environmental and land development, ERISA, international trade and regulatory, labor and employment, securities, products liability and class actions.
Real Estate Finance:
Alston & Bird’s 55-attorney, industry-focused real estate investment and finance practice provides the full range of capabilities needed to serve sophisticated clients. It handles massive multiproperty and multijurisdictional transactions, while maintaining specialized expertise focused on specific property types. In addition, with a leading real estate capital markets practice, the group is poised at the intersection of the industry, where assets meet capital.
Tax:
With over 80 tax lawyers, Alston & Bird has one of the largest and most acclaimed law firm tax practices in the United States, providing coverage in international, federal, state and local taxation, employee benefits, executive compensation, wealth planning, exempt organizations and transfer pricing.
International Work:
Alston & Bird’s multidisciplinary team has structured deals and handled disputes around the globe. The firm’s international practice has extensive experience in planning, structuring and implementing business deals in virtually every major commercial jurisdiction in the world. The firm can find and help select the best local counsel, as well as help determine the optimal structure, for business transactions abroad, whether it involves an acquisition, joint venture, licensing arrangement, technology transfer, manufacturing contract, distribution agreement or other arrangement.
Clients:
Aflac, Assurant Inc., Bank of America, The Boeing Company, Dell Inc., Delta Air Lines, Inc., The Dow Chemical Company, Genuine Parts Company, IMERYS, McKesson Corporation, Mohawk Industries, Inc., Nokia, The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Sabre, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, Toyota, UnitedHealth Group, UPS and Wells Fargo.