- Chairman: Joseph C Shenker
- Senior Chairman: H Rodgin Cohen
- Number of partners worldwide: 174
- Number of other lawyers worldwide: : 648
- INTERNATIONAL OFFICES: The firm also has offices in Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Paris, Sydney and Tokyo
Firm Overview:
Sullivan & Cromwell LLP provides the highest quality legal advice and representation to clients worldwide. The firm’s record of success and unparalleled client service has set it apart for more than 130 years and made the firm a model for the modern practice of law. Today, S&C is a leader in each of its core practice areas and geographic markets. The firm advises a diverse range of clients on major domestic and cross-border M&A and corporate finance transactions, highstakes litigation and corporate investigations, and complex regulatory, tax and estate planning matters.
Main Areas of Practice:
Antitrust & EC Competition Law:
S&C has one of the most diverse practices of any global firm in contentious and uncontentious antitrust and competition law cases. The firm provides clients a coordinated approach for securing clearances in the US, the EU and elsewhere for major mergers.
Capital Markets:
S&C leads global rankings in both volume and value of offerings and on its ability to structure novel and effective transactions in the representation of issuers, underwriters, selling and controlling shareholders, and other market participants around the world.
Corporate Governance:
No law firm has a more thorough understanding of current corporate governance requirements and practices, including the implications and requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the related SEC and stock exchange rules.
Executive Compensation/ERISA:
S&C advises on a full range of corporate, securities, tax and employment law matters. The firm’s lawyers represent many of the largest global companies on employment arrangements, corporate governance, succession matters and incentive compensation plan design, as well as senior executives in negotiations, and play a key role in the firm’s international securities and M&A practices.
Financial Institutions:
S&C remains the leading global law firm on transactional, regulatory, enforcement and other matters affecting financial institutions. Its expertise extends to clients in the banking, broker-dealer, commodities, futures and derivatives, insurance and investment management sectors. The firm has continued to work with clients on achieving their strategic business objectives despite the challenges of an unpredictable and often difficult global economic climate.
Healthcare & Life Sciences:
S&C has played a leading role in the consolidation of the healthcare industry, having advised on eight of the 10 largest pharmaceutical M&A deals to date. The firm represents the largest companies in healthcare and life sciences, as well as smaller biotechnology concerns in strategic acquisitions and capital-raising efforts. S&C has advised clients on the effects of new legislation and regulatory developments.
Intellectual Property & Technology:
S&C has extensive experience in handling complex intellectual property disputes, providing advice relating to the successful negotiation and completion of transactions and counseling patent licensing matters. The firm advises clients on the full spectrum of strategic and day-to-day intellectual property related issues associated with the development, acquisition and maintenance of intellectual property portfolios.
Investment Management:
S&C combines a traditional investment management and an alternative investment management practice to provide expertise in transactional, structuring, trading, advisory and regulatory matters. The group is at the forefront of assisting clients in the new challenges and opportunities resulting from Dodd-Frank and the changing landscape of the industry.
Litigation:
The firm takes a global,multidisciplinary approach to every matter and is regularly chosen as lead counsel in many of the highest profile and most complex matters before courts, arbitration panels and regulators. The strength of its practice is reflected in independent rankings, including #1 rankings by Chambers for general commercial, securities, white-collar crime and government investigations litigation. The firm maintains a strong record of success in its Labor and Employment Practice.
Mergers & Acquisitions:
The leading firm in global M&A, S&C mobilizes teams of lawyers worldwide for clients on their largest and most important domestic and cross-border transactions. The firm ranks first by value among law firms over the last 10 years (2003-2012), having acted in approximately $3.96 trillion in announced transactions worldwide.
Private Equity:
S&C advises private equity funds,portfolio companies and bidding vehicles on both strategic M&A and other investments and on capital markets and M&A exit strategies in a range of industries worldwide.
Project Development & Finance:
S&C is a leader in corporate finance, including project, leveraged and infrastructure finance and has a strong practice in natural resource projects and public-private partnership structures for infrastructure in developed and emerging markets.
Real Estate:
S&C combines public/private market expertise and innovative dealmaking skills to assist clients in purchasing, selling, developing and financing real estate companies and assets worldwide, and represents prominent clients in restructuring real estate and other assets to facilitate generational transition and/or resolve disputes.
Restructuring & Bankruptcy:
S&C provides clients the creative and commercially effective advice necessary to weather market changes. The group helps clients buy and sell distressed businesses, extend credit with less risk, protect their rights during counterparty bankruptcies, establish best practices for corporate governance insolvency and preserve the value of their businesses while changing capital structures.
Tax:
S&C has a global reputation for innovative tax planning, the successful resolution of important tax controversies, as well as providing pivotal tax advice on corporate transactions. S&C plays a significant role in structuring new, tax-advantaged financial instruments and complex M&A transactions, and represents prominent industrial and commercial enterprises in US, French, UK and cross-border tax matters.