ENSIKLOPEDIA
Dechert LLP
 | |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1] |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 20[2] |
| Offices | Global |
| No. of attorneys | approximately 1000 (2017) |
| Major practice areas | General practice |
| Key people | Co-Chairs: David Forti and Mark Thierfelder[3] |
| Revenue |  US$1.3 billion (2021)[4] |
| Profit per equity partner | US$4.2 million (2021) |
| Date founded | 1875 |
| Founder | Wayne MacVeagh and George Tucker Bispham[5] |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | dechert.com |
Dechert LLP (/ˈdɛkərt/; DECK-ərt) is a multinational American law firm of more than 900 lawyers[6] with practices in corporate and securities, complex litigation, finance and real estate, financial services, asset management, and private equity.[7] In 2021, the firm reached a revenue of $1.3 billion.[4] On Law.com's 2022 Global 200 survey, Dechert ranked as the 41st highest-grossing law firm in the world.[8]
History
The firm's first predecessor, MacVeagh & Bispham, was formed in 1875 by Wayne MacVeagh and George Tucker Bispham.[5] Over the next few decades, MacVeagh & Bispham and its successor represented a number of banks, railroads, insurance companies, and coal companies.[9]
MacVeagh & Bispham's successor merged with another Philadelphia law firm, Dechert, Smith & Clark, in 1942. After several more name changes, the firm was known as Dechert Price & Rhoads from 1962 to 2000. In 2000, the firm shortened its name to Dechert.[10] By the early 2000s, the firm included about 700 lawyers in 12 worldwide offices.[9][11]
In 2011, Andrew J. Levander became chairman of the firm.[12] At that time, Dechert had 747 lawyers and generated $671 million in annual revenue.[13]
In the 2018 AmLaw Global 200 survey, Dechert ranked as the 43rd highest-grossing law firm in the world.[14] In the same year, Dechert reached a settlement with two former payroll staffers over claims that it discriminated against certain staff members because of their sex and age.[15][16][17] The two former payroll staffers at Dechert filed a complaint against the firm in 2017, claiming they experienced a culture of bias against older and female employees at the firm that led to their firing in 2016.[18][19][20] They also alleged there was a "boys club"[21][22] at the firm that gave beneficial treatment to younger male employees.[19][18] Dechert claimed that it had laid off the two payroll staffers because Dechert upgraded its technology and outsourced the staffers' jobs.[23] Previously, on the eve of trial, the firm and former associate Ariel Ayanna reached an eleventh-hour deal in a "macho culture" retaliation case.[24][25][26] The attorney had claimed the firm fired him to get back at him for taking time off to care for his mentally ill wife and their newborn, The National Law Journal reported.[27]
Financial Times ranked Dechert in the Top 10 Most Innovative Law Firms in 2019.[28] In 2021, Dechert ranked 5th for the same recognition.[29]
The UK Dechert unit was sued by former partner Monica Gogn for workplace discrimination due to race and sex. In 2020, an employment tribunal filing document stated that the proceedings leveled against "Dechert LLP & Others" were "dismissed following a withdrawal of the claim by the claimant".[30] Dechert and an administrative services provider for the firm agreed in 2021 to settle claims by a former site manager in Washington, D.C. that he was subjected to discrimination and retaliation because he had a stroke, federal court records show.[31]
In August 2022, Dechert's UK unit agreed to pay £20 million to a former client for compensation for damages caused by its former UK partner and white-collar crime head Neil Gerrard.[32][33][34] The agreement came after a decade-long proceeding that resulted in the High Court finding in May 2022 that Dechert, its former white-collar crime head Gerrard, and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) had committed acts of wrongdoing[35][36][37] in their dealings with the law firm's then-client Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC). London's High Court found that Dechert and Gerrard – who was "obsessed with making money"[38] and "lost any real sense of objectivity, proportion or indeed loyalty to his client"[39][40][41][42] had acted deliberately, or at least recklessly.[43][44] The judge also ruled Gerrard committed a "gross and knowing breach of duty"[41] as a solicitor by, among other things, disclosing confidential and privileged information to the SFO, and leaking to the media[45] confidential documents[46] of his client ENRC.[47][48][49][50][51] He concluded in his judgment in 2022 that Gerrard was a "highly unreliable and at times dishonest witness" who was "plainly lying" about his contacts with the SFO.[50] The judge found senior SFO officials breached their duties[52][53] by holding a series of unauthorized meetings with Gerrard in which they received information that was plainly against former Dechert's client interests in what the judge described as a case of "bad faith opportunism".[45][54][41][55] Gerrard allegedly referred to billing in the case as "rape mode".[56][57][58] The firm now[when?] faces costs upwards of $50 million. As of 2023[update] Dechert is facing two more UK trials[59][60][61] and two US lawsuits[60][62] related to Gerrard. One lawsuit involves a claim under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, for its alleged role in an international "hack and dump scheme", which it denies.[63][64][65][66][67] Media reported that regulators are probing the firm.[68] The UK's Solicitors Regulation Authority has received several complaints.[69][70]
The firm's profitability increased significantly in 2021,[71] but fell in 2022.[72] The firm ultimately placed 36th on the 2023 AmLaw 200 ranking, based on its 2022 revenue.[8] At the end of 2022, Dechert announced that its leadership would be changing: David Forti and Mark Thierfelder would be taking over as co-chairs of the firm from Andrew J. Levander, who had chaired the firm since 2011, and Henry Nassau (Dechert's CEO since 2016) would be stepping down from that role.[13][73] Under Levander and Nassau's leadership, Dechert had grown significantly in size and revenue.[13]
Pro bono activities
Dechert has been recognized among the top 10 US law firms for pro bono work in The American Lawyer's Pro Bono Survey, an annual report that rates the nation's 200 highest-grossing law firms based on their level of pro bono activity.[74] The report confirmed that it remained the top law firm for international pro bono work.[75] In August 2014, Dechert received the American Bar Association's (ABA) Pro Bono Publico Award.[76]
In 2020, Dechert received the ABA Business Law Section National Public Service Award.[77] In 2021, the firm was rated first for international pro bono work by The American Lawyer.[78]
Notable lawyers and alumni
- Harvey Bartle III, chief judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania[79]
- Joseph S. Clark, mayor of Philadelphia (1952–1956) and US senator for Pennsylvania (1957–1969)[80]
- Q. Todd Dickinson, former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property[81][82][83]
- Steven Engel, deputy assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel under George W. Bush and US Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel in the first Donald Trump administration[84]
- Glenn Fine, former inspector general of the US Department of Justice[85][86]
- Miriam González Durántez, head of international trade practice[87]
- Paul G. Haaga, Jr., vice chairman of Capital Research and Management Company, a constituent company of the Capital Group Companies[88]
- David N. Kelley, former US Attorney and Deputy US Attorney for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York[89]
- Cheryl Ann Krause, US Circuit Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit[90]
- Noyes Leech (1921–2010), law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School[91]
- Scooter Libby, chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney (2001–2005)[92]
- Edward A. McDonald, portrayed himself as a federal prosecutor in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas[93]
- Mary A. McLaughlin, judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania[94][95]
- Lisa Scottoline, New York Times best-selling author[96]
- Norma Levy Shapiro, first woman partner and retired judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania[97]
- Arlen Specter, US senator for Pennsylvania (1981–2011)[98]
See also
References
- ↑ ""Business Name History: Dechert LLP," Pennsylvania Department of State". Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ↑ "Locations". dechert.com. Dechert LLP. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ↑ "Dechert chair Levander to step down as firm revamps leadership". Reuters. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
- 1 2 Packel, Dan (January 31, 2022). "Dechert Grew Revenue 25%, Profits 50% in 'One for the History Books'". The American Lawyer – via Law.com.
- 1 2 Dalton, Brian (2007). Vault Guide to the Top New York Law Firms. Vault Inc. ISBN 9781581315004.
- ↑ "Dechert LLP". law.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Services". dechert.com. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- 1 2 "Dechert LLP". Law.com. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- 1 2 "Dechert". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ↑ "History". dechert.com.
- ↑ Aronson, Bruce (2007). "Elite Law Firm Mergers and Reputational Competition". Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law.
- ↑ "Dechert Announces New Firm Leadership". amlawdaily. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- 1 2 3 Thomas, David. "Dechert chair Levander to step down as firm revamps leadership". Reuters.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ "The Global 200, Ranked by Revenue". The American Lawyer. October 22, 2018 – via law.com.
- ↑ McLellan, Lizzy (March 20, 2018). "Dechert Settles Female Staffers' Sex Discrimination Case". The Legal Intelligencer. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2026 – via law.com.
- ↑ Fair, Matt (March 20, 2018). "Dechert Settles Discrimination Suit From Ex-Payroll Staffers". law360.com. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Dechert Settles Female Staffers' Sex Discrimination Case". finance.yahoo.com. ALM Media. March 20, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- 1 2 "Dechert settles discrimination suit by 2 former payroll managers". abajournal.com. March 23, 2018.
- 1 2 "Biglaw Firm Uses Technology As A Defense In Discrimination Case". abovethelaw.com. January 31, 2018.
- ↑ "Ex-Staffers Sue Dechert Alleging Age, Sex Bias". finance.yahoo.com. ALM Media. November 9, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ Cassens Weiss, Debra (February 1, 2018). "Dechert says outsourcing was reason for layoffs of lawsuit plaintiffs". ABA Journal. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ @PALaw360 (March 21, 2018). "#Dechert has agreed to settle claims from a pair of female ex-payroll staffers who accused the firm of fostering a "boys club" mentality. https://www.law360.com/articles/1024261/dechert-settles-discrimination-suit-from-ex-payroll-staffers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Dechert says outsourcing was reason for layoffs of lawsuit plaintiffs". ABA Journal. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ↑ Bishop, Stewart (February 12, 2013). "Dechert Avoids Trial Over Ex-Atty's 'Macho Culture' Claims". law360.com. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Ayanna v. Dechert: Male Attorney Sues Law Firm for Macho Culture". finance.yahoo.com. December 17, 2010.
- ↑ "Dechert and Former Associate Settle 'Macho Culture' Retaliation Case". law.com. ALM Media. February 11, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Corporate Lawyer Says He Got Axed For Not Conforming To Male Stereotypes". Business Insider. October 19, 2012.
- ↑ "Law firm leaders force pace of change to stay ahead". Financial Times. December 9, 2019.
- ↑ "Digital delivery from the daily grind for younger lawyers". Financial Times. December 9, 2021.
- ↑ "The Law's Gender Problem". bywire.news. October 2, 2020.
- ↑ "Dechert Settles Disability Bias Suit by Ex-Site Manager in D.C." news.bloomberglaw.com. June 26, 2021.
- ↑ Tobin, Sam (August 15, 2022). "Damning Gerrard ruling sent to SRA". lawgazette.co.uk. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Dechert agrees to pay former client £20m". RollOnFriday. August 5, 2022.
- ↑ "Biglaw Firm About to Write a $20 Million Check to Their Former Client". Above the Law. August 9, 2022.
- ↑ "SRA Enters Fold Following Damning ENRC Judgment Against Dechert Gerrard". Law.com (International ed.). July 6, 2022.
- ↑ "Law firm Dechert, SFO criticized in ENRC case ruling". Compliance Week. June 1, 2022.
- ↑ "Ex-Dechert partner committed deliberate acts of wrongdoing, court finds". RollOnFriday. May 20, 2022.
- ↑ "Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation Limited v Dechert judgment" (PDF). judiciary.uk. May 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Biglaw Firm About to Write a $20 Million Check to Their Former Client". Above the Law. August 9, 2022.
- ↑ "City Partner put making money before clients, high court rules". Legal Futures. May 18, 2022.
- 1 2 3 "ENRC v Dechert judgment" (PDF). Judiciary UK. May 16, 2022.
- ↑ Rubino, Kathryn (March 1, 2023). "Biglaw Firm Still Fighting Allegations Of Impropriety On Part Of Former Partner". Above the Law. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ Hamilton, Jamie (May 20, 2022). "Ex-Dechert partner committed deliberate acts of wrongdoing, court finds". RollOnFriday. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ Crosby, Christopher (May 16, 2022). "Lies, Leaks and Scares: Five Damning Finds From ENRC's Win". Law360. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- 1 2 "London High Court Judge Finds Former Dechert Lawyer Breached Duty to ENRC". Reuters.com. May 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Dechert ex-partner leaked to press and 'plainly lied' in court, judge finds". Law Gazette. May 16, 2022.
- ↑ "Dechert ex-partner leaked to press and 'plainly lied' in court – judge". Law Gazette. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ McKinney, CJ (May 17, 2022). "Former Dechert partner slammed for leaking to press about his own client". Legal Cheek. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Ex-Dechert solicitor leaked ENRC's confidential documents to media, London judge rules". City AM. May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- 1 2 Sullivan, Casey. "A Big Law partner betrayed his client by leaking its problems to the press, a UK judge found. During his trial, 2 witnesses said he called it 'rape mode.'". Business Insider. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Dechert's ENRC UK Court Defeat: How Bad Could it Get For the Law Firm?". Law.com International. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ Foy, Simon; Oliver, Matt (May 16, 2022). "Serious breach piles pressure on embattled SFO". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ "ENRC seeks £21mn in legal costs from SFO and Dechert in dispute over fraud probe". Financial Times. March 6, 2023.
- ↑ "Consider mediation, London judge tells Kazakh miner ENRC, Dechert and Fraud Office". Euronews.com. August 5, 2022.
- ↑ "SFO Resumes Fight With ENRC In High-Stakes Causation Trial". Law360. March 3, 2023.
- ↑ Rubino, Kathryn (August 1, 2022). "Biglaw Firm About To Write A $20 Million+ Check To Their Former Client". Above the Law. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Ex-City partner 'turned' on client to boost workload, court hears". Law Gazette. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ Ames, Jonathan (May 24, 2021). "Lawyer Neil Gerrard 'leaked ENRC secrets to inquiry'". The Times. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Dechert Faces 3 UK Trials and 2 US Lawsuits Stemming from Representations Led by 1 Partner". ABA Journal. March 1, 2023.
- 1 2 "RICO Suit Says Dechert Was Willfully Blind to Partner Accused of Conspiring to Hack Opponent's Emails". ABA Journal. October 17, 2022.
- ↑ "Dechert in court over allegations of leaks and wrongdoing". Law Gazette. January 18, 2023.
- ↑ "Dechert Faces New Hack-and-Smear Suit, Plaintiff is Fired Wall Street Journal Reporter". ABA Journal. October 18, 2022.
- ↑ Witley, Skye. "Dechert's Alleged Hacks Draw Uncommon Civil Racketeering Claims". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ Rubino, Kathryn (March 6, 2023). "Biglaw Firm Still Fighting Allegations Of Impropriety On Part Of Former Partner". Above the Law. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ Satter, Raphael. "Aviation executive sues law firm Dechert, others over hacking claims". Reuters.com. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ Cassens Weiss, Debra. "Dechert was 'willfully blind' to partner accused of conspiring to hack opponent's emails, RICO suit says". ABA Journal. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ "Dechert Lawyer Neil Gerrard's RICO Litigation Comes With A Staggering Price Tag". Above the Law. March 2023. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
- ↑ "Hacked emails and torture claims: how top lawyer Neil Gerrard became engulfed in serious allegations". Financial Times. January 19, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Tobin, Sam (August 15, 2022). "Damning Gerrard ruling sent to SRA". Law Gazette. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ Crump, Richard (July 6, 2022). "SRA Takes Steps Toward Probing Dechert Over ENRC Case". Law360. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
- ↑ Packel, Dan (January 31, 2022). "Dechert Grew Revenue 25%, Profits 50% in 'One for the History Books'". The American Lawyer. Retrieved April 13, 2026 – via Law.com.
- ↑ "Dechert Follows 50% Profit Increase With 14% Drop, Epitomizing Big Law Business Cycle". The Legal Intelligencer. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
- ↑ Skolnik, Sam (November 30, 2022). "Dechert Names Firm Veterans Forti, Thierfelder as New Co-Chairs". bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ "The 2018 Pro Bono Scorecard". The American Lawyer. Retrieved July 31, 2018 – via law.com.
- ↑ effreys, Brenda Sapino (June 27, 2018). "Big Law Acted on Impulse in Outpouring of Pro Bono Effort". The American Lawyer. Retrieved August 23, 2018 – via law.com.
- ↑ "Past Recipients". americanbar.org. American Bar Association. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ↑ "Business Law Section honors four lawyers, law firm with awards". American Bar Association. October 8, 2020.
- ↑ "The 2021 Pro Bono Scorecard: International Rankings". The American Lawyer. June 28, 2021 – via law.com.
- ↑ "Harvey Bartle III | Eastern District of Pennsylvania | United States District Court". paed.uscourts.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ Fowler, Glenn (January 16, 1990). "Joseph S. Clark Is Dead at 88; Ex-Mayor and Reformist Senator". The New York Times. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Bloomberg Industry Group". bloombergindustry.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ Cook, Bonnie L. (May 18, 2020). "Q. Todd Dickinson, lawyer who led U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, dies at 67". Inquirer.com. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ Brownworth, Victoria A. (May 20, 2020). "Remembering Q. Todd Dickinson, LGBTQ activist and patent law leader". Philadelphia Gay News. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Attorney General Sessions Welcomes Steven Engel As Assistant Attorney General for the Office Of Legal Counsel". justice.gov. US Department of Justice. November 7, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Biographies". United States Department of Defense. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ Campisi, Jon (September 11, 2011). "Former U.S. Inspector General Glenn Fine joins law firm with Philly roots". Legal Newsline. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ Day, Elizabeth (July 30, 2016). "Miriam González Durántez on sexism, Brexit and what she cooked Nick Clegg on that 'devastating' night of political defeat". The Telegraph. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Paul G. Haaga, Jr". npr.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Dechert Lures Ex-Prosecutor David Kelley From Cahill". The American Lawyer. Retrieved July 21, 2022 – via law.com.
- ↑ "President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Cheryl Ann Krause to Serve on the United States Court of Appeals". obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. February 5, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Noyes Leech, Leading Scholar of Corporate and International Law, Dies at 88". University of Pennsylvania Law School. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
After earning his law degree, he worked at Dechert, Price & Rhoads in Philadelphia.
- ↑ Leibovich, Mark (October 23, 2005). "In the Spotlight And on the Spot". ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ↑ Slater, Dan (May 21, 2008). "A Q&A With Goodfellas Actor (and Dechert Lawyer) Ed McDonald". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Mary A. McLaughlin L'76". law.upenn.edu. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Judges Profiles | Mary_McLaughlin". The Legal Intelligencer. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2025 – via judges.pa.law.com.
- ↑ Donahue, Bill (November 2014). "Always Plotting". Suburban Life Magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
She served Philadelphia-based law firm Dechert, Price & Rhoads as an associate in corporate litigation. She stayed at the firm till 1986, when she left to raise her newborn daughter.
- ↑ "Norma Levy Shapiro". Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ↑ "An Oral History of Arlen Specter". Philadelphia Magazine. November 30, 2007. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
External links
Media related to Dechert (law firm) at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
- Profile from LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell
