SNR Denton

SNR Denton
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom, Washington, D.C., United States[1]
No. of offices60[2]
No. of attorneysApproximately 1,250[3]
Key peopleElliott Portnoy
(Chief executive)
Joseph Andrew
(Chairman)[1]
Revenue£450 million (2011/12)[4]
Profit per equity partner£438,000 (2011/12)[4]
Date founded2010 (by merger)[5]
Company typeSwiss Verein
Dissolved28 March 2013 (merged with Salans and Fraser Milner Casgrain to form Dentons)
WebsiteSNR Denton

SNR Denton was a multinational law firm co-headquartered in London and Washington, D.C. The firm operated in 60 locations across 43 countries and had around 1,250 lawyers.[3][6] It was one of the 25-largest law firms in the world, with revenues of around $750 million in 2011/12.[3][7]

SNR Denton was formed through the merger of the UK-based Denton Wilde Sapte LLP and the US-based Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP in September 2010.[5] The firm was structured as a Swiss Verein and had a single management board but the partnerships of the predecessor firms were not financially integrated.[3] In March 2013, SNR Denton merged with the international law firm Salans and the Canada-based law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain, forming Dentons.

The American Lawyer estimated SNR Denton to be the 29th largest law firm in the world by number of lawyers[8] and 43rd by annual revenue[9] in 2012, its last full year of operation.

History

In 1785, Thomas Wilde (1758-1821) and Samuel Archer Hussey founded a law firm that became Wilde Sapte. In 1788, Denton Hall Burgin was established by Sam Denton. In 1906, Edward Sonnenschein and partners opened a law firm in Chicago that eventually became Sonnenschein Nath Rosenthal.

In 2000, the City of London-based law firms Denton Hall and Wilde Sapte merged to form Denton Wilde Sapte.[10] In 2009, 100 lawyers (including 40 partners) joined Sonnenschein from Thacher Proffitt & Wood, doubling the firm's number of lawyers in New York.[11] In May 2010, Denton Wilde Sapte and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal announced their intention to merge.[12] On 30 September 2010, the merger between Denton Wilde Sapte and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal was formally completed, establishing SNR Denton.[5]

In January 2011, SNR Denton opened in Hong Kong following the assimilation of the Hong Kong office of Hammonds.[13]

On 11 November 2012, SNR Denton, Salans and the Canada-based Fraser Milner Casgrain announced a three-way merger, forming a new law firm structured as a Swiss Verein and named Dentons.[14] The partners of the three firms ratified the merger on 28 November 2012 and the new firm was planned to begin operations in early 2013.[15]

In January 2013, SNR Denton entered into an association with the Kuwaiti law firm Jamal Ahmed Al-Shehab.[16]

The merger between SNR Denton, Fraser Milner Casgrain and Salans was completed on 28 March 2013.[17]

Main practice areas

SNR Denton's main practice areas included:[18]

  • Banking and finance
  • Capital markets
  • Corporate and business transactions
  • Employment, benefits and executive compensation
  • Intellectual property and technology
  • Litigation and arbitration
  • Public policy and regulation
  • Real estate
  • Restructuring and insolvency
  • Tax
  • Trusts and estates

References

  1. ^ a b "Management Team". SNR Denton. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  2. ^ "Location". SNR Denton. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d "Sonnenschein, Denton law firms to combine". The Washington Post. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  4. ^ a b "SNR Denton aims to dramatically reinvent global brand with Salans and FMC unions". Legal Week. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "A new transatlantic firm born as SNR Denton goes live". The Lawyer. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Overview". SNR Denton. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  7. ^ "Client Demand for Greater Global Presence Pushes More Law Firm Mergers". ABA Journal. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  8. ^ "The 2012 Global 100: Most Attorneys | The American Lawyer".
  9. ^ "The 2012 Global 100: Most Revenue | The American Lawyer".
  10. ^ "Denton Wilde Sapte". Legal Week. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  11. ^ "Amid Downturn, Law Firm Sonnenschein Scales Up". Bloomberg Businessweek. 29 January 2009. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  12. ^ "Sonnenschein, Denton Wilde To Merge". American Lawyer. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  13. ^ "SNR Denton signs up Hammonds' Hong Kong arm for local launch". The Lawyer. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  14. ^ "SNR Denton and Salans prepare to seal three-way deal with Canada's FMC". The Lawyer. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
    - "SNR Denton prepares for mega-merger". The Washington Post. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  15. ^ "Salans, SNR and FMC approve three-way merger after partner votes". The Lawyer. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  16. ^ "SNR Denton enters into association with Kuwait's Jamal Ahmed Al-Shehab". The Lawyer. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  17. ^ "New-look Dentons to go live on 28 March - and 2 April". The Lawyer. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  18. ^ "Services". SNR Denton. Retrieved 2 December 2012.