Dentons
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Headquarters | Decentralised[1] |
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No. of offices | 190[2] |
No. of lawyers | 10,000+ |
Key people | Joseph Andrew (Global Chairman) Elliott Portnoy (Chief Executive Officer) Xuefeng Peng (Chairman of the Global Board) |
Revenue | ![]() |
Profit per equity partner | $1.07 million (2018) |
Date founded | 28 March 2013 (By merger) |
Founder | SNR Denton, Salans and Fraser Milner Casgrain |
Company type | Swiss Verein |
Website | www.dentons.com |
Dentons is a multinational law firm. Dentons was the world's 5th-largest law firm by revenue, with $2,899,600,000 gross revenue in fiscal year 2019.[3] The firm is called Dentons in all languages other than Chinese, in which it is called 大成 (Dacheng).
Dentons was founded in March 2013 by the merger of SNR Denton, Fraser Milner Casgrain and Salans. Following its merger with Chinese law firm Dacheng in November 2015, Dentons became the largest law firm in the world by number of lawyers and has the most offices of any law firm in the world, covering every continent.[4]
As of 2020, Dentons operates in 77 countries, has 190 offices. The firm has no headquarters, although the firm's senior leadership are primarily based in Beijing, London and Washington D.C. Dentons is structured as a Swiss Verein called Salans FMC SNR Denton Group, which does not itself provide legal services. The verein encapsulates multiple co-operating legal entities, namely Dentons Canada LLP, Dentons Europe LLP, Dentons UK and Middle East LLP, Dentons US LLP, amongst others.
History[]
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.[5][6] The partners of the three firms ratified the merger on 28 November 2012, and it was completed on 28 March 2013.[7] Dentons opened an office in Houston, Texas in September 2013.[8]
On January 26, 2015, Dentons announced that it was combining with a Chinese firm, Dacheng (Chinese: 大成) which was completed in November 2015. The new firm is called 大成 in Chinese, and Dentons in other languages. The logo features the Chinese characters for Dacheng globally, with the lettering 大成 Dentons. Following the combination, Dentons surpassed Baker & McKenzie and DLA Piper, the world's previous top law firms by headcount, by at least 2,500 lawyers.[9]
In April 2015, Dentons US agreed to a merger with Atlanta-based law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge which was completed in June of that year.[10] The firm also opened new offices in Hungary, Luxembourg and South Africa during 2015 and announced combinations with firms in Australia, Colombia, and Mexico.[11] It also launched Nextlaw Labs, a business accelerator focused on new technologies., in May 2015. Dentons also announced in November 2016 that it would become the first global law firm with a footprint in Central America by combining with Muñoz Global, adding offices in Panama, Nicaragua and Costa Rica operating as Dentons Muñoz was created as the Costa Rican and Central American chapter of Dentons.[12]
In April 2016, Dentons launched in Singapore by combining with the oldest and one of the most prestigious law firms in Singapore, Rodyk & Davidson. In December 2016, Dentons launched in Australia and Papua New Guinea by combining with leading Australian law firm Gadens. The Sydney, Perth and Port Moresby offices of Gadens joined Dentons, while the Adelaide and Brisbane offices became "associate offices" and the Melbourne office remained independent. The Gadens combination resulted in Dentons having approximately 7,600 lawyers serving 57 countries.[13]
In 2017, Dentons merged with Scottish firm Maclay Murray & Spens. In 2017 the firm formed a strategic alliance with opposition research firm Definers Public Affairs, dubbed 3D Global Affairs.[14] As of April 12 of 2018, Dentons announced partnerships in Kenya, Mauritius, Caribbean, Indonesia and Malaysia.[15]
In 2019, Dentons combined with Bingham Greenebaum Doll (from the Midwest) and Pittsburgh-based Cohen & Grigsby.[16] The mergers were the first in a campaign called “Operation Golden Spike”.[16] Firms that join Golden Spike operate on a dual partnership model where lawyers remain part of their existing firms while also becoming partners of the new Dentons U.S. firm.[16] Golden Spike is part of Dentons plan to become the first U.S. law firm with a presence in all 20 of the largest U.S. markets.[16]
Notable attorneys[]
- Philip Jeyaretnam SC, Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Singapore
- Nicholas Allard (born 1952), Dean and President of Brooklyn Law School
- Jeff Bleich
- Scott Turow (born 1949), author and lawyer
References[]
- ^ "New-look Dentons to be 'most multi-cultural' law firm". The Lawyer. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ "Global presence".
- ^ "Dentons 2020 Global 200 ranking". law.com. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ "Dentons and China's Dacheng Poised for Historic Union". American Lawyer. 22 January 2015.
- ^ "SNR Denton and Salans prepare to seal three-way deal with Canada's FMC". The Lawyer. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ "SNR Denton prepares for mega-merger". The Washington Post. 11 November 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ "Salans, SNR and FMC approve three-way merger after partner votes". The Lawyer. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
- ^ "Dentons launches in Houston to target energy work". The Lawyer. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ^ "Dacheng Inks Merger with Dentons, Creates Legal Behemoth". Legal Business Online. 22 January 2015. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015.
- ^ "Dentons to merge with smaller law firm McKenna Long" (Press release). Reuters. 8 April 2015.
- ^ Cohen, Mark A. (9 December 2015). "Around The World, It's 'Hola, Dentons!'". Bloomberg BNA. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "Dentons Enters Central America With New Firm Combo - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
- ^ "Dentons Tacks On 3 Gadens Offices In Downsized Tie-Up - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
- ^ "Lobbying world". The Hill. December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
Law and lobby firm Dentons has launched 3D Global Affairs as part of an alliance with strategic communications and political intelligence firm Definers Public Affairs, run by Matt Rhoades, the former campaign manager for Mitt Romney’s presidential run in 2012 and former Republican National Committee research director Joe Pounder. 3D Global Affairs offers clients legal teams, lobbying and advocacy help, digital advertising, data analytics, opposition research and political intelligence, among other services.
- ^ "Dentons announces seven new partnerships - Leaders League". www.leadersleague.com. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d October 07, Dan Packel |; PM, 2019 at 09:15. "Dentons Combines With Two US Firms in One Go, Launching New American Strategy". The American Lawyer. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
External links[]
- Law firms of the United Kingdom
- Law firms of the United States
- Law firms of Canada
- Law firms established in 2013
- 2013 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Foreign law firms with offices in the Netherlands