2022 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

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Founded in Texas in 1945, Akin has grown to become one of the world’s largest law firms, with more than 900 lawyers across 20 offices around the globe, operating at the intersection of public policy, business, and the law.

From Two to 900+

The Akin story began when former FBI agents Richard Gump and Robert Strauss started up a small legal practice in post-WWII Dallas. Strauss went on to become chair of the Democratic National Committee, chaired Jimmy Carter’s successful presidential campaign in 1976, and worked for both the Carter and George H.W. Bush administrations. Over the past 75 years, the firm has grown from two lawyers to a global powerhouse with more than 900 lawyers.

One-Stop Shop

Akin is a full-service commercial firm that focuses on a wide range of practices and industries. The firm’s core areas include antitrust; commercial litigation; communications and information technology; corporate; cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection; energy; entertainment and media; environment, natural resources, and land; financial restructuring; global project finance; government contracts; health care; international trade; investment funds; labor and employment; private equity; pro bono; public law and policy; securities enforcement and litigation; Supreme Court and appellate; tax; and white collar defense and corporate investigations.

Akin boasts one of the country’s largest lobbying practices by revenue, and many politically connected people are currently with the firm, including a number of former ambassadors, members of Congress, government officials, and government advisors.

The firm also has several practices with top 20 rankings by Vault, including Bankruptcy/Restructuring; Energy, Oil, and Gas; Health Care; and International.

Be Well

Akin takes wellness seriously. With its Be Well program, the firm provides resources and activities to promote healthy living through four pillars—physical health, mental health, financial health, and community. The Be Well program includes health screenings, financial planning, team and individual challenges and coaching programs, community service and charitable giving opportunities, educational courses and seminars on facets of well-being, and more.

In terms of mental health, the firm has an on-site behavioral assistance counselor in a number of its offices. And the firm was one of the charter adopters of the American Bar Association’s Pledge Campaign, which focuses on substance use disorders and mental health distress among lawyers.

The firm also looks to do good externally and has been committed to pro bono work from its early days.

• Akin Gump represented the government of Guatemala in an international labor arbitration proceeding brought by the U.S. under the CAFTA-DR. The ruling dismissed all of the United States' and AFL-CIO’s claims and ended the dispute and clarified the legal standard to demonstrate a violation under the Labor Chapter of CAFTA-DR.
• Akin Gump advised 7-Eleven, Inc. in the transaction to acquire Speedway for $21 billion, which is the largest acquisition in sector history.
• In Yousuf v Samantar, Akin Gump and The Center for Justice & Accountability persuaded the SCOTUS to remove a statutory immunity shield for foreign officials sued in U.S. courts in cases alleging their involvement in human rights abuses. Samantar admitted his liability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, and extrajudicial killing committed against our clients and their families in the 1980s.

• International Trade “Practice Group of the Year,” 2022—Law360
• Ranked as Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality and Corporate Equality Index 100% rating, 2022—Human Rights Campaign Foundation
•  “Restructuring Deal of the Year,” 2023—IFLR Europe Awards 2023.