Ballard Spahr

One of the largest and most prominent firms in Philadelphia, Ballard Spahr has a strong and growing national footprint, with more than 600 lawyers in 15 offices across the country. The firm has thriving practices in litigation, business and transactions, intellectual property, finance, and real estate.

Philadelphia Breeds a Nationwide Network

Ballard Spahr traces its roots to 1885, when Philadelphia lawyer Ellis Ballard joined a law firm helmed by Rufus Shapley. They were joined by fellow University of Pennsylvania alumnus Boyd Lee Spahr and R. Sturgis Ingersoll. In the early 1930s, the firm became known as Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll—later changed to Ballard Spahr LLP in 2009. The opening of a Washington, DC office in 1978 marked the beginning of decades of expansion beyond the City of Brotherly Love. Recent growth includes the firm’s merger with media boutique firm Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz in 2017 and its 2018 merger with Minneapolis-based Lindquist & Vennum, known for its strength in middle-market M&A transactions.

Jack of All Trades

Ballard Spahr focuses on five main practices: business and transactions, intellectual property, litigation, finance, and real estate. Its largest practice area is litigation, which is home to more than 250 of the firm’s attorneys. Litigators at the firm advise some of the nation’s biggest market players in media law, securities and antitrust class actions, patent infringement cases, white-collar defense matters, and federal and state appeals.

The firm also boasts a multi-faceted real estate practice that handles everything from commercial leasing and construction to eminent domain and industrial development to mixed-use development and real estate taxation. The firm counsels clients in their development projects, including condominiums, high-rise buildings, resorts, and shopping centers. Real estate clients are a diverse group and include financial institutions, housing authorities, hospitals, hotels, investors, lenders, developers, real estate brokerage companies, REITs, and retail companies—to name a few. When it comes to housing and community development, Ballard Spahr has an affordable housing practice.

Investing in Training and Wellbeing

Ballard Spahr attorneys work hard, but that doesn’t mean it’s all about the billables. In 2019, the firm created a Wellness at Work Committee to lobby for attorney well-being and promote a healthy lifestyle. The firm also hosts a sponsorship program for mid-level associates called INVEST, in which the associates are paired with a partner who serves as their sponsor throughout the duration of the program and beyond. And, every third Thursday of the month, there is a firm-hosted event, such as morning coffee breaks and networking happy hours.

• Following a 10-day trial, obtained a jury verdict finding The New York Times not liable in a defamation suit brought by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. At stake was the critical First Amendment protection “actual malice” standard for journalists established in the landmark 1964 case New York Times v. Sullivan.
• Representing the developers of the ongoing, 260-acre Baltimore Peninsula redevelopment project (formerly Port Covington), with investment of approximately $6.9 billion over 25 years. Starting with master planning and entitlements nearly a decade ago, the firm has and continues to advise as the developer proceeds with long-term build-out of the expansive project.
• Represented DuPont in negotiating more than 200 product manufacturing and services agreements for the separation of DowDuPont into three separate public companies, and regularly advise DuPont on transactions, litigation, and intellectual property matters.
• Advised the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), on its ongoing $1.8 billion Major Bridges P3 Initiative infrastructure rehabilitation project. We handled the statutory and regulatory aspects of the progressive P3 transaction, as well as procurement and negotiation of all project-related documents, encompassing predevelopment agreements that package six interstate bridge spans across the Commonwealth.

• Law Firm of the Year, Media Law, 2024; First Amendment Litigation, 2022 and 2023—Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms”
• Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certified, 2022-2023 Cohort—Diversity Lab
• Gold Standard Certification for 13 consecutive years (one of only six law firms nationwide to achieve this), 2023—Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF)
• Most Feared Law Firm for Litigation, 2023—BTI Consulting Group
• 118 Leading Lawyers and 52 Leading Practices, 2024—Chambers USA