Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Established more than 230 years ago, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP is the oldest Wall Street firm still in existence. Among its practices are capital markets, corporate, finance, financial regulatory, financial restructuring, litigation, and real estate. The firm is a well-established presence in Charlotte, London, New York, and Washington, DC.

Dating Back to the Days of Washington . . . As in George

Cadwalader was founded in 1792, when folks were still sealing letters with wax and writing with quills. But the firm revolutionized law firms by doing away with the old system of unpaid law clerkships and establishing the role of the associate. 

The present-day Cadwalader forged a niche in the early New York legal field by working on commercial claims, litigation, maritime law, and real estate for banks and representing insurance companies and members of New York society. The real catalyst for the firm’s growth and increased financial stability came when former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State John L. Cadwalader joined the firm in 1878, bringing big-time corporate connections with him. 

Cutting Edge

A regular in the top 20 of Vault’s Real Estate practice ranking, Cadwalader is well known for its work in the area, which includes construction finance, distressed real estate financings, joint ventures, loan sales, management and leasing, mezzanine loan financings, and mortgage finance.

The firm boasts a strong transactional practice, which includes a stellar reputation for its capital markets and securities work. Cadwalader is a consistent top 20 firm on Vault’s Securities/Capital Markets ranking, and in May 2021, the firm was recognized by IFLR Americas as a Structured Finance and Securitization “Team of the Year”. The firm’s regulatory bona fides are at the top of industry—the firm garnered another IFLR Americas “Team of the Year” award in the financial services regulatory category. The firm also received a 2020 Law360 “Practice Group of the Year” award in the Banking category. Cadwalader also tries to stay on the cutting edge and provide innovative solutions for its client. For example, Cadwalader uses drafting automation software, workflow tracking systems, and machine learning to improve accuracy and efficiency. The firm has also developed a custom application to address the unique needs of the commercial mortgage-backed securities industry.

Beyond Billables

The firm offers a year-long First Year Training as well as a Mid-Level Training Program and a Business Development Training Series for all attorneys to sharpen their business development skills in such areas as networking, branding, developing relationships, and perfecting pitches. But educational opportunities aren’t all about work. For example, through its Civil Rights Series initiative, the firm hosts speakers from a variety of civil rights organizations, including The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, The Women’s March, Lambda Legal, GLAD, The Southern Poverty Law Center, ACLU, NAACP, the Brennan Center for Justice, the NYC Commission for Human Rights, and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The goal of the program is to spark conversation and involvement in pro bono and the community.

• Bank of America’s $4.1 billion broadly syndicated subscription credit ESG-linked facility to funds managed by The Carlyle Group
• Supported LIBOR transition work for several major international financial institutions, as well as several regional banks, and we’ve continued work with the Federal Reserve’s ARRC. We also wrote the legislation adopted by the New York Legislature and signed by the Governor that addresses legacy contracts that mature after the mid-2023 cessation of LIBOR that lacked effective fallbacks, and have been advising the U.S. federal government and the European Commission on LIBOR-related legislation.
• Advised Credit Suisse, as arranger and placement agent, on the first CRE CLO in Europe since the credit crisis. The dual currency notes are backed by a pool of 9 loans originated by Starz Real Estate and secured on 17 properties in the UK, Spain, The Netherlands, and Ireland, spanning a broad range of sectors, including multi-family, industrial, logistics, storage, retail and hotels.
• Advised Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs as co-lenders in a $3 billion single-asset/single-borrower securitized refinancing of the newly developed One Vanderbilt skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, the second-tallest building in New York – a real signal-sending commercial office transaction for New York City.

• Cadwalader has been named among the U.S. leading law firms for providing world-class client service in the BTI Client Service A-Team 2022: Survey of Law Firm Client Service Performance.
• Cadwalader has received a perfect 100 percent score on the 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), marking the 10th consecutive year that the firm has attained a top rating and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality.
• Cadwalader was ranked 3rd out of the “Top 20” in the prestigious “Most Innovative Law Firm in North America: Practice of Law” category as part of the Financial Times North America Innovative Lawyers 2021 Report.
• Cadwalader teams have been named among the Law360 2021 “Practice Groups of the Year” in the Hospitality and Structured Finance categories. The awards “honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and major deals that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.”
• Securitization and Structured Finance Law Firm of the Year, 2021—U.S. News – Best Lawyers