Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Debevoise & Plimpton ranks as one of New York’s most powerful law firms, representing high-profile clients in transactions and disputes in established and emerging markets around the world. The firm’s core franchise practices include strategic and private equity, M&A, insurance, financial services transactions, fund formation, complex litigation, white collar/investigations, and international arbitration. 

Good Genes

Eli Whitney Debevoise—a direct descendent of the inventor of the cotton gin—and William E. Stevenson founded their firm in New York in 1931. Debevoise wasn’t the only one with an interesting background; Stevenson was a gold medalist on the 1,600-meter relay team in the 1924 Olympics. Francis T.P. Plimpton, whose name graced the masthead starting in 1933, was the father of famed journalist and writer George Plimpton.

A+ All Around

Debevoise’s corporate department remains its largest, with M&A and private equity leading the charge. Its lawyers consistently lead transactions for some of the world’s most prominent corporations, financial services institutions, and private equity firms. The firm has particularly strong experience with complex leveraged acquisitions and cross-border transactions across a wide range of industries. Debevoise is a leader in the representation of private equity firms and in fundraisings and deal activity for those firms and their portfolio companies, providing “one-stop shopping” for private equity and financial sponsor clients. The firm’s Financial Institutions group possesses deep knowledge of the financial services industry and has experience counseling financial services clients on complex banking, insurance, securities broker-dealer, and investment management matters. 

On the litigation side, the firm boasts one of the premier and most active white collar practices in the country, representing clients in the U.S. and abroad involved in criminal and SEC investigations and litigation, as well as in parallel civil and administrative proceedings. The white collar practice also includes the firm’s highly regarded Data Strategy & Security practice, which also advises on a range of AI issues. The firm has a strong international arbitration practice through which it handles a large number of significant international arbitrations, including treaty and other public law arbitrations. The firm’s intellectual property team is stellar, covering trademark, trade dress, false advertising, anti-counterfeiting, unfair competition, copyright, trade secret, patent, First Amendment, information technology, domain names, and right of publicity. 

Career Resources

Debevoise lawyers have a chance to get back to business during their first few weeks at the firm—business school, that is. The firm offers a Mini-MBA program focusing on business and finance education. Faculty directors are sourced both internally and from Columbia Business School.

Of course, the firm doesn’t only focus on getting associates on their feet practice-wise. It also offers resources for associates to develop their career goals, including an internal career counselor and a Professional Development group that provides informal mentoring.

• Led Discovery in the acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T in a Reverse Morris Trust transaction, which reshaped the media industry by creating one of the world’s largest content companies. The combined entity is valued at approximately $130 billion, making this the single largest U.S. M&A transaction of 2021 and one of the two largest in the world (per Refintiv).
• Successfully represented online brokerage Robinhood in multiple investigations by the SEC and FINRA relating to its best execution practices and payment for order flow as well as class actions relating to how the company earns revenue, its actions during an exchange-imposed stock trading stoppage, and other aspects of its operations.
• In a multiyear pro bono project involving nearly 200 lawyers, Debevoise represents prisoners serving unduly harsh sentences resulting from outdated mandatory sentencing provisions that were disproportionately invoked against men of color. To date, the initiative has shaved more than 1,500 years from more than 40 inmates’ sentences and continues to take on new clients. 
• Advised Global Infrastructure Partners in the formation of a record-smashing $22 billion infrastructure fund, attracting a global roster of investors.

• Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certified, 2022—Diversity Lab
• 100% Ranking and designated one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality”, 2022—Corporate Equality Index
• Practice Group of the Year (International Disputes Resolution, Investment Management/Fund Formation, M&A and White Collar Groups), 2022—Law360
• “A-List” 2022—The American Lawyer
• International Arbitration Firm of the Year, 2022, 2021—Benchmark Litigation