Faegre Drinker

Faegre Drinker is an international law firm providing litigation, regulatory, and business services to clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startups. The firm was formed in February 2020 through the merger of Faegre Baker Daniels and Drinker Biddle & Reath.

Two Become One

Both Faegre Drinker legacy firms have storied histories. The former Drinker Biddle & Reath was founded and headquartered in Philadelphia in 1849 when John Christian Bullitt launched a firm named Bullitt and Fairthorne—which would later become Drinker Biddle. In 1871, the firm presided over the creation of Drexel, Morgan and Co.—an investment bank that would later become JP Morgan. Drinker Biddle also assisted Georg von Trapp (of the legendary von Trapp Family) in 1939 with visa issues at Ellis Island.

Meanwhile, the former Faegre Baker Daniels was founded in 1863 when Thomas Hendricks (who went on to become Vice President to Grover Cleveland) and Oscar Hord (later to become Indiana Attorney General) formed Hendricks & Hord—the firm that would later become the “Baker Daniels” half of Faegre Baker Daniels. The eventual “Faegre” half of the firm opened its doors in Minneapolis in 1886 under the name Cobb & Wheelwright, changing its name to Faegre & Benson in 1942 to reflect the preeminent roles of partners Bart Faegre and John Benson. After more than a century of continued growth, the firm became Faegre Baker Daniels in 2012.

Food, Health, and Beyond

Today, Faegre Drinker is a full-service international law firm with a wide array of corporate and litigation practices. The firm’s industry focuses include consumer products and retail, financial services, food and agribusiness, health and life sciences, insurance, and international. These industries are indicative of the strengths that each legacy firm brought to the combination. For example, Faegre Baker Daniels was a standout in the food and agribusiness industry as a regulatory and business advisor to top companies. The firm also had experience representing these companies in high-stakes litigation, including class actions and multi-district cases. Meanwhile, the former Drinker Biddle & Reath brought along deep knowledge of the health care industry. The firm counseled more than 700 health care clients on matters relating to antitrust, restructuring, compliance, HIPAA and privacy, policy and lobbying, litigation, and more.

Now, Faegre Drinker’s combined expertise covers myriad practice areas. Restructuring is a bustling practice for the firm, as it handles bankruptcy proceedings, commercial workouts, debt restructurings, and refinancing. The firm’s investment management group is known for handling complex challenges faced by clients such as national and multinational funds, investment advisers, broker-dealers, and more. The firm’s insurance practice group, which has been around for nearly a century, has continued to evolve along with client needs—today it boasts expertise in areas like InsurTech, Big Data, and privacy and cybersecurity. In addition to its legal services, the firm’s consulting divisions—including federal advocacy firm Faegre Drinker Consulting; Washington, DC, lobbying firm The District Policy Group; health care consultancy Innovative Health Strategies; and data science division Tritura—provide services beyond law to help clients advance their policy and business objectives.

Pro Bono Champion

Faegre Drinker has a long-standing dedication to pro bono work, with the numbers to back it up: The firm recently racked up more than 230,000 hours of pro bono work in a five-year period. The firm is also proud of its status as a charter signatory to the Pro Bono Institute’s Pro Bono Challenge, which sets aspirational pro bono standards for large law firms as created by law firm leaders and corporate general counsel. The firm has also received numerous awards for its pro bono work from organizations like the ABA, local bar associations, state and federal courts, and community partners. Pro bono clients the firm has served include immigrants and asylum-seekers, death row inmates, domestic violence survivors, small nonprofits, budding artists, veterans, tenants, and foster children.

• Client Service A-Team 2022: Survey of Law Firm Client Service Performance, 2022—BTI Consulting
• Regional Law Firm Brand Index, 2022—Thomson Reuters 
• Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality, 2022—Human Rights Campaign 
• Mansfield Certification and Certification Plus, 2021—Diversity Lab 
• Best Law Firms for Women, 2021—Seramount (formerly Working Mother) and Flex-Time Lawyers