2024 DIVERSITY DATABASE UNDERWRITER Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Fried Frank’s 750 lawyers are located in key finance and government centers in New York, London, Frankfurt, Brussels, and Washington, DC. The firm advises many of the world’s leading corporations, investment funds, and financial institutions on their critical legal needs and business opportunities.

An Impressive Crew

Fried Frank traces its history to the turn of the 20th century when a group of German-Jewish lawyers began practicing in New York City in the 1890s, a time when most New York firms did not employ Jewish lawyers. In 1929, Walter J. Fried (pronounced “Freed”) joined the firm as an associate who focused on real estate law. Fried practiced with the firm until his retirement in 1979. In the 1950s, Fried was a pioneer in the movement to convert rental apartment buildings into co-ops owned by the residents. In 1943, Hans J. Frank joined the firm as an expert in international taxation. Frank had left Germany when Hitler’s laws forbidding Jews to practice law were enacted.

Growing from its roots in New York City’s German-Jewish business community, the firm established itself in the nation’s capital, opening a Washington, DC, office in 1949. By 1971, partners Walter Fried, Hans J. Frank, Sam Harris, Sargent Shriver, and Leslie Jacobson were all on the masthead. The partners had uniformly impressive resumes and dedication to civic causes. Sam Harris worked for the SEC in its early days and served as a prosecutor of Nazi war criminals in the Nuremberg trials. Sargent Shriver is known for being the driving force behind the founding of the Peace Corps and serving as its first director.

Keeping It Real

While well respected in both litigation and corporate work, Fried Frank today is widely known for its top-notch Real Estate Department, handling acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, financing, joint ventures, distressed real estate workouts, and development, land use, and environmental issues. Since 2011, the firm has been ranked in the top two of Vault’s Real Estate practice area ranking, and Fried Frank’s Real Estate Department has frequently been recognized as Practice Group of the Year by Law360 since the award was established in 2012.

The firm’s M&A and Private Equity practices are also notable. More than 100 of the firm’s attorneys counsel megafund clients and middle-market sponsors on all aspects of private equity transactions, bringing in cross-disciplinary knowledge in antitrust, capital markets, finance, and tax law. Fried Frank is also a regular at the M&A table, advising clients across diverse industries such as consumer products, energy, financial services, healthcare, media, pharmaceuticals, real estate, retail, telecommunications, and technology.

Living Well

“Wellness” is a buzzword at many law firms, but it is a priority at Fried Frank. The firm’s program Living Well at Fried Frank offers support in three areas: mental health, fitness and nutrition, and work-life integration. The resources offered include around-the-clock access to counseling, discounted gym memberships, and in-house seminars.