Sutherland Asbill & Brennan

Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP
Headquarters United States Atlanta, Georgia
No. of offices 8
No. of attorneys 422
Major practice areas Investment Funds, Corporate, Energy & Environmental, Financial Services, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Real Estate, Tax
Key people Mark D. Wasserman (Managing Partner)
Date founded 1924
Company type Limited liability partnership
Website
www.sutherland.com

Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, rebranded to the abbreviated name of Sutherland, is an AmLaw 100 American law firm.[1] Founded in 1924 by William Sutherland and Elbert Tuttle as Sutherland & Tuttle, the firm originally achieved national prominence on tax issues.[2] Sutherland's practice extends throughout the United States and worldwide, and is focused on seven major practice areas: corporate, energy and environmental, financial services, intellectual property, litigation, real estate, and tax.[3] As of January 2011, the firm had approximately 422 attorneys.[4]

Sutherland's New York office is located in the W. R. Grace Building.
Sutherland's Atlanta office is located at 999 Peachtree Street, Atlanta

Firm History

Founded in 1924 by William Sutherland, who had earlier served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brandeis, and Elbert Tuttle, who later became the Chief Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the firm of Sutherland & Tuttle first established a national reputation in the tax field. In the ensuing years, the firm has also developed prominent practices in corporate, energy, financial services, intellectual property, litigation and real estate.

During the early years, Sutherland strengthened its tax practice by mastering the intricacies of the New Deal legislation. The firm became adept in this area through the work of Joseph Brennan, who became a partner in 1933. Now known as Sutherland, Tuttle & Brennan, the firm also took on many landmark pro bono matters in this era, including the landmark 1938 right-to-counsel case of Johnson v. Zerbst, one of the most oft-cited cases in the 20th century. The firm opened an office in Washington, DC in 1937, and this office grew apace after World War II when William Sutherland relocated to the city. The tandem development of the Atlanta and Washington offices gave the firm the distinction of being one of the first national law firms.

The post-World War II years saw the firm expand into real estate, insurance, education litigation and corporate law. In 1954, firm co-founder Elbert Tuttle accepted an appointment to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, where he went on to become one of the most esteemed federal judges of the 20th century. Upon Tuttle’s departure, the firm was renamed Sutherland Asbill & Brennan, the name it was known by for over 50 years. Also in this era, partner Randolph Thrower was appointed Commissioner of Internal Revenue in 1969.

In the 1970s and 80s, Sutherland expanded even further, building a solid foundation in the fields of energy, financial services, technology and intellectual property law. The energy group grew into one of the nation’s most recognized such practices in a very short time. Among its early cases was the representation of Northwest Pipeline Corporation in its successful application to the Federal Power Commission to build the Alaskan Natural Gas Pipeline (1974-79).

The 1980s saw the firm’s litigation practice expand with the first of many reinsurance cases, including one that culminated in the largest reinsurance arbitration in history. In the 1990s, the firm reached the 300-lawyer mark and opened its office in Austin. During this same period, Sutherland partner Margaret Richardson followed in Randolph Thrower’s footsteps by becoming the head of the IRS. In 1995, the partners implemented a firm integration plan and named James L. Henderson III the first Firmwide Managing Partner. This move ushered in Sutherland’s most significant period of growth.

Since 2000, Sutherland has formally created an Intellectual Property Group, opened burgeoning offices in New York and Houston, and successfully integrated its operations always employing the latest in state-of-the-art technology.

In May 2005, Mark D. Wasserman succeeded Jim Henderson to become firmwide Managing Partner. The firm now has approximately 425 lawyers and represents clients around the globe from its offices in Atlanta, Austin, Geneva, Houston, London, New York City, Sacramento and Washington, D.C.. [5]

On November 29, 2016, it was announced that Eversheds LLP was in late stage merger talks with Sutherland.[6] The merger would create the 39th largest firm by revenue globally.

Awards and Rankings

2015 Vault Survey

Other 2014/2015 Rankings

Notable partners and employees

References

  1. ↑ "The Am Law 100 2011"
  2. ↑ "U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firms"
  3. ↑ "U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firms"
  4. ↑ "America's Largest 250 Law Firms."
  5. ↑ "History of Sutherland".
  6. ↑ https://www.thelawyer.com/issues/online-november-2016/eversheds-late-stage-merger-talks-us-firm-sutherland/
  7. ↑ "Sutherland Awards & Rankings".
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