Winston & Strawn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Winston & Strawn LLP is a large international law firm headquartered in Chicago. Founded in 1853 by Frederick H. Winston, the firm now employs approximately 900 attorneys and maintains offices in the following locations: Chicago, Geneva, Switzerland, London, Los Angeles, Moscow. New York City, Paris, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C..

In 2006, The American Lawyer ranked Winston & Strawn as the 31st largest law firm in the United States and 37th in the World based on estimated 1995 gross revenues of $571 million.[1]

The firm has a history of strong connections with U.S. politicians from both parties. For example, former Vice President Walter Mondale and current U.S. Congressman Mark Kirk previously practiced at Winston & Strawn. On August 23, 2006, former Governor of Illinois James R. Thompson announced his departure as Chairman of the firm, a post he had held for 13 years.[2]

Notable cases

In 1944, the firm successfully challenged the War Powers Act on behalf of the Montgomery Ward corporation, whose plants had been seized by the U.S. Army.
In 1966, the firm successfully defended the Atlanta Braves organization from lawsuits filed related to the franchise's move from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1994, American Lawyer featured the firm on its cover with an article related to the firm's defense of the General Electric corporation in antitrust matters.
In 2001, the firm worked on behalf of Barr Laboratories to successfully challenge a patent related to the anti-depressant Prozac. Fortune Magazine called the case "The mother of all patent challenges."[3]
Also in 2001, the firm received negative publicity due to its withdrawal as counsel to the State of Nevada in legal matters related to the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.[4]
In 2005 and 2006, the firm defended former Governor of Illinois George Ryan and a co-defendant in their trial on racketeering and bribery charges. Ryan was found guilty on all counts.[5]