No. of offices 17 Major practice areas General practice Company type LLP Founded 1830 | No. of attorneys 317 (December 2015) Number of attorneys 317 Number of offices 17 | |
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Headquarters New York City, New York, United States | ||
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP is a New York-headquartered international law firm with over 300 attorneys in 17 offices worldwide. Curtis is an AmLaw 200 firm and the American Lawyer lists Curtis among the top four U.S. law firms for diversity.
Contents
History
The law firm was founded in 1830 in New York City by John and James Graham, cousins from Connecticut who established their legal practice on Fulton Street (Manhattan) in today's Financial District. In 1838, the firm admitted partner William Curtis Noyes, the son of a state Supreme Court justice. The firm merged in 1852 with another legal partnership established by a member of the Curtis family and moved to new premises on Wall Street. In 1899, Severo Mallet-Prevost joined the firm. In 1925, the firm's current name was adopted, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle. The firm established its Washington, D.C. office in 1963, followed by an office in Paris in the 70s, and has continued to open offices throughout the world. The firm presently maintains its headquarters in the H. J. Kalikow and Co., Inc. building at 101 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
Awards
2012 American Lawyer
In the annual 2012 AmLaw 200 survey, Curtis is ranked 153rd, up from 177 in 2009, having increased revenues by $10 million despite the weakened economy. Curtis also ranked 89th in Compensation per Partner and 63rd in Profits per Equity Partner for the year.
NLJ 250
In the annual NLJ 250 survey, Curtis is ranked 139th, up from 169th.
2011 American Lawyer International Arbitration Scorecard
Curtis ranked among the top 5 law firms worldwide.
2012 Global Arbitration Review
Curtis is ranked as having one of the top 30 most active International Arbitration groups.
2011-2012 U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers Rankings
National Tier 1
Admiralty & Maritime Law
National Tier 2
Derivatives and Futures Law
International Arbitration - Commercial
National Tier 3
Biotechnology Law
Oil & Gas Law
Securities Regulation
New York City Tier 1
Admiralty & Maritime Law
New York City Tier 2
Criminal Defense: White-Collar - Governmental Investigations
Criminal Defense: White-Collar - Litigation
Derivatives and Futures Law
International Arbitration - Commercial
Litigation - Bankruptcy
Trusts & Estates Law
New York City Tier 3
Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law
Commercial Litigation
2012 Latin Lawyer 250
In the 2011 edition, Curtis is ranked as one of the leading international law firms operating in Latin America. Curtis has been recognized as one of the leading firms practicing in Mexico since 1999.
Numerous lawyers were cited for their work in Latin America: Chairman George Kahale III; Managing Partner Matias Vega; Partners James Alford, Gabriela Alvarez-Avila, Eloy Barbará, David Bayrock, Santiago Corcuera Cabezut, William Candelaria, Christopher Dunn, Hermann Ferré, Robert George, Miriam Harwood, Valarie Hing, Javier Jiménez, Mark O'Donoghue, Antonio Prida, Guillermo Ulke, Kate Brown de Vejar and Claudia Frutos-Peterson.
2012 M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards
The Chapter 11 Reorganization of North American Petroleum Corporation USA and its affiliates (NAPCUS), where Curtis acted as counsel to the Official Committee of Equity Security Holders, was chosen as the "Energy Deal of the Year" in the 6th Annual Turnaround Awards.
2011 M&A Advisor Awards
The Chapter 11 Reorganization of North American Petroleum Corporation USA and its affiliates (NAPCUS), where Curtis acted as counsel to the Official Committee of Equity Security Holders, was chosen as the "Energy Deal of the Year" in the 6th Annual Turnaround Awards.
2011 Turnaround Atlas Awards
Curtis's Restructuring group and client GB Merchant Partners each received the Turnaround Atlas Award for "Turnaround of the Year ($5 million plus)" for their roles in the acquisition of Ashley Stewart by GB Merchant Partners' 1903 Equity Fund, the institutional private equity affiliate of The Gordon Brothers Group.
Curtis received the Turnaround Atlas Award for "Special Situation M&A Deal of the Year (middle markets)" for its role in the acquisition of Marquis Jet by NetJets Inc.
The Readers' Digest Association, Inc. received the Turnaround Atlas Award for "Pre-packaged Reorganization of the Year (large)" for companies with more than $1 billion in assets. Curtis served as conflicts counsel to Readers' Digest in the bankruptcy case. Atrium Companies, Inc. received the Turnaround Atlas Award for "Chapter 11 Reorganization of the Year (upper middle markets)." Curtis served as counsel to the acquirer, Golden Gate Capital. Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. received the Turnaround Atlas Award for "Industrial & Manufacturing Turnaround of the Year." Curtis served as lead counsel to Wilmington Trust Company as indenture trustee of the funded debt obligations of Smurfit.
Performance
In February 2009, despite a weak economy, the firm reported a 13.5% surge in revenue, pushing profits per partner to the $1 million mark, a record for the firm. Revenues per lawyer were reported at $570,000. Chairman George Kahale cited the firm's limited presence in mergers and acquisitions, banking, and private equity, along with its strength in bankruptcy and arbitration as major contributors to the firm's stability and growth.
In 2012, the firm reported continued revenue growth of nearly 18%, reaching $165 million for the year. The firm also saw its attorney presence expand, eclipsing 300 attorneys total for the first time.
Noted practices
Curtis is well known for its international corporate practice including securities, mergers & acquisitions, project finance and other transactional matters. Curtis is also respected for its work in shipping and admiralty law, energy, and bankruptcy; not to mention a highly ranked international arbitration practice.
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost has long had a strong focus on Latin America. Currently the firm maintains an office in Mexico City and has a strategic alliance with the Argentine law firm, Fernandez Quiroga Ayarragaray & Ocampo. Legal publications report that the firm's strategic alliance is the first step towards a full-fledged merger of the two firms. Curtis is also seeking to expand into Brazil. Perhaps its most noted clients in the region are the Mexican state oil company, Pemex and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which the firm currently represents in a variety of corporate, arbitration and litigation matters in the United States and abroad.
Major clients
Curtis represented now-defunct securities firm Drexel Burnham Lambert in charges brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and the Securities Act by the United States government. Key clients include Verizon and Flextronics in the telecommunications sector, Access Industries and the Century Aluminum Company, a subsidiary of Glencore International AG, in the industrial sector and Citgo, PDVSA, YPFB and KazMunayGas in the petrochemicals sector. The firm has been particularly successful representing state-owned or parastatal energy companies which bring in approximately $50 million in revenues for the firm. Curtis also represented the Air Transportation Stabilization Board in a number of transactions regarding air carrier consolidation and restructuring following the September 11 attacks. Recently, the firm was retained by Lehman Brothers, the bankrupt investment bank to serve as conflicts counsel in its Chapter 11 proceedings when lead counsel Weil, Gotshal & Manges cannot act due to conflicts of interest.
Pro bono
Among the firm's pro bono publico endeavors was the representations of Stanley Williams in a death penalty appeal in the state of California. In 2007, the Firm also represented the not-for-profit Katonah Village Improvement Society, in its opposition to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's attempt to register the name "Katonah" as a trademark. In 2008, Curtis partner Jeffrey I. Zuckerman represented Mordechai Dov Brody and his parents in opposing an effort by Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., to terminate Brody's life support. Also in 2008 Curtis partner Santiago Corcuera was mentioned and quoted by the Latin Lawyer Magazine for his pro bono work in Mexico. Curtis was also ranked sixth, out of fifteen firms in the Pro Bono Ranking conducted by the Latin Lawyer Magazine in 2008.
Careers at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle
There are several career programs offered by the firm for students in summer or for LLM students. There are also training programs available for associates.