- Debevoise & Plimpton is a worldwide leader in International Arbitration and Public International Law. The firm is also one of the best in the world for Private Equity Fund Formation, Corporate Investigations and Insurance, according to Chambers and Partners.
- All second-year trainees complete a three-week business and finance education programme (mini-MBA) at Columbia Business School, New York.
- Pro Bono work is heavily emphasised within the firm, with a 25 hour target each year for each solicitor. This work can cover both contentious and transactional matters.
- It was involved in the biggest insurance deal of 2021 and the acquisition of WarnerMedia by Discovery. Its other notable clients include Rolls Royce, GoDaddy, Morgan Stanley, Disney, NBC Universal and CBS Broadcasting.
- The firm runs a Women’s Review, the first of its kind amongst large law firms, which is solely edited and written by female members of the firm and engages various members of the legal and business communities to start discussions on gender diversity.
We cover these selling points in more detail below, alongside other relevant firm facts and characteristics.
Practice areas / services
Debevoise & Plimpton has a broad range of practice areas including:
- Antitrust & Competition
- Arbitration & International Disputes
- Banking
- Capital Markets
- Commercial Litigation
- Corporate Governance
- Data Strategy & Security
- Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
- Environmental
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
- Finance
- Financial Institutions
- Funds/Investment Management
- Insurance
- Intellectual Property
- Litigation
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Private Equity
- Real Estate
- Restructuring
- Special Situations
- Tax
- Trial Practice
- White Collar & Regulatory Defence
Chambers and Partners, a leading analyst of the legal market, has awarded Debevoise & Plimpton its highest ‘Band 1’ ranking for the following departments: International Arbitration: Investor-State Arbitration, and Public International Law. See here for more information
Key sectors / industries
Debevoise & Plimpton services a broad range of industries, with some of its highest-value clients operating in the following sectors:
In addition, Debevoise & Plimpton services the following industries: Aviation, Banking, Consumer & Retail, Consumer Finance, Funds/Investment Management, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Industrials & Manufacturing, Infrastructure, Insurance, Mining, Sports, Private Equity and Real Estate.
Work
Some of Debevoise & Plimpton’s most notable work includes:
- Discovery: D&P advised Discovery in connection with the acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T Inc. in a transaction that values the combined entity at approximately $130 billion. As a result of this acquisition, new content was brought to DTC subscribers, including HBO Max and the recently launched discovery+.
- GoDaddy: The firm advised GoDaddy on three deals involving the acquisitions of .club and .design extensions as well as 28 domain extensions owned and operated by Minds + Machines Group Limited (MMX).
- Rolls-Royce: D&P advised Rolls-Royce in connection with a £671 million agreement with the Serious Fraud Office concerning alleged bribery and corruption.
Offices / global footprint / expansion
Headquarters: New York, 66 Hudson Boulevard.
Offices: Debevoise & Plimpton has eight other offices, including Washington DC, San Francisco, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Hong Kong and Shanghai, with the European offices each practising local, EU and New York law.
Insights, internships and other opportunities
Debevoise & Plimpton offers three vacation schemes, held in the spring and summer of each year. Vac schemers are assigned a mentor from one of the firm’s practice groups: Litigation, Arbitration, Corporate (including M&A, private equity, insurance, finance and funds) or Tax. It is important to note that vac schemers are selected from the pool of participants who attend the firm’s open days, which are usually held in February and/or March and host around 100 candidates in total. From this pool, around 45 candidates are selected to attend the vacation scheme.
Training contract
The firm takes on nine trainees each year, recruited solely from its vacation scheme. The training contract comprises four six-month seats, including a mandatory seat in litigation/arbitration. The first seat is automatically allocated to incoming trainees. Aside from this, trainees are able to choose their seats.
Secondments
There may be opportunities to spend time in Debevoise & Plimpton’s other international offices, plus all second-year trainees complete a three-week business and finance education programme (mini-MBA) at Columbia Business School, New York.
Technology and innovation
Debevoise & Plimpton is a thought leaders regarding technology and innovation. Some examples that reflect the firm’s commitment to innovation include:
- Debevoise & Plimpton Data Blog: This blog written by various members of the firm provides updates on topics around technology including AI, data protection and regulation of technological matters. The blog is regularly updated to keep in line with the changeability of this area.
- Debevoise & Plimpton AI Webcast Series: The firm offers a number of webcasts on issues around AI.
- Debevoise Data Portal: This was a specific innovation designed by the firm which helps clients protect against, and respond to, breaches in cyber security. It was launched in October 2021 and gives clients access to a regularly updated system to reflect changes in breach notification laws and regulatory guidance. It also enables users to better understand their own exposures to various cyber and artificial intelligence risks.
Corporate social responsibility
The firm aims to fosters a collaborative approach across disciplines, which is embodied in its corporate social responsibility work. Examples include:
- Holloway Project: This notable project focuses on fighting for criminal justice reform and racial equality. This project alone has resulted in reduced sentences for more than 30 clients and won the firm a Beacon of Justice Award in 2021.
- Green Committee: To further the firm’s ESG commitments, the Green Committee has implemented “cycle to work” schemes in its three largest offices (New York, London and Washington D.C) as well as a global carbon offsetting programme for the firm’s air and rail travel. The firm is also particularly proud of the fact that it has donated used cooking oil from its London and New York offices to produce around 2,000 gallons of carbon-neutral biodiesel fuel.
- Active Community Membership: employees of the firm have previously been appointed as President of the International Bar Association, President of the American Bar Association, and President of the American Society of International Law.
Diversity and inclusion
Diversity and inclusion is a key component of how Debevoise & Plimpton delivers the finest legal advice and services to its clients. The firm tries to ensure that it has the “best and more diverse” talent through initiatives such as the following:
- Diversity Equity Inclusion Leadership Team: The team is chaired by two senior partners of the firm and seeks to guide the firm’s diversity and inclusion policies on a global level.
- Management Committee Sponsorship Programme: This programme pairs diverse lawyers with mid and senior level diverse associates to help advance their careers, raise their profiles and assist with internal leadership.
- Debevoise & Plimpton Women’s Review: This was the first platform of its kind among law firms and was developed to inspire the legal and business communities to engage in discussion and collective action around gender diversity. The content for the review and the editorial process is managed almost entirely by members of the firm.