Duane Morris Explained

Duane Morris LLP
Headquarters:	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Num Offices:	29
Num Attorneys:	800+
Practice Areas:	General practice
Key People:	Matthew A. Taylor (Chair) Charles J. O'Donnell (COO)
Revenue:	(2021)^[1]
Profit Per Equity Partner:	(2021)
Company Type:	Limited liability partnership

Duane Morris LLP is a law firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm was founded in 1904 as Duane, Morris, Heckscher, & Roberts,^[2] and has offices in the United States, London, Singapore, Vietnam, Oman, Myanmar, Shanghai, and Taiwan. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates in other disciplines.

Ranking and recognition

U.S. News & World Report awarded Duane Morris top-tier national rankings in bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law, construction law and litigation, employee benefits law, health care law, immigration, insurance, patent law and venture capital law. In total, 28 Duane Morris practice groups were nationally ranked.^[3]

In 2014, the Am Law 100 ranked Duane Morris as the 71st largest law firm in the U.S. based on gross revenue.^[4]

Growth

Chair Sheldon Bonovitz stepped down at the beginning of January 2008 and was replaced by former Vice Chair John J. Soroko.^[5]

, the firm had more than 750 attorneys across 27 offices.^{[6] [7]}

In January 2020, Duane Morris reached a merger agreement with Satterlee Stephens.^[8]

Notable cases and deals

• Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc.: Duane Morris represented the plaintiff Markman in a patent infringement lawsuit.^[9]
• Tobacco Industry Litigation: Duane Morris and the Pittsburgh law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a 46-state class action lawsuit against the tobacco industry. The litigation concluded in 1998 with a $206 billion global settlement agreement for the 46 suing states.^{[10] [11] [12]}

Notable alumni

• Barbara Adams, general counsel of Pennsylvania, under Governor Rendell
• Michael Baylson, federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Roland S. Morris, former United States Ambassador to Japan, one of the founding partners of the firm
• Gene E. K. Pratter, federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Marjorie Rendell, circuit judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• Mark Singel, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995. Joined the firm in 2000 after leaving public service and left to start his own firm in 2005.

Further reading

• Book: Duane, Morris . 1979 . Duane, Morris and Heckscher: A History . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . 7530000.

External links

• • Organizational Profile of Duane Morris at the National Law Review

Notes and References

1. Web site: Duane Morris . Law.com . ALM Global, LLC . 17 May 2022.
2. Web site: Past and Present . . 2013 . Duane Morris . 29 May 2013 .
3. Web site: U.S. News - Best Lawyers Best Law Firms . 2012-12-17 . https://archive.today/20130205095248/http://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/Firmprofile.aspx?firm_id=18309&tab=Rankings . 2013-02-05 . dead .
4. Web site: The Am Law 100: Firms Ranked by Gross Revenue | The American Lawyer.
5. Web site: Duane Morris LLP - Sheldon Bonovitz Steps Down as Duane Morris Chairman, John Soroko Takes Over Law Firm Leadership . 2022-03-18 . www.duanemorris.com.
6. Web site: Office List . . 2013 . Duane Morris . 29 May 2013 .
7. Web site: About Duane Morris . . 2013 . Duane Morris . 29 May 2013 .
8. Web site: New York law firm to merge with Duane Morris. 2020-01-21. Delaware Business Now. en-US. 2020-02-24.
9. Web site: Duane Morris LLP - Intellectual Property- Related Matters . https://web.archive.org/web/20081208035109/http://www.duanemorris.com/relatedmatters?practice=109 . 8 December 2008 . dead.
10. http://www.naag.org/backpages/naag/tobacco/msa/msa-pdf/1109185724_1032468605_cigmsa.pdf National Association of Attorneys General, Master Settlement Agreement
11. [PA Bulletin]
12. Web site: Duane Morris website. https://web.archive.org/web/20080513164844/http://www.duanemorris.com/cases/case_study_tobacco.html. dead. May 13, 2008.