Simpson Thacher has been named for the fifth consecutive year to the Financial Times’ 2014 North America Innovative Lawyers Report, which honors North American law firms that consistently create innovative solutions to solve business problems for their clients. Overall, Simpson Thacher ranked 6th on this year’s list of the most innovative North American firms.
The Firm’s work on Vodafone’s sale of its U.S. business to Verizon, the largest M&A deal of the century, was commended in the Corporate & Commercial category. Corporate Partners Bill Curbow, Eric Swedenburg and others advised the company on the transaction.
Simpson Thacher was also commended in the Litigation category for developing a roadmap for future retail mergers facing antitrust scrutiny following the landmark decision by the FTC to allow the merger between Office Depot and OfficeMax to clear without any divestitures. Litigation Partner Kevin Arquit, with support from others in Washington, D.C. and New York, led the team.
The Firm was highly commended in the Business of Law category for its partnership with Stanford and Berkeley working toward a better understanding of intellectual property practices, analytical tools, processes and outcomes. Litigation Partner Jeff Ostrow and Litigation Counsel Josh Walker led this initiative.
The Firm’s use of mandamus action to ensure asylum seekers are given an interview with an immigration official within 45 days of arrival, led by Joe Tringali and Harlene Katzman, was commended in the Social Responsibility – Pro Bono cases category.
Josh Walker was named as a finalist in the 10 most innovative individuals in the North America legal sector. Josh is recognized for his experience in complex intellectual property issues for Silicon Valley and his work on designing legal databases and analytics tools that help apply evidence-based reasoning to IP litigation.
The FT North America Innovative Lawyers Report is a collaboration between the Financial Times, a premier global publication covering international business and politics, and RSG Consulting.