Mayer Brown


Mayer Brown is a global white-shoe law firm, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It has offices in 22 cities in 10 countries throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, with its largest offices being in Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York City, and London.

History

The two firms that now form the core of Mayer Brown were both founded in the 19th century. The US portion of the firm was founded in 1881 in Chicago, by Adolf Kraus and Levy Mayer, and was shortly thereafter known as Kraus, Mayer & Brackett. Among its earliest clients was retail giant Sears Roebuck and Co. After several changes in name to reflect its growing membership, the firm eventually became known in the US as Mayer, Brown & Platt.
In 2002, the firm merged with British law firm Rowe & Maw, which was established in 1895 in London, and operated under that name until joining with Mayer, Brown & Platt in 2002 to form Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. In 2007, the amalgamated firm shortened its name to Mayer Brown.
In 2008, Mayer Brown combined with Johnson Stokes & Master, establishing an Asia office to be known as Mayer Brown JSM. In 2024, amid US-China tensions and subsequent to the Pillar of Shame incident, the firm reorganized its Asia presence to split from its mainland China operations, and saw JSM revert to its pre-merger partnership as an independent law firm headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in Shanghai and Beijing. It is unclear which partnership - JSM or Mayer Brown - tabled the separation, but the proposition to split was reported to have been tabled mere weeks before JSM's 160th anniversary in 2023.
In 2009, the firm formed an association with Brazil's Tauil & Chequer Advogados. In October 2022, the firm launched its own joint law venture with Singapore law firm PK Wong & Nair LLC, known as Mayer Brown PK Wong & Nair PTE. Ltd.

''Pro bono'' work

Mayer Brown is a signatory to the Pro Bono Institute's Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, which commits the firm to devote 3 percent of total billable time to pro bono work, and a member of the UK Joint Protocol on Pro Bono Work, which stipulates that pro bono legal work must be carried out to the same standard as chargeable work.
Partner John F. Halbleib represented the Milton Hershey School on a pro bono basis from 1998 to 2002.
In 2001, lawyer Lee Rubin represented the National Security Archives in an effort by the U.S. State Department to recover 10,000 pages of transcripts of telephone conversations from former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Ward Johnson, a managing partner in the firm’s Northern California office, secured the release of Ken Oliver, who had been convicted in 1997 to life in prison under California’s "three strikes" law. Oliver spent 23 years in prison before Johnson secured his release in 2017 along with a $125,000 settlement for violating Oliver’s civil rights.
Attorney Brian Netter spent four years working pro bono to have the District of Columbia’s budget freed from federal control in a case tied to the 2012 Budget Autonomy Act.
Partner Marcia Maack, the director of pro-bono activities for the firm, helped secure a special immigrant visa in 2017 for an interpreter who had served American forces in Iraq.
In 2017 attorney Andrew Pincus represented the city of Seattle in a pro bono lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s threats against sanctuary cities that refused to aid in federal immigration crackdowns. That same year, Pincus and others represented two Yemeni men who had been detained at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. after Trump signed the first ban on travelers from seven majority Muslim countries.
Partners Nicole Saharsky, Michael Scodro and Marcia Goodman along with associates Minh Nguyen-Dang and Carmen Longoria-Green, obtained a landmark settlement for the players on the US Women’s National Soccer Team in their 2019 equal-pay lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation. The parties agreed to settle for $24 million in backpay damages and a guarantee of equal pay going forward for all games, including for the World Cup. This is the first commitment from a major US sports federation to pay female and male athletes equally.
In 2019, Mayer Brown obtained a nationwide injunction against the US government and its decision to terminate temporary protected status for 60,000 Haitians.
Attorneys Matthew Ingber, Christopher Mikesh, and Justin Perkins secured asylum in the United States for a 12-year old Nigerian chess prodigy and his family.
Attorneys from Mayer Brown represented a group of migrants in 2021 and successfully argued that asylum seekers coming to U.S. ports of entry have rights under U.S. law that cannot be denied by preventing them from physically crossing the border.
Beginning in 2021, the firm led a coalition of 20 law firms and corporate legal departments working to evacuate nearly 150 Asian University for Women students in Afghanistan and place them at universities throughout the U.S. to continue their studies.

Recognitions

Mayer Brown advised Chevron Argentina S.R.L. on its participation in a $3 billion crude oil export pipeline project.
The firm advised Nippon Life Insurance Company on its $8.2 billion acquisition of Resolution Life, a global life and annuity insurance group.
Mayer Brown advised the United States International Development Finance Corporation on a $1 billion financing for conservation in El Salvador.
Mayer Brown represented AT&T before the U.S. Supreme Court in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion.
In Credit Suisse First Boston Ltd. v. Billing, the firm represented Credit Suisse in a precedent-setting case which determined that banks and mutual funds could not be sued under antitrust law over stock losses.
The firm represented Phillip Morris USA before the U.S. Supreme Court in Philip Morris USA v. Williams which held that a jury may not punish a defendant for injuries suffered by non-parties.
Mayer Brown represented Spokeo before the U.S. Supreme Court in Spokeo v. Robbins, a 2015 case with broad implications for class action suits.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the firm advised Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC on a $6.8 billion financing for United Airlines MileagePlus loyalty program.
Mayer Brown helped Citibank recover $500 million in mistakenly wired funds in a multi-year case that was resolved in 2022.
The firm represented Nestle in a $7.15 billion agreement with Starbucks Corporation for the perpetual marketing and distribution rights of products including Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee, Starbucks Reserve, Teavana, Starbucks VIA and Torrefazione Italia. The transaction was noted for its importance in expanding the business reach of both companies.