Troutman Sanders LLP, founded in 1897, is an international law firm with more than 650 attorneys located in North America and Asia. The firm is organized into over forty areas of legal practice within five sections: Business Law, Energy and Industry Regulation, Finance, Litigation, and Real Estate. Stephen "Steve" E. Lewis is the firm's Managing Partner. Carl E. Sanders, the former Governor of Georgia, served as Chairman Emeritus until his death in 2014.
History
In 1897, Troutman Sanders was founded as the private practice of Walter T. Colquitt. Colquitt was well known in Atlanta near the end of the 19th century for his representation of the Georgia Railway and Electric Company, which would later become the Georgia Power Company.
In 1930, Colquitt formed a partnership with two brothers, Henry and Robert Troutman, both of whom were well-respected lawyers that had clients, such as Gulf Refining Company, the Georgia Real Estate Commission and the National Surety Company. Additionally, Colquitt had two other attorneys, Robert S. Parker and Preston Stanley Arkwright Jr., join the firm creating Colquitt, Parker, Troutman and Arkwright. For the next thirty years, the firm grew in size, reputation and client base, and went through a few name changes as partnerships were formed and broken. By the late 1960s, the firm was known as Troutman Sams Schroder & Lockerman.
In 1971, then president of Georgia Power, Ed Hatch, suggested the merger of Troutman Sams Schroder & Lockerman with former Governor Carl Sanders’ firm, Sanders Ashmore & Boozer. Hatch believed the merger would keep intact the decades of utility expertise of the Troutman firm, while merging the fresh talent and energy of Sanders’ young firm. The new firm would operate as Troutman Sanders Lockerman & Ashmore, until shortened to Troutman Sanders in 1992 when the firm moved from downtown Atlanta’s historic Candler Building to Midtown Atlanta’s new 55-story Bank of America Plaza.
From 1993-2015, Robert W. “Bob†Webb Jr. helmed the firm after succeeding Carl Sanders as managing partner. During his tenure, the firm saw remarkable growth across the United States and internationally. In 2001, Troutman Sanders merged with Mays & Valentine LLP, which added 150 attorneys to the firm. The merger also added several offices in Virginia.
In 2006, Carl Sanders retired and took the title of Chairman Emeritus. Webb subsequently added chairman to his title, becoming the firm’s Chairman and Managing Partner. Three years after Sanders' retirement, the firm merged with D.C.-based Ross Dixon & Bell. Troutman Sanders' size grew to 15 offices after the merger, adding Chicago, Orange County, San Diego and doubling its D.C. presence with over 650 attorneys.
In January 2011, Webb relinquished his duties as the firm's Managing Partner to Stephen "Steve" E. Lewis, and became solely the firm's Chairman. In 2015, Webb retired and Lewis took over the duties he held. The firm continues to expand, with offices opened in 2014 in Charlotte and in 2015 in San Francisco.
Offices
The firm's headquarters is in Atlanta. Troutman Sanders operates several offices in Virginia, with locations in Richmond, Tysons Corner and Virginia Beach, as well as an office in Washington, D.C. There are three international offices - Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Other offices are located in Charlotte, Chicago, New York City, Orange County, Raleigh, San Diego, San Francisco, and Portland.
Notable lawyers and alumni
- Mark Howard Cohen, judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
- Frank Hanna III, Catholic entrepreneur and philanthropist
- Kathleen McGinty, federal environmental policy official
- Carl E. Sanders, former Governor of Georgia
Names of the firm
During its history, Troutman Sanders has been known by a number of names:
- Walter T. Colquitt, Esq. (1897)
- Colquitt and Lumpkin (1897â€"1904)
- Colquitt and Conyers (1904â€"1917)
- Colquitt, Conyers and Latimer (1918â€"1930)
- Colquitt, Parker, Troutman and Arkwright (1930â€"1935)
- Colquitt, MacDougald, Troutman and Arkwright (1935â€"1937)
- MacDougald, Troutman and Arkwright (1937â€"1947)
- MacDougald, Troutman, Sams and Branch (1947â€"1949)
- MacDougald, Troutman, Sams and Schroder (1949â€"1953)
- Troutman, Sams, Schroder and Lockerman (1953â€"1971)
- Troutman, Sanders, Lockerman and Ashmore (1971â€"1992)
- Troutman Sanders LLP (1992â€"present)
Services and clients
Troutman Sanders’ clients range from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, non-profit organizations to individual entrepreneurs, multinational corporations to federal and state agencies, sports and entertainment organizations to foreign governments. The firm's important clients include several Atlanta-based companies, such as Cousins Properties, Delta Air Lines, Southern Company, Turner Broadcasting System and Chick-fil-A. The firm also represents Bank of America and Verizon Communications, headquartered in Charlotte and New York City, respectively.
Troutman Sanders Strategies
Troutman Sanders Strategies, headed by Chairman and CEO Pete Robinson, is a government relations and issue management firm with offices in Atlanta, Richmond and Washington, D.C. The group represents clients' public policy issues and needs at the federal, state and local levels.
Current team members include a former President Pro Tem of the Georgia State Senate, a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives and a former chief of staff to a current U.S. Senator.
Troutman Sanders Strategies was until 2008 known as Troutman Sanders’ Public Affairs Group.
Awards and honors
- Earns, yearly, 100 percent in annual Corporate Equality Index (CEI) reports administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation; the firm has earned 100 percent since 2009
- Troutman Sanders attorneys are continuously named “Best Lawyers†and the firm named a "Best Law Firm" by U.S. News & World Report
- Recognized as one of the nation’s “Most Feared Litigation Firms†in BTI’s 2013 Litigation Outlook Report
- Two attorneys named 2012 BTI Client Service All-Stars
- Attorneys annually named to Chambers and Partners' Chambers USA Guide
- Ranked 72 in 2015 by American Lawyer in the Am Law 100
- Recognized in Chambers Global and Asia-Pacific Guides as a leading law firm in corporate mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and dispute resolution capabilities; with leading individuals in Hong Kong and Shanghai
- Received numerous awards from city, state and local bar associations for its pro bono efforts, including the Florida Bar, the State Bar of Georgia, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Louisiana State Bar Association, New York City Bar, the State Bar of New York and the Richmond Bar Association; additionally, firm pro bono efforts highlighted nationally in American Lawyer and Incisive Media publications
References
External links
- Troutman Sanders LLP
- Troutman Sanders Strategies
- Troutman Sander's National Law Review Profile
