Welcome To The Most Feared Law Firm
Quinn Emanuel prides itself on its litigation ferocity and success and with the recent rankings from the BTI Consulting Group it retains the title as The Most Feared Law Firm.
The rankings for the LA-based firm are based on interviews with over 350 leading legal decision-makers from prominent companies.
The 2023 report, informed by the insights of in-house counsel, lists 46 law firms that these decision-makers actively seek to avoid in litigation contexts.
Quinn Emanuel once again secured the foremost position on this list. The 2023 award marks the third time in four years that Quinn Emanuel has earned this top spot in the BTI report.
And it has also been recognized byThe American Lawyer with the “Litigation Department of the Year” at its 2023 Industry Awards.
Quinn Emanuel Partners including Chairman and Founder John B. Quinn, name Partner Kathleen Sullivan, Co-Global Managing Partners Michael Carlinsky and Bill Burck and others accepted the award at the ceremony in New York City on November 15th.
The firm recently opened offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and we recently reported that it had paid out Fall bonuses to associates that were in addition to the more traditional end-of-year bonuses awarded to biglaw associates, reflecting a good year for the ‘feared firm’.
Who Are Quinn Emanuel?
The firm was founded in 1986 by John B. Quinn, Eric Emanuel, David Quinto, and Phyllis Kupferstein. They were joined in 1988 by name partner A. William Urquhart and to a large part it stands apart from many of its competitors.
Being LA- rather than New York-based is an obvious difference, but it also rejects traditional corporate norms, including a formal dress code, and instead promotes a more casual corporate culture.
It operates without formal management committees, except for an advisory committee dedicated to evaluating contingency fee cases.
A significant portion, approximately 35 percent, of the attorneys at Quinn Emanuel are alumni of prestigious law schools such as Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, New York University, and Columbia.
A pioneering force in the legal industry, Quinn Emanuel is the first among the AmLaw 100 firms to have a female name partner. In March 2010, the firm expanded its name to include Kathleen Sullivan, a former Dean of Stanford Law School who leads the firm’s appellate practice. Prior to this, the firm was known as Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges. This change underscores the firm’s commitment to diversity and leadership in the legal field.
