Ballard Spahr LLP

The firm: Ballard Spahr LLP, an AmLaw 100 law firm with 15 US offices, serves clients in more than 50 practice areas. The firm’s mission: to provide nothing less than excellence in every legal representation.

Main areas of practice
Business and Transactions: Business and transactions department attorneys design strategies, share insights, and assist clients in realizing their goals in a wide array of sectors. The firm’s mergers and acquisitions lawyers structure, negotiate, and close transactions, and its securities attorneys advise on capital-raising activities and compliance with public reporting and proxy obligations. Consumer financial services lawyers advise on regulatory matters, assist in the design and documentation of credit products, and represent clients in class action and regulatory enforcement proceedings. Privacy and data security attorneys identify potential vulnerabilities and create protective compliance policies and procedures. Employee benefits and executive compensation lawyers design and implement benefits packages that comply with applicable regulatory requirements. Dealmakers turn to the firm’s private equity attorneys for knowledge of the unique issues and complexities inherent in designing and effectuating those often-complex transactions. Tax lawyers help clients minimize their tax burden and maximize the benefits of tax credits, deductions, and exemptions.

Intellectual Property: The intellectual property department counsels clients on developing, commercializing, enforcing, and defending their intellectual property assets. The firm provides a full range of services, including assisting with IP procurement and licensing, protection of patent, trademark, and copyright portfolios, and developing strong brands. It brings protective actions for clients’ property in the United States and globally. The team has the experience, resources, and versatility to handle the most complex IP issues. IP litigators try complex, high-stakes cases involving cutting-edge technologies for clients across industries in jurisdictions nationwide and before the Patent and Trademark Trial and Appeal Boards.

Litigation: Commercial litigators handle disputes involving breach of contract and UCC-related matters; antitrust/unfair competition; business torts; breach of fiduciary duty; fraud; securities laws; class actions; corporate governance; real estate litigation/transactions; construction claims; lending/finance agreements; contracts for business sales or acquisitions; privacy and data security; trade secrets and other IP matters; wealth management issues; and product liability, insurance, professional liability, and civil rights claims. Labor and employment attorneys handle discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, and issues involving FMLA, ERISA, and wage-and-hour matters. White Collar attorneys conduct internal investigations, represent clients facing government enforcement, and handle matters involving FCA, AML/BSA, and FCPA issues. Environmental attorneys represent clients in administrative, civil, and criminal proceedings and advise on national and regional compliance, permitting, rulemaking, develop­ment, and contamination matters—focusing on climate change and sustainability. Bankruptcy attorneys handle corporate restructurings, municipal insolvencies, Chapter 11 creditor/debtor matters, distressed real estate, and M&A. Government relations attorneys help clients effectively interact with government entities and advise on regulatory, administrative, and legislative matters. Media and entertainment law attorneys counsel and litigate on behalf of content providers across media platforms. Securities and Chancery attorneys advise on securities and corporate governance claims. Ballard Spahr is one of the few national law firms with an established Chancery Court practice.

Finance: The firm’s finance department focuses on specific industry sectors, project types, and deal structures. The public finance practice is among the finest in the country, participating in the issuance of more than $1 trillion in tax-exempt obligations in every US state and territory, and has been nationally recognized by The Bond Buyer since 1958. The P3/Energy /Project Finance Group is a leader in representing government participants and private sector developers, investors, and lenders in innovative public-private partnerships. They handle the development, acquisition, and financing of energy assets, helping clients meet regulatory compliance considerations. They counsel clients on regulatory issues, financing options, transactional considerations, and litigation avoidance strategies necessary for capital-heavy projects. The real estate finance group represents lenders, special servicers, private equity firms, REITs, life insurance companies, CMBS lenders, and borrowers in loan transactions and distressed real estate deals. The housing finance attorneys represent housing authorities, underwriters, investors, and lenders in some of the nation’s largest affordable housing transactions, as well as GSE and HUD financing and tax credit transactions. The commercial finance group represents clients with lending, borrowing, and arranging of capital through varied deal structures and project types.

Real Estate: The real estate department serves a diverse client base nationwide. The development and transactions group offers comprehensive services in development, zoning and land use, tax structuring, construction, leasing, condomini­ums, mixed-use projects, and condemnation. The resort, hospitality, and timeshare group advises on complex projects across a range of industry investment, including project financing, ground-up construction, hotel development, management and repositioning, mixed-use, and first-to-market timeshare products. The housing group represents housing authorities, under­writers, developers, and lenders in some of the nation’s largest affordable housing transactions, as well as GSE and HUD financing, LIHTC, RAD, and tax credit transactions.

Chairman: Peter V. Michaud
Number of partners: 220