Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP has been known as one of the premier US law firms for over two centuries. Each of the firm’s practices is highly regarded, and Cravath lawyers are recognized for their commitment to the representation of their clients’ interests in the US and throughout the world.

International experience: Each of Cravath’s practice areas has a strong international focus, and more than one-third of its clients are based outside the US. The firm's lawyers work on a diverse range of matters and regularly advise on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, international capital markets and bank financings, and general corporate and SEC compliance matters. Cravath represents international clients in litigation in US courts and in arbitrations, investigations and other disputes conducted throughout the world.

Main areas of practice
Corporate: Cravath’s work with many of the world’s most significant companies has enabled it to develop a broad-based corporate practice. Clients repeatedly choose Cravath for their most transformative corporate matters. The firm’s corporate lawyers represent companies and boards in their most critical needs across the full spectrum of corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs and joint ventures, as well as in high-stakes corporate situations, including hostile takeovers, proxy fights and shareholder activist campaigns. Cravath’s global private equity practice advises private equity firms and their portfolio companies on all aspects of private equity investing. The firm serves as a trusted advisor and sophisticated business partner to participants across the global investment management and funds ecosystem. Cravath has one of the most respected capital markets practices in the world. The practice is balanced between representing issuers and underwriters in debt, equity and convertible offerings. Cravath’s banking and credit lawyers represent lenders and borrowers in connection with leveraged and investment grade finance as well as direct lending transactions. The financial institutions group practice advises financial institutions, fintechs and other non-bank firms in transactional, regulatory, supervisory, enforcement and governance matters. Cravath provides corporate governance advice to clients facing difficult choices and evaluates complex and often unprecedented transactions under the most demanding circumstances. The financial restructuring and reorganization practice addresses a wide range of financial distress situations involving both chapter 11 cases and out-of-court workouts. Cravath’s corporate IP lawyers advise clients in connection with issues relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights, data, trade secrets, privacy and information security. The firm’s highly regarded environmental lawyers focus on environmental issues across a broad range of business transactions, and on matters associated with ESG, sustainability concerns and climate change.

Litigation: Clients turn to Cravath to handle their most significant and sensitive disputes and investigations across a broad range of practice areas and industries. The firm’s litigators are routinely called upon to represent clients in trials and appeals in federal and state courts, in domestic and international arbitrations, before administrative agencies and regulatory authorities, and in many other types of proceedings, including internal and government investigations and enforcement actions. The firm has extensive experience in such diverse areas of the law as antitrust, bankruptcy, corporate governance, employment, general commercial, IP, investigations and regulatory enforcement, M&A and securities. Companies, boards and board committees regularly rely on the firm to handle contested transactions and guide them through the intricacies of shareholder litigation and investigations, as well as complying with applicable laws and regulations. In addition to handling antitrust litigation, the firm advises on business conduct or potential investments to ensure compliance with antitrust laws and represents clients in securing regulatory approvals. With respect to IP, the firm handles critical litigation involving patents, trade secrets, copyright and trademarks in industries as wide-ranging as technology, pharmaceuticals and financial services. Cravath also frequently advises clients on national and worldwide IP strategy and the identification of IP assets that can be used effectively for offensive or defensive purposes. In the area of securities litigation, the firm is widely recognised for handling complex and often precedent-setting cases. The firm’s white collar team of seasoned litigators and corporate advisory lawyers brings extensive experience from the government and private sectors to a wide variety of investigations, disputes and corporate matters.

Tax: Cravath’s elite tax department designs tax‑efficient structures for an array of complex U.S. and non‑U.S. matters involving mergers, spin-offs and corporate separations, private equity, investment management and funds, and early-stage companies and venture capital funds.

Executive compensation and benefits: Cravath’s ECB department brings experience and judgment to its clients’ employee benefits and compensation matters, which are often central concerns in corporate transactions. The firm’s ECB lawyers advise companies, boards of directors, compensation committees and members of senior management in a variety of compensation and benefit arrangements as well as legal compliance concerns.

Trusts and estates: Cravath’s trusts and estates lawyers have served as legal counsel, advisors and trustees to several generations of families who built many of the world’s most important businesses. The firm’s lawyers work closely with domestic and international private clients and their families, including successful entrepreneurs and founders of companies, senior executives and family offices, to realize their estate planning and philanthropic goals by advising them on the creation and administration of trusts, estates and charitable foundations.