SHEPPARD MULLIN: HIGH QUALITY MEETS DIVERSITY
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP began in Los Angeles in 1927 in a small office building on Spring Street. The founding partners believed that the firm would prosper only if its attorneys delivered high quality legal services demonstrably better than competing providers – a philosophy which continues to be the main objective in identifying and resolving the firm’s clients’ business and legal issues.
Today, Sheppard Mullin is among the largest full-service law firms in the country with more than 250 attorneys throughout California. The firm’s commitment to provide high quality legal services on a cost-efficient basis has earned us the reputation of “California’s Business Law Firm.”
Sheppard Mullin measures its success not on the length of time the firm has been around in Los Angeles (70 years), or the fact that it is one of the largest law firms headquartered here (ranked 7th), but rather on the company it keeps – from family-owned businesses to the Fortune 500 – since 1927.
The firm’s comprehensive business practice includes the following departments and practice areas:
LITIGATION
ANTITRUST AND TRADE REGULATION
BUSINESS CRIMES
ENVIRONMENTAL
AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE
GOVERNMENTAL LAW
LAND USE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND TECHNOLOGY
REAL ESTATE
CONSTRUCTION
INTERNATIONAL
CORPORATE AND SECURITIES
BANKING AND FINANCE
TAX AND ESTATE PLANNING
ERISA, FIDUCIARY AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT
Sheppard Mullin’s strong litigation practice encompasses attorneys from a variety of practice areas including antitrust and trade regulation, business crimes, environmental, aerospace and defense and construction. For generations, Sheppard Mullin has been a leader in the field of antitrust and trade regulation law having represented clients before the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission, State Attorneys’ General, and local enforcement authorities. Attorneys in the firm’s Business Crimes Practice Group represent individuals and corporations during state and federal criminal investigations and trials. The group is anchored by three nationally prominent former federal prosectors, one of whom also served as head of the western regional office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The attorneys in Sheppard Mullin’s Environmental Practice Group have experience in preparing environmental impact reports and assist clients in land use planning that will comply with local and state environmental protection regulations. These attorneys also handle cleanup and abatement orders from various local agencies, CERCLA (“Superfund”) cost recovery actions, private contamination litigation, underground storage tank litigation and matters related to toxic waste transportation and storage. The litigators in the firm’s Aerospace and Defense Group represent major aerospace manufacturing and research corporations, most of whom do business with the federal government. They handle contract disputes, bid protests and prime subcontract disputes. Attorneys in this group successfully represented an aerospace manufacturer in the first False Claims Act/ Whistleblower lawsuit ever brought to trial by the federal government since Congress amended the Act in 1986.
Sheppard Mullin’s real estate, construction, and land use attorneys work together to provide advice and counseling for lenders and developers of real property. Sheppard Mullin is a pioneer in the development of special real estate lending products such as participating loans and real estate-secured credit enhancements for bond financings. In addition, the firm’s banking and finance attorneys bring a wealth of knowledge due to their representation of lenders with large real estate portfolios. Clients represented by Sheppard Mullin as part of its real estate practice include residential, commercial and industrial developers and builders, pension funds and pension fund advisors, insurance companies, commercial landlords, retail chain tenants, manufacturing companies, real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), institutional trustees and the “REO” departments of institutional lenders.
Sheppard Mullin’s banking and finance attorneys represent banks, asset-based lenders, and other domestic and foreign financial institutions. These attorneys specialize in all aspects of credit transactions, including loan documentation, workouts, restructurings and bankruptcies. The firm’s expertise in commercial finance includes loan syndications and participations, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, asset-based and real estate loans, and multi state lending transactions. Sheppard Mullin also has extensive reorganization experience in and out of court representing secured and unsecured creditors, landlords and franchisors, trustees, indenture trustees and creditors’ committees.
Intellectual property rights are a growing concern for businesses with logos, slogans, and other distinguishable characteristics. Patents, trademarks, service marks, trade secrets, copyrights and trade dress must be protected. Sheppard Mullin is a leading firm in both the protection of intellectual property rights and the exploitation of their commercial value. The firm’s attorneys in this group are experts in all aspects of the laws governing intellectual property and in the optimal structuring of transactions and dispute negotiations.
Sheppard Mullin’s corporate and securities lawyers represent clients ranging from individuals and closely-held businesses to multinational corporations. Attorneys in this group handle initial and later stage venture financings, leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, SEC compliance work, franchises, partnership formation and joint venture business transactions.
The firm’s labor and employment attorneys represent employers and management in employment related litigation, including class actions, discrimination and wrongful termination cases in state and federal court, appellate court, and administrative hearings. Richard Simmons, a partner in Sheppard Mullin’s Los Angeles office, is a nationally-recognized lecturer and author of numerous books on wage and hour matters.
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton is active in the Los Angeles Community. Through annual client-appreciation golf tournaments and holiday giving programs, Sheppard Mullin is committed to giving back to the Los Angeles community. The firm is a continuous sponsor of local organizations such as the March of Dimes, the American Red Cross, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. These charitable dollars are the result of a joint effort by the firm and the clients it services.
Each December, the Los Angeles office of Sheppard Mullin donates more than $10,000 to benefit other local organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Home Society of California, Blind Children’s Center, Pediatric Aids Foundation, and the McKinley Children’s Center.
Sheppard Mullin is also a proud sponsor of KCET Public Television. The firm has underwritten the Newshour with Jim Lehrer (formerly the MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour) in Los Angeles for the past six years, and is a regular participant in their annual fundraising campaigns.
Because of the depth and breadth of Sheppard Mullin’s experience in the representation of a variety of industries, the firm’s lawyers bring creative and cost-effective solutions to any problem or business decision facing our clients. Sheppard Mullin prides itself on practicality and problem-solving in the representation of its clients. The firm’s philosophy is to staff matters leanly with experienced, effective, result-oriented attorneys.
