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Law firm

Alston & Bird LLP

Headquarters	One Atlantic Center Atlanta, Georgia United States
No. of offices	13
No. of attorneys	829
No. of employees	1,627
Major practice areas	Corporate law, litigation, intellectual property, tax law
Key people	Richard R. Hays (Chairman and Managing Partner)
Revenue	$1.02 billion (2021)
Profit per equity partner	$3,075,000 (2021)
Date founded	1893; 131 years ago (1893)
Company type	LLP
Website	alston.com

Alston & Bird LLP is an American multinational law firm with over 800 lawyers in 13 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the UK, and Asia. The firm provides legal services to both domestic and international clients who conduct business worldwide. Alston & Bird has advised companies including Amazon.com, The Coca-Cola Company, Microsoft, Bank of America, Starbucks, Toyota, Dell, UPS, and Nokia. Since 2000, Fortune has ranked the firm in the 100 Best Companies to Work For list. The firm's core practices include intellectual property, complex litigation, corporate and tax, with national industry focusing on energy and sustainability, health care, financial services, and public policy.

History

Through the roots of the Alston, Miller & Gaines’ predecessor firms, the merger with Jones, Bird and Howell formed Alston & Bird on December 1, 1982. Expansion beyond Georgia began with the establishment of an office in Washington, D.C., followed by the 1997 merger with intellectual property-focused Bell Seltzer Park & Gibson (Charlotte and Raleigh), Walter, Conston, Alexander & Green in 2001 (New York), and Crews, Shepherd & McCarty LLP in 2007 (Dallas).

In August 2008, the firm opened a Silicon Valley office with attorneys from the national firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The next month, Alston & Bird acquired Weston Benshoof Rochefort Rubalcava and MacCuish LLP (which had a total of ~100 lawyers), launching in Los Angeles and Ventura County to reach nine offices nationwide. In March 2017, the firm opened its San Francisco office. In September 2019, the firm opened their London office.

Today, the firm is headquartered in Midtown Atlanta in One Atlantic Center.

In February 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Deputy Director, Brian Johnson, left the agency to become a partner at Alston & Bird LLP.

Offices

The firm has offices in Atlanta, New York City, Washington, D.C., Brussels, Charlotte, Raleigh, Dallas, London, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley.

Compensation

In June 2016, Alston & Bird announced that it would raise attorney salaries to match market rates set earlier that month by the New York–based law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore. Firm bonuses range from $15,000 to $100,000, depending on service years and merit-based reviews.

Political contributions

According to OpenSecrets, Alston & Bird was one of the top law firms contributing to federal candidates during the 2012 election cycle, donating $1.26 million, 53% to Democrats. Since 1990, Alston & Bird contributed $5.1 million to federal campaigns.

The New York Times reported that a $1 million contribution was made through Alston & Bird to Project Veritas in 2019.

Notable cases

Counsel to German media group Bertelsmann AG (a longtime client of legacy firm Walter, Conston) with Clifford Chance and Slaughter & May as UK co-counsel in Bertelsmann's $2.74 billion acquisition of Zomba Music Group in 2002.
Represented Cingular Wireless in its purchase of 34 wireless licenses from NextWave Media in 2003.
Advised Regions Financial Corporation alongside Sullivan & Cromwell in its purchase of Union Planters Corporation in 2004, a transaction valued at $5.8 billion.
Advised longstanding client IndyMac, its executives and directors during the FBI investigation into the California bank's collapse in 2008. Alston also advised the bank on the transfer of its assets to government control under the auspices of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Represented Toyota in the economic loss class actions arising from the 2009–2010 Toyota vehicle recalls.