Kasowitz Benson Torres
 | |
| Headquarters | Paramount Plaza New York City |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 10[1] |
| No. of attorneys | 252[2] |
| Major practice areas | Litigation |
| Key people | Marc Kasowitz, founder and managing partner[3] |
| Revenue | $216,808,000[4] |
| Date founded | 1993 |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | http://www.kasowitz.com/ |
Kasowitz, Benson & Torres is an American law firm headquartered in New York City. The firm employs 252 lawyers throughout 10 offices.[5] It is widely regarded as one of the nation's premier litigation firms. The firm's notable clients have included Donald Trump, AIG, Comcast, Condé Nast, Douglas Elliman, Enron, Google, Hilton Worldwide, Liggett Group, MetLife, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Robert De Niro, U.S. Bank, and WeWork.
History
The firm was founded as Kasowitz, Hoff, Benson & Torres in 1993 when Marc Kasowitz left the Mayer Brown law firm with 18 other lawyers and two clients.[6] David M. Friedman was added as a partner in May 1995,[7] and William Bruce Hoff, Jr. left in November.[8]
In 1996 several new lawyers joined the firm to begin its employment and matrimonial practices.[6] It opened a New Jersey office in 1997, Atlanta in 2001[6] and in 2003 the firm opened a San Francisco office while former assistant district attorney, Leslie Crocker Snyder, joined the office in New York.[9] By 2004 the firm had increased to 160 lawyers and included an additional office in Atlanta.[6] The firm opened its Miami, Florida office in 2006 and expanded its San Francisco, California office in 2007 by merging with the firm, Topel & Goodman.[5] The 2005 launch of the intellectual property arm of the company led to several personnel changes with various key lawyers arriving and departing.[5] This included Peter J. Toren who left the intellectual property department in the spring of 2007.[5]
In 2009 the firm hired Marcos Daniel Jimenez, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, to lead its Miami, Florida office[5] and added insurance recovery litigation to its practice.[10] In January 2010 the company added Robin Cohen and her insurance team from the firm, Dickstein Shapiro.[5]
In November 2012 the firm opened an additional office in Silicon Valley.[11] They opened a Los Angeles, California office in May 2013 led by partners that were lured away from Jenner & Block.[12][13] In June, former U.S. Senator, Joe Lieberman, joined the firm as Senior Counsel[14] and his former Senate Chief of Staff, Clarine Nardi Riddle launched a Government Affairs branch of the company in Washington D.C.[15] In October, two senior litigation attorneys from NBC Universal joined the firm's Los Angeles office to begin an entertainment litigation practice.[16]
In 2016, the transition team of President-elect Donald Trump announced that David Friedman had been selected to be the nominee as the United States Ambassador to Israel.
In 2019 Kevin Arquit, joined the firm as Co-Chair of the firm’s Antitrust Group.
Notable Clients
The firm's clients include Fortune 500 companies, private equity and other investment firms across a wide range of industries. The firm has successfully secured billions of dollars in awards for its clients, such as AIG, Aman Resorts, Aurelius Capital Management, Beverly Hills School District, Boston Properties, Centerbridge Partners, Coach, Comcast, Condé Nast, Douglas Elliman, Elie Tahari, Energy Transfer Partners, Fairfax Financial Holdings, Fir Tree Partners, Google, Harbinger Capital Partners, Hilton Worldwide, Intercontinental Hotel Group, J. Crew, Levi-Strauss, Liggett Group, MacAndrews & Forbes, MBIA, MetLife, MF Global Holdings, Morgans Hotel Group, National Grid, Related Companies, Renco, Rescap, Starwood Capital, State of Hawaii, Teva Pharmaceuticals, TPG, U.S. Bank, USG Asbestos Trust, Vector Group, Waterfall Asset Management, W.C. Bradley, and WeWork.
References
- ^ "Offices". Kasowitz, Benson, Torres. kasowitz.com. Retrieved June, 25 2020.
- ^ "[1]". NALP Directory of Legal Employers. nalp.com. Retrieved June, 25 2020.
- ^ "Marc E. Kasowitz Archived December 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine". Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman. kasowitz.com. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ "[2]". Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP. law.com. Retrieved June, 25 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Raymond, Nate (September 13, 2013). "Kasowitz Holds Power Close As He Grows Firm, Lures Business". New York Law Journal. Accessed June 27, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Amon, Elizabeth (August 2004). "Fast Rise to the Top" (PDF). The American Lawyer. Incisive Media. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ "Profiles/Executive Moves". Crain's New York Business. May 1, 1995.
- ^ William Bruce Hoff Jr.: Lawyer, model ship builder, dies Chicago Tribune
- ^ Unknown author, (September 2003) Supreme Court Justice Leslie Crocker Snyder Joins Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman Archived April 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Official web site
- ^ Lowe, Zach. "It's Official". Am Law Daily. AmLawDaily. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ Staff Writer. "KBTF Open Office in Silicon Valley". JD Journal. JDJournal. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ "Kasowitz Benson Poaches Two Partners, Sets Them Up in New LA Office". JDJournal.
- ^ Staff Writer (June 7, 2013). "Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman". Insurance Weekly News.
- ^ Unknown author, (June 6, 2013) Senator Joseph Lieberman Joins Kasowitz News, Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP
- ^ News Reporter (June 5, 2013). "Kasowitz Opens DC Office with Clarine Nardi Riddle to Lead Government Affairs Practice". China Weekly News.
- ^ Johnson, Ted. "NBCU Legal Execs Joint Litigation Firm". Variety. Variety.