2019

Annual Review

scroll down

From our Chair

Despite ongoing political and economic uncertainty, 2019 was a year of continued growth for White & Case.

Our lawyers collaborated with clients on groundbreaking global matters—including on the world’s largest IPO—as well as many major, multijurisdictional transactions and disputes spanning the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions.

Four years into our 2020 strategy, we continued to progress toward our strategic objectives. Our annual revenue rose to a record US$2.185 billion in 2019—up 7 percent since 2018, and 43 percent since 2015. Performance in the US was particularly strong, bolstered by headcount and revenue growth in our new offices in Chicago and Houston. We also added 83 partners worldwide—promoting 41 lawyers internally and welcoming 42 lawyers laterally.

For the third consecutive year, Law360 ranked White & Case number one on its Global 20 list, and the Firm was ranked second on the American Lawyer’s Diversity Scorecard. We are proud that our newly elected Partnership Committee has a 50-50 gender split and that 46 percent of our partner promotions were women. Diversity and inclusion are central to who we are.

We continued to make a difference in people’s lives through pro bono work and global citizenship initiatives. Our lawyers worked with other firms and NGOs at a refugee camp in Greece to provide legal assistance to refugees and asylum seekers. We obtained one of the largest verdicts ever handed down in the US by a jury in a wrongful conviction case, compensating our client for decades of imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. We continued to partner with the United Nations on important projects—in our fourth year as a signatory to the UN Global Compact—with a particular focus on Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions.

At White & Case, we believe in the power of working together—for our clients and for a better world—and we see a future of growing global collaboration.

Hugh Verrier

Conversations

Insights from guest speakers at Firm events

Martin Wolf

Martin Wolf

We need new cooperative institutions

Read More
Haben Girma

Haben Girma

Disability is rarely the barrier

Read More
Kazuyuki Sugimoto

Kazuyuki Sugimoto

Global convergence of competition law is critical

Read More

Perspectives

Our lawyers' views on business trends and legal developments

Bridge in New York City

Run in US M&A continues

2019 was one of the best years on record—and there's reason to believe the trend will continue in 2020

Read More
Boats racing

Buyouts trigger a boom in Western European PE

European PE activity dipped in 2019, but buyouts held on

Read More
Field of crops

Leveraged finance flat in Europe, down in US, despite spikes in high yield debt

High yield bond issuance in the US and Western Europe rose by double digits in 2019

Read More
Green house

Sustainable Development Goal CLOs fund the making of a better world

SDG CLOs can harness the power of the bond market to help create a sustainable and fairer global economy

Read More
Wind power field

Offshore wind power gains ground but faces environmental challenges

To maximize its potential, industry players will have to navigate a complex web of national, state and local environmental regulation

Read More
Ice skate rinks

Global oil & gas M&A at a crossroads

2019 proved challenging for oil & gas M&A in the face of a volatile crude price and weaker economic growth

Read More
Robot drones

Connected cars merge with payment technology

Tech, financial and auto companies will form alliances that raise familiar legal issues in new contexts as connected cars proliferate

Read More
Solar field

Will blockchain-based digital finance techniques disrupt the mining & metals sector?

As equity funding into the sector declines, traditional financing models may be combined with security token offerings to create new ways to raise capital

Read More
Salt field

As global trade becomes less open, expect antitrust regulators to act

Trade restrictions can result in increased anticompetitive behavior

Read More
Building with trees

Climate change litigation surges

Companies can take steps to limit their exposure

Read More

Impact

Highlights of our work in 2019

Gold bars

M&A and private equity

In 2019, we advised on 310 announced M&A deals worldwide with an aggregate value exceeding US$382 billion

Read More
Bridge

Banking and capital markets

We helped clients with their complex financial transactions around the world

Read More
Aerial view of buildings

Disputes

In courts and arbitration forums worldwide, we won successful resolutions of our clients' high-stakes business disputes

Read More
Town at night

Project development finance and finance and asset finance

We advised sponsors and lenders on developing and financing a wide range of projects

Read More
Colorful night market

Global citizenship

Our lawyers helped pro bono clients in wrongful imprisonment and unconstitutional sentencing cases

Read More

Achievements

New leadership & Firm growth

New global management team

In 2019, Hugh Verrier was re-elected Firm Chair for a fourth consecutive four-year term. Verrier appointed four partners to the Firm’s executive leadership team.

Executive Committee

 

Our lawyers worldwide

Our lawyers worldwide

Ongoing revenue growth

revenue growth

Subway station

2019 awards & rankings

Our work for clients earned external recognition with awards and top rankings worldwide in 2019

Read More
Birds

2019 new partners

In 2019, 42 new partners joined White & Case and 41 Firm lawyers were promoted, resulting in a total of 83 new partners

Read More
Ceiling mural

Creating a resilient law firm

Even before analysts began predicting an economic downturn, White & Case took steps to ensure the Firm’s ongoing success through tough times

Read More
Telescope

Local actions support a global culture of innovation

White & Case makes innovation tangible with a well-received program in London

Read More

Achievements

Diversity & inclusion

Our diverse workplace

Our diverse workplace

Our nine global affinity groups foster a sense of community among the Firm’s diverse groups. Each group sets its own agenda and goals specific to the issues the community feels are the most important to them. Affinity groups are also the drivers of activity to create and enhance awareness of the diverse groups within the Firm, and each group’s unique identity and concerns.

Our local women’s networks foster professional development and mentoring activities, focus on business-related client partnerships, and are a forum for female lawyers and business services professionals to share opinions on how we shape our work and leave policies to best support and retain our talent.

Recognition of our diversity

Highlights of our diversity awards for 2019

Read More

Achievements

For our clients

Global reach

Global reach

Gate

Keeping a spotlight on human rights

Our new training recognizes that human rights issues have far-reaching business implications

Read More
Refinery

White & Case doubles down on industry knowledge

A global professional development program highlights our industry-centered approach

Read More