Duane Morris Information & Duane Morris Links at HealthHaven.com

**Duane Morris LLP**
	Duane Morris LLP
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. of Offices	24
No. of Attorneys	700+
No. of Employees	1500+
Major Practice Areas	Full Service
Key People	John Soroko (Chairman), Charles J. O'Donnell (COO)
Date Founded	1904
Founder	Russell Duane, Roland S. Morris
Company Type	Limited Liability Partnership
Website	duanemorris.com

Duane Morris LLP is a law firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1904 as Duane, Morris, Heckscher & Roberts,^[1] the firm has 24 offices in the United States, London, Singapore and Vietnam^[2]. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines.

[edit] Ranking and recognition

In 2009, the National Law Journal ranked Duane Morris as the 72nd largest law firm in the U.S. based on October 2008 attorney headcount, which was stated to be 594.

In 2007, Duane Morris was named one of the 20 best companies for working women by Philadelphia Magazine^[3] and one of the top 50 law firms for women by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, a national consulting firm focused on the retention and advancement of women.^[4]

Harvard Business School completed a case study of the firm entitled "Duane Morris: Balancing Growth and Culture at a Law Firm," which was presented in curriculum during the 2006-2007 academic year.^[5]^[6]

[edit] Growth

Under the ten-year leadership of Chairman Sheldon Bonovitz from early 1998 to early 2008, Duane Morris grew from a little more than 200 lawyers in 1998 to more than 650 by January 2008. Revenues increased over that period from $70 million to $375 million for 2007.^[7] Bonovitz stepped down at the beginning of January 2008, replaced by former Vice Chairman John J. Soroko.

[edit] Notable cases

Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc. : Duane Morris represented the plaintiff Markman.^[8]

Airis SFO LLC, Airis Holdings LLC, and Duane Morris LLP v. City and County of San Francisco: On October 10, 2008, San Mateo Superior Court Judge Carol Mittlesteadt awarded San Francisco $3.43 million in attorneys’ fees and costs to be paid by Duane Morris and its client, Airis Holdings LLC of Houston, Texas, following a four-year legal battle against the San Francisco International Airport. It is the largest fee ever awarded to San Francisco for the successful defense of a lawsuit. The case is notable not only for the size of the fee award but the fact that the law firm is liable for the fees and costs of its opponent. In an unusual fee agreement, Duane Morris became a co-plaintiff with its client, Airis Holdings, in the unsuccessful breach-of-contract lawsuit.^[9]^[10]

Tobacco Industry Litigation: Along with the Pittsburgh law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll, Duane Morris represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in a 46-state class action lawsuit against the tobacco industry. The litigation concluded with a landmark $206 billion global settlement agreement for the 46 suing states.^[11]^[12]^[13]

[edit] Contingency fee practice

Duane Morris maintains an active plaintiff's contingency fee practice.^[14] This practice raised concerns in the press after Duane Morris twice teamed up with the plaintiff firm of Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins.^[15]^[16]

Although contingency arrangements are traditionally used by plaintiffs firms, they are becoming more common for larger defense-oriented law firms.^[17] In an American Lawyer article, writer Andrew Longstreth writes that “In this economic environment, where the billable-hour model is under pressure, and clients are increasingly asking their outside firms to share in the risk of litigation, the … strategy -- mixing plaintiffs cases with defense matters, picking clients whose work fits with the firm's long-term goals, and employing creative billing methods -- looks built for the times.”^[18].

On contingency, Duane Morris represented six of the nine whistleblowers in a case against Eli Lilly in which the nine were rewarded with $78 million from the federal criminal settlement after it was found guilty of illegally marketing the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa for off-label use.^[19]

The Harvard case study of Duane Morris reported that the firm’s contingent-fee committee “carefully vets potential cases with an exhaustive formula,” according to an ABA Journal article.^[20]

[edit] Industries Served

Automotive
Capital Markets
Commercial Lending
Construction
Energy
Financial Markets
Financial Services
Gaming
Healthcare
Information Technologies and Telecom
Insurance and Reinsurance
Manufacturing
Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology

[edit] Notable alumni

Roland Sletor Morris, former United States Ambassador to Japan, one of the founding partners of the firm
Barbara Adams, General Counsel of Pennsylvania
Michael M. Baylson, a Federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Marjorie Rendell, a Circuit judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Gene E. K. Pratter, federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, nominee for the United States Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit

[edit] References

^ Past and Present, Duane Morris website
^ http://www.duanemorris.com/site/offices.html
^ Duane Morris Website
^ Duane Morris press release, August 14, 2007
^ ABA Journal, Dec. 2006
^ Duane Morris Press Release, October 5, 2006
^ Sheldon Bonovitz Steps Down as Duane Morris Chairman, John Soroko Takes Over Law Firm Leadership January 4, 2008, The Legal Intelligencer
^ Duane Morris website
^ San Francisco Nabs $3.4 Million in Fees, The Recorder (via law.com), October 13, 2008
^ Newdorf Legal Wins $3.4 Million in Attorneys' Fees for San Francisco, Business Wire, 2008-10-13
^ National Association of Attorneys General, Master Settlement Agreement, Page 174
^ PA Bulletin
^ Duane Morris website
^ martindale.com
^ Duane Morris' New Co-Counsel Is Raising Eyebrows, Susan Beck, The American Lawyer, December 13, 2007
^ Law Blog Trend Of the Day: Big Law’s Switch Hitting, The Wall Street Journal, Peter Lattman, December 13, 2007
^ [http://adverselling.typepad.com/how_law_firms_sell/2009/07/alternative-fees-part-19-structuring-contingent-fees.html
^ Don't Bet Against Boies Schiller
^ Eli Lilly to Pay $1.42 Billion to Settle Zyprexa Marketing Suits
^ Heck of a Good Story

[edit] External links

[0] Past and Present, Duane Morris website

[1] ttp://www.duanemorris.com/site/offices.html

[2] Duane Morris Website

[3] Duane Morris press release, August 14, 2007

[4] ABA Journal, Dec. 2006

[5] Duane Morris Press Release, October 5, 2006

[6] Sheldon Bonovitz Steps Down as Duane Morris Chairman, John Soroko Takes Over Law Firm Leadership January 4, 2008, The Legal Intelligencer

[7] Duane Morris website

[8] San Francisco Nabs $3.4 Million in Fees, The Recorder (via law.com), October 13, 2008

[9] Newdorf Legal Wins $3.4 Million in Attorneys' Fees for San Francisco, Business Wire, 2008-10-13

[10] National Association of Attorneys General, Master Settlement Agreement, Page 174

[11] PA Bulletin

[12] Duane Morris website

[13] rtindale.com

[14] Duane Morris' New Co-Counsel Is Raising Eyebrows, Susan Beck, The American Lawyer, December 13, 2007

[15] Law Blog Trend Of the Day: Big Law’s Switch Hitting, The Wall Street Journal, Peter Lattman, December 13, 2007

[16] [http://adverselling.typepad.com/how_law_firms_sell/2009/07/alternative-fees-part-19-structuring-contingent-fees.html

[17] Don't Bet Against Boies Schiller

[18] Eli Lilly to Pay $1.42 Billion to Settle Zyprexa Marketing Suits

[19] Heck of a Good Story

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