Pepper Hamilton LLP was a U.S.-based law firm with 14 offices and around 500 attorneys. The firm was ranked among the 100 largest firms by revenue in the United States and was one of the 100 most prestigious firms according to Vault's surveys of the legal industry. The firm's largest practices included defense of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in product liability litigation and related matters, patent enforcement and prosecution, corporate transactions, and commercial litigation. On January 9, 2020, Pepper Hamilton announced its planned merger with Atlanta-based firm Troutman Sanders to form Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders. The combined firm has 1,100 attorneys, making it the largest purely American law firm and one of the 50 largest law firms in the world. The merger completed on July 1, 2020.
History
The firm was founded in 1890 in Philadelphia by George Wharton Pepper, who joined the practice of Bayard Henry. Pepper emerged as a leading lawyer in Philadelphia and the nation, and was prominent in Republican politics. Pepper's essays on conflicts of laws were cited by Justice Brandeis in the landmark ruling Erie Railroad v. Tompkins. Pepper was also instrumental in Supreme Court arguments that lead to many New Deal provisions being struck down as beyond the Federal Government's commerce power. In 1954, the Pepper firm and another Philadelphia law firm — Evans, Bayard & Frick — merged as Pepper, Bodine, Frick, Scheetz & Hamilton creating a 35-lawyer entity. This merger brought John Johnson, an eminent antitrust lawyer who represented Standard Oil and U.S. Steel and went on the argue 168 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1955, shortly after the merger of the Pepper and Evans firms, George Wharton Pepper retired from practice because of failing health. He was succeeded as chairman of the firm by John D.M. Hamilton, who was chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1940. In 1960, another merger brought in the firm of Moffett, Frye & Leopold. The firm grew significantly in the 1980s, 1990s and in recent years. In 2007, the partnership elected Nina M. Gussack as chairwoman of Pepper's Executive Committee, the first woman to be elected to that position. Pepper partner A. Michael Pratt became the Philadelphia Bar Association’s 81st Chancellor in 2008. He is the third African-American to serve in that office since the Association’s founding in 1802.
Notable cases
Some of Pepper Hamilton's notable cases in more recent times include the Dover, Pa. school district "intelligent design" dispute dubbed "Scopes II;" precedent-setting defense rulings on behalf of drug and device manufacturers; acting as special counsel to the city of Detroit in its bankruptcy case; big wins in patent litigation before the International Trade Commission; obtaining defense jury verdicts-twice in three years-in a long-running antitrust case for Mack Trucks; conducting investigations into misconduct at institutions of higher learning; representing several Guantanamo Bay detainees; successfully arguing against federal organ transplant rules that unfairly limited transplants for individuals under the age of 12 on behalf of two children battling cystic fibrosis; working with organizations in Delaware to improve solitary confinement conditions and mental health treatment services for inmates; and representing refugee students in Lancaster, Pa. in a case that will protect the rights of immigrant students going forward.
President & Fellows of Harvard College v. Micron Technologies, Inc.
Baylor Sexual Assault Scandal
Organization
The firm's chairman is Thomas M. Gallagher, who succeeds Louis Freeh. Prior to Freeh, Nina Gussak held this role. Pepper Hamilton is organized into four departments, to streamline operations and management of complex client matters. Each department is a dynamic and cross-disciplinary team to meet the needs of modern businesses.
Department Chair: Rachael Bushey Organized as one practice with wide-ranging expertise in intellectual property, regulatory work, transactions, products liability, white-collar criminal defense, and other related areas.
