Winston & Strawn LLP

United States 2025

National Rankings

118

Metro Rankings

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General Information

141

Individuals recognized in Best Lawyers

323

Client Comments

Year founded: 1853

This is the year the firm (or its earliest predecessor entity) was founded.

Overview

Content is provided by the firm.

For more than 170 years, Winston & Strawn has served as a trusted adviser and advocate for clients across virtually every industry. Our law practice—built on the talent, creativity, and determination of our lawyers and an unwavering commitment to our clients—has grown into a global firm of tremendous breadth. While many things have changed since the firm’s inception, our goal has remained steadfast: provide the highest echelon of service by developing strategic partnerships with our clients, creating and implementing tailored business solutions, and identifying opportunities for innovation. Complementing this service model is the priority we place on diversity and inclusion, as well as our role in serving critical needs in our communities. We continue to learn from our storied history, while looking ahead to effect change in our industry.

Visit Winston.com to learn more.

Firm News

November 1, 2024

Firm Insights & News

November 1, 2024

About Us

November 1, 2024

Alumni

November 1, 2024

Capabilities

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Careers

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Corporate Social Responsibility

November 1, 2024

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

November 1, 2024

Pro Bono

November 1, 2024

Professionals

Rankings

Winston & Strawn LLP is nationally ranked in 37 practice areas and metro ranked in 50 practice areas. Best Law Firms rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process.

Read how Best Law Firms ranks firms

National Rankings

Tier 1

Tier 1 for Appellate Practice

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Metro Rankings

Charlotte

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law

Tier 2 for Banking and Finance Law

Highlighted Client Comments

All client comments represent the opinions of the people who provided them. All potential clients are urged to remember that no two cases are ever completely alike and that the result in one case does not guarantee a similar result in another case.

Environmental Law

Winston & Strawn is my "go to" firm for environmental issues.

Energy Law

The attorneys at Winston & Strawn have excellent knowledge of energy law.

Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

We have worked with Winston & Strawn to develop an absolutely consistent strategy that has worked very well and saved us substantial amounts of time, energy, and money.

Commercial Litigation

The attorneys that I deal with at Winston & Strawn are simply the best at cutting to the chase.

Energy Law

Winston & Strawn is best in Administrative Law litigation for our industry sector and best for legal and regulatory issues associated with facility decommissioning.

Litigation - Labor and Employment

Winston & Strawn always works toward a solution instead of grandstanding.

Employment Law - Management

Patience and understanding underlie Winston & Strawn's success.

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

I have used Winston & Strawn for many years to deal with a variety of issues. I have always found the firm's attorneys to be highly responsive, and their advice-both technical and practical-spot on.

Litigation - Antitrust

Winston & Strawn are highly experienced lawyers for criminal investigation and complex litigation. There is an authority in each field.

Litigation - Intellectual Property

Winston & Strawn is hands down the best generic side ANDA/Hatch-Waxman patent litigation group. We go to Winston for our most important cases, and they deliver time and again.

Environmental Law

The attorneys in Winston & Strawn’s environmental department are experts in their field, with a wide range of experience. They are responsive, effective, and very business practical.

Employment Law - Management

The employment team at Winston & Strawn is extremely competent and dedicated to getting the best results for their clients. This team successfully defended our company in a lengthy and complex trial.

Antitrust Law

Working on an antitrust case involving a hospital merger is extremely complex for a layman. Our lead attorney, David Dahlquist, with Winston & Strawn has been great. He keeps use updated every step of the way.

Energy Law

Our firm uses Winston & Strawn as our number one resource in legal matters. The partners and associates are highly knowledgeable and responsive to our questions and also commercially reasonable to work with for our clients. Winston takes complicated issues and explains them in a way so that the business side can understand how the deal is impacted. I would highly recommend Winston as a resource for any legal needs.

Energy Law

Winston & Strawn consistently gives great advice and does so in a very efficient and timely manner. I work with Lisa Cottle in their San Francisco office frequently and she is great to work with; she’s very knowledgeable, professional, and helpful.

Litigation - Patent

We've had a lot of success with Winston & Strawn working on litigation matters, and at reasonable costs. Winston strikes a great balance between expertise and cost.

Litigation - Bankruptcy

Winston & Strawn are experienced from both sides of bankruptcy. They have a clear understanding of the mechanics that leads to creative strategy.

Pete Pannes – National Mortgage Insurance Corp.

Commercial Litigation

Winston & Strawn gets up to speed quickly with complex issues; and are razor sharp when developing a strategy.

Pete Pannes – National Mortgage Insurance Corp.

Litigation - Patent

John Keville and his team at Winston & Strawn are exceptional. They were thorough, prepared, and highly strategic in case planning and execution. It is fairly rare to have top notch litigation skills blended with superb technical analytics.

Robert P. K. Mooney – True Science Holdings

Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Michael Falk of Winston & Strawn is a real star in the Employee Benefits area. He is especially knowledgeable in navigating the traps through Code Section 409A issues.

Gary Holihan – Law Offices of Gary M. Holihan, P.C.

Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Bob Julian of Winston & Strawn is one of the best in the business.

William Brandt, Jr. – Development Specialists, Inc.

Rankings

National Rankings

Tier 1

Tier 1 for Appellate Practice

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Tier 1 for Energy Law

Tier 1 for Environmental Law

Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Antitrust

Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 1 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Tier 1 for Oil and Gas Law

Tier 1 for Project Finance Law

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Tier 1 for Securitization and Structured Finance Law

Tier 1 for Sports Law

Tier 1 for Tax Law

Tier 2

Tier 2 for Antitrust Law

Tier 2 for Employment Law - Management

Tier 2 for International Arbitration - Commercial

Tier 2 for International Arbitration - Governmental

Tier 2 for Litigation - Environmental

Tier 2 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 2 for Patent Law

Tier 2 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law

Tier 2 for Railroad Law

Tier 3

Tier 3 for Admiralty and Maritime Law

Tier 3 for Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television

Tier 3 for Entertainment Law - Music

Tier 3 for Health Care Law

Tier 3 for Labor Law - Management

Regional Rankings

Charlotte

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Litigation - Banking and Finance

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Mortgage Banking Foreclosure Law

Tier 2 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 2 for Bet-the-Company Litigation

Tier 2 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 3 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Chicago

Tier 1 for Antitrust Law

Tier 1 for Appellate Practice

Tier 1 for Arbitration

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bet-the-Company Litigation

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Tier 1 for Environmental Law

Tier 1 for International Arbitration - Commercial

Tier 1 for Litigation - Antitrust

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 1 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 1 for Patent Law

Tier 1 for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Tier 2 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 2 for Employment Law - Management

Tier 2 for International Arbitration - Governmental

Tier 2 for Litigation - Environmental

Tier 2 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 2 for Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants

Tier 2 for Real Estate Law

Tier 2 for Tax Law

Dallas/Fort Worth

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bet-the-Company Litigation

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Governance Law

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 1 for Litigation - Securities

Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Tier 2 for Antitrust Law

Tier 2 for Appellate Practice

Tier 2 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law

Tier 2 for Securitization and Structured Finance Law

Tier 2 for Tax Law

Tier 3 for Information Technology Law

Houston

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Tier 1 for Oil and Gas Law

Tier 2 for Litigation - Environmental

Tier 2 for Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants

Tier 2 for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Tier 2 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Los Angeles

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 1 for Real Estate Law

Tier 2 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Miami

Tier 1 for Banking and Finance Law

Tier 1 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Corporate Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Bankruptcy

Tier 1 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law

Tier 1 for Securities / Capital Markets Law

Tier 1 for Tax Law

Tier 2 for Financial Services Regulation Law

Tier 2 for International Arbitration - Commercial

Tier 2 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

Tier 3 for Litigation - Securities

Tier 3 for Litigation and Controversy - Tax

Tier 3 for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants

Tier 3 for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Tier 3 for Securities Regulation

New York City

Tier 1 for Antitrust Law

Tier 1 for Commercial Litigation

Tier 1 for Energy Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Antitrust

Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 1 for Project Finance Law

Tier 1 for Securitization and Structured Finance Law

Tier 1 for Sports Law

Tier 2 for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law

Tier 2 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 2 for Entertainment Law - Music

Tier 2 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 2 for Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law

Tier 2 for Railroad Law

Tier 2 for Real Estate Law

Tier 3 for Labor Law - Management

Tier 3 for Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

San Francisco

Tier 1 for Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Litigation - Labor and Employment

Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 1 for Product Liability Litigation - Defendants

Tier 2 for Employment Law - Management

Tier 2 for Litigation - Environmental

Washington, D.C.

Tier 1 for Admiralty and Maritime Law

Tier 1 for Criminal Defense: White-Collar

Tier 1 for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law

Tier 1 for Health Care Law

Tier 1 for Litigation - Intellectual Property

Tier 1 for Litigation - Patent

Tier 2 for Tax Law

Individuals Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America^®

Winston & Strawn LLP has 141 lawyers recognized for individual performance in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^®. By receiving this Best Lawyers recognition from their peers for their professional excellence, these lawyers made Winston & Strawn LLP eligible for evaluation for Best Law Firms rankings. For almost two decades, Best Lawyers has awarded these singular accolades, making them the foundation of our Best Law Firms awards. Read more about our Best Lawyers process here.

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