Vinson & Elkins

Infobox Law Firm
firm_name = Vinson & Elkins LLP
firm_
headquarters = Houston, Texas
num_offices = 13 total, 8 international
num_attorneys = 700 (2007)
num_employees =
practice_areas = Transactions, Litigation, Regulatory, Tax, oil & gas law, intellectual property
key_people = Joseph C. Dilg, Managing Partner [ [http://www.velaw.com/lawyers/lawyer_detail.aspx?id=322 Dilg's firm profile] ]
revenue = $596 million USD (2007)
date_founded = 1917
founder = James A. Elkins and William A. Vinson
company_type = Limited liability partnership
homepage = [http://www.velaw.com/ www.velaw.com]
dissolved =

Vinson & Elkins LLP (or V&E) is an international law firm with offices in 13 major energy, financial, and political centers worldwide, including Houston, Dallas, Austin, Beijing, Shanghai, London, Tokyo, New York City, Washington, D.C., Moscow, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Hong Kong. The firm is currently led by managing partner Joe Dilg.

With annual revenues of $596 million dollars and approximately 700 attorneys, Vinson & Elkins is the largest law firm in Houston [http://blogs.chron.com/legaltrade/2008/05/largest_local_law_firms.html according to the Houston Chronicle] and one of the largest in Texas. In 2008, V&E ranked 43rd on "The American Lawyer" 100 list of largest U.S.-based firms, based on gross revenue, and 57th on the "AmLaw Global 100" 2007, a ranking of the world's largest firms based on gross revenue. V&E is also ranked 53rd in the 2009 Vault guide to "The Top 100 Most Prestigious Firms".

The firm was founded in Houston, Texas, in 1917 by Judge James A. Elkins and William A. Vinson. [ [http://www.amazon.com/Craftsmanship-Character-History-Houston-1917-1997/dp/0820319732/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204237441&sr=1-1 "Craftsmanship and Character: A History of the Vinson & Elkins Law Firm of Houston, 1917-1997"] ] [ [http://www.houstonhistory.com/citizens/whoswho/business/history7hof.htm HoustonHistory.com] ] [ [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/VV/jyv1.html "The Handbook of Texas Online"] ] The firm is known for its energy industry experience, with more than 400 lawyers involved in energy-related legal work. The firm is recognized as “The World’s Leading Energy Law Firm” by "Euromoney Magazine 2007". In 2008, [http://www.chambersandpartners.com/ Chambers & Partners] named V&E the “Law Firm of the Year” in Energy Projects: Oil and Gas for the United States.

The focus is not surprising given the birth of the modern petroleum industry took place at Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas, only 80 miles from Vinson & Elkins' initial office in Houston.

Vinson & Elkins has expanded from its core energy practice to many other practices including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, public finance and policy, infrastructure, infrastructure development, finance, international transactions, regulatory matters, professional liability, intellectual property, complex commercial litigation, restructuring and reorganization, climate change, environmental, labor and employment, tax, employee benefits and executive compensation, appellate, condemnation, and real estate.

In 2001, V&E received negative attention for its role as legal advisor to Enron, the failed Houston-based energy company. During the years following the collapse, Vinson & Elkins was the subject of a number of claims, and its representation of Enron endured scrutiny by news organizations, the U.S. Congress, and federal agencies. Vinson & Elkins was voluntarily dismissed without payment in January 2007 from the last significant litigation involving the Enron collapse.

Within the legal profession, V&E is acknowledged for breaking down religious, racial, and gender barriers hindering the advancement of talented lawyers. In 1942, firm co-founder Vinson sued the State of Texas to obtain more just representation on juries. In 2008, the firm was named a Community of Value by the [http://regions.adl.org/southwest/news/law-firms-cor.html Anti-Defamation League] and was given the Sager Award for the South/Southeast by the [http://www.mcca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewpage&pageid=1715 Minority Corporate Counsel Association] for its sustained commitment to diversity.

Outside of the legal arena, Vinson & Elkins has also been recognized for its community involvement and support of the arts. V&E has been the only law firm to be named to The BCA Ten, sponsored by the Business Committee for the Arts, Inc. and "Forbes" magazine, a list of the top 10 business patrons of the arts in the U.S., and has been so named twice. The firm has maintained a long-standing pro bono relationship with [http://www.mfah.org/ The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston] , the Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera, and supports numerous other arts, civic and charitable organizations in communities where V&E has offices.

Managing Partners (Term)

*Joseph C. Dilg (2002- present)
*Harry M. Reasoner (1992-2001)
*J. Evans Attwell (1981-91)
*A. Frank Smith, Jr. (1971-81)
*Lewis White (1962-71)
*Raybourne Thompson, Sr. (1959-62)
*Robert A. Shepherd, Sr. (1952-59)
*Warren Dale (office manager 1947-52)
*James A. Elkins (1929-47)

Famous Partners and Alumni

*J. Evans Attwell, former V&E managing partner; Chair, Harris County Hospital District; and partial owner, Houston Astros (1978-1994)
*Howard H. Baker Jr., former U.S. Senator; White House Chief of Staff (1987-88)
*John B. Connally, Jr., Presidential candidate (1980); Secretary of the Treasury (1971-72); Governor of Texas (1962-69); and Secretary of the Navy (1961-62)
*John "Buck" E. Chapoton, Sr., Assistant Secretary, U.S. Treasury Department (1981-84)
*Carol E. Dinkins, Deputy Attorney General of Department of Justice (1984-85); Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Environment and Natural Resources Division for Department of Justice (1981-83)
*James A. Elkins, Co-Founder, Vinson & Elkins LLP; Founder, First City Bank
*Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General (2005-07); White House Counsel (2001-05); Texas State Supreme Court (1999-2001); State Secretary of State Texas (1997-99); Official General Counsel to Governor George W. Bush (1995-97)
*James J. Hoecker, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) (1997-2001)
*Theodore “Ted” W. Kassinger, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce (2004-); General Counsel, U.S. Department of Commerce (2001-04)
*Ron Kirk, Mayor of Dallas, Texas (1995-2001)
*Harry Reasoner, Managing Partner (1992-2001)
*William A. Vinson, Co-Founder, Vinson & Elkins LLP
*D. Gibson “Gib” Walton, President, State Bar of Texas (2007-08)

Offices (Year Established)

*Abu Dhabi (2007)
*Austin (1979)
*Beijing (1997)
*Dallas (1986)
*Dubai (2003)
*Hong Kong (2006)
*Houston (1917)
*London (1971)
*Moscow (1991)
*New York City (1999)
*Shanghai (2005)
*Tokyo (2004)
*Washington, DC (1973)

Notable Clients

*American International Group
*AT&T Inc.
*BG Group
*Blockbuster Inc.
*BP
*Chesapeake Energy Corporation
*Citigroup
*Continental Airlines
*Dell Inc.
*Deloitte & Touche LLP
*Duke Energy Corporation
*Ernst & Young
*Goldman Sachs
*Huntsman Corporation
*JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
*Kinder Morgan
*Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR)
*Lehman Brothers Inc.
*Merrill Lynch
*MySpace
*Southwest Airlines
*Shell Oil Company
*Trammell Crow Company
*Warburg Pincus
*Waste Management

Recruiting Locations

*Baylor Law School
*Brigham Young University Law School
*Columbia University Law School
*Cornell Law School
*Duke University School of Law
*Fordham University School of Law
*George Washington University Law School
*Georgetown University Law Center
*Harvard Law School
*Howard University School of Law
*Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center
*New York University School of Law
*Northwestern University School of Law
*SMU Dedman School of Law
*South Texas College of Law
*Stanford Law School
*Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law
*Tulane Law School
*University of Chicago Law School
*University of Houston Law Center
*University of Michigan Law School
*University of Pennsylvania Law School
*University of Texas School of Law
*University of Virginia School of Law
*Vanderbilt University Law School
*Washington and Lee University School of Law
*William & Mary School of Law
*Yale Law School

Professional Rankings

*"Chambers Global"
*"Chambers USA"
*"The Best Lawyers in America"
*"Who's Who"
*"Legal 500"
*"AmLaw" 100
*"National Law Journal" 250
*"The Lawyer" Global 100
*"The American Lawyer" Corporate Scorecard
*"Project Finance" Deals of the Year
*"Global Arbitration Review" 30
*"Euromoney"
*"Corporate Counsel"'s "Defending and Protecting"
*BTI "Masters of the Deal"

References

External links

* [http://www.velaw.com/ Vinson and Elkins official website]
* [http://www.lawperiscope.com/profiles/252.html LawPeriscope.com]
* [http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/41/41675.html Yahoo! - Vinson & Elkins LLP Company Profile]
* [http://www.vault.com/nr/lawrankings.jsp?law2009=2&top100=3&ch_id=242 2009 "Vault" rankings]
* [http://www.nalpdirectory.com/dledir_search_results.asp?fscid=f075901&yr=2007&orgtypeid=F NALP Legal Employer Profile]
* [http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/73/Vinson-Elkins-L-L-P.html Referenceforbusiness.com]
* [http://www.chambersandpartners.com/usa/FirmProfile.aspx?fid=3666&mode=firms&display=1 Chambers & Partners USA]
* [http://www.superlawyers.com/search?q=Vinson+%26+Elkins&pa=&l=texas "Super Lawyers"]
* [http://www.bestlawyers.com/search/firmprofile.aspx?firm_id=15246 "The Best Lawyers in America"]
* [http://whichlawyer.practicallaw.com/which/g50Portrait.do?firmId=:20272488 "PLC Which Lawyer" Global 50 Portrait]
* [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/VV/jyv1.html "The Handbook of Texas Online"]
* [http://www.judged.com/jdfirmdetail.php?firmid=2437 Judged.com]
* [http://www.thelawyer.com/global100/2006/vinsonelkins.html "The Lawyer"]