With more than 800 lawyers around the world, Duane Morris has 21 offices across the U.S., as well as offices throughout Asia and one in London.

Small, Medium, Big

In 1904 in Philadelphia, four lawyers joined together to form the partnership that is today known as Duane Morris. In the mid-80s, the firm got the urge to expand, opening an office in Delaware—and it hasn’t looked back since, with eight more offices opening in the ’90s and 15 new offices launching since 2000. International growth began with the opening of its London office in 2000, and the firm planted its flag in Asia in 2007.

From Construction to Cannabis

Duane Morris’ practice areas include litigation, corporate law, intellectual property, business reorganization and financial restructuring, employment and immigration, energy and environment, health law, real estate, and private client services. The firm also serves some niche industries and areas, including infrastructure and cannabis. The firm provides counsel on issues relating to construction and engineering projects, including litigation, contract formation, public-private partnership projects, financing, real estate issues, environmental issues, and tax issues.

Duane Morris has also taken a deep dive into the emerging practice of cannabis regulation law. The firm provides services in nearly all facets concerning cannabis, from financing and licensing to IP and litigation. In 2018, the firm partnered with the American Trade Association of Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH). Additionally, Duane Morris hosts a webinar series discussing the effect of the cannabis business on the law and vice versa.

A Specimen of Study

Harvard Business Professor Boris Groysberg commissioned a study in 2006 of the firm for his business students called “Duane Morris: Balancing Growth and Culture at a Law Firm.” Groysberg found that, despite its rapid expansion, Duane Morris had maintained its “Quaker values” along with an “unusually narrow” spread between the highest and lowest partner compensations, according to the ABA Journal. The study also noted Duane Morris’ practice of emphasizing lateral hires in its recruitment practices.

In 2013, Harvard Business School published its second case study of the firm, titled “Collaborating for Growth: Duane Morris in a Turbulent Legal Sector.” The case study examined the firm’s success in maintaining its collaborative culture, as well as the firm’s continuing expansion into new markets. The study concluded that Duane Morris was able to maintain its “Quaker ways” by keeping a “transparent, data-driven compensation system, practice-group integration across multiple offices, and rewards for attorneys who shared responsibility.”

In addition to this, Duane Morris is heralded as a leading law firm in the diversity and inclusion efforts, having even earned the minority corporate counsel association innovator award and being among the first to ever name a chief diversity officer. Duane Morris associates participate in the annual diversity & inclusion retreat, which targets business development efforts alongside establishing priorities of inclusion in all sectors.

April 2018

Duane Morris has been repeatedly recognized for its family-friendly workplace, most recently by the San Francisco Gender Equality Principles Initiative. GEP drew attention to Duane Morris’ Mindful Return program which provides expecting mothers and those poised to rejoin the workforce with resources, training, tools, and practical advice to help facilitate a thoughtful and successful return to work after maternity leave. Previously, the firm was ranked by Working Mother and Flex-Time Lawyers as one of the Best Law Firms for Women. In 2016, Duane Morris was named a “Best Place to Work for Women Over 35” by Crain’s Chicago Business and the year before won the Advancing Women Company Award by the Philadelphia Business Journal. The firm also was listed among Yale Law Women’s Top Ten Family Friendly Firms.

October 2017

Duane Morris opened a new office in Austin with litigators, transactional lawyers, and IP attorneys to further align Duane Morris’ domestic footprint with the robust high-technology and energy sectors in Texas. The firm has had a Houston office since 1999 and now has 21 offices in the United States, and 29 overall.

October 2016

Duane Morris opened its office in Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China) with a focus on intellectual property for Taiwan’s high-tech, pharmaceutical and bio-tech industries, as well as commercial and corporate transactions, antitrust and regulatory compliance, white collar litigation and investigations, and foreign trade and investment. It follows the 2014 opening of its Shanghai office to facilitate outbound investment for Chinese corporations, as well as support inbound investment opportunities for its clients elsewhere. Other expansion has included Myanmar, bolstering its Asian locations in Singapore and Vietnam, and the establishment of a Middle East office in Oman.

• Obtained a settlement for class of osteopaths alleging American Osteopathic Association conditioning of board certification on the purchase of membership constituted unlawful tying in violation of antitrust laws. In addition to ending the membership requirement, AOA agreed to provide physicians economic benefits estimated in value between $35 million and $84 million.
• Represented President of India privatization program of government’s public sector units in deals for National Hydroelectric Power, Container Corp. of India and Hindustan Copper totaling more than $600 million.
• Represented iAnthus in $640 million merger with MPX Bioceutical, the first public-to-public merger transaction in U.S. cannabis industry.

• Top Workplace by the Philadelphia Inquirer (2016-2019)
• Best Place to Work by Crain’s Chicago Business (2016-2019)
• Top Tier in Chambers USA inaugural Cannabis Law rankings (2019)
• Top Bankruptcy Law Firm in U.S. by The Deal (2018)
• Past Winner of Minority Corporate Counsel Association Innovator Award