The firm's history dates back to the late 19th century, when it counted among its partners future
Chief Justice of the United States Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard has practice areas in both the litigation and corporate fields.
1871–1899 • 1871 - In the wake of the
Great Chicago Fire, Chicago-based lawyer Walter S. Carter had so many claims to prosecute involving insurers bankrupted by the fire that he moved his office to New York City. Faced with more business than he could personally handle, Carter tried hiring the most promising law students to help him and, in a departure from standard practice, paid these "associates" a salary. One of them was then-future
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Charles Evans Hughes. • 1888 - Four years after joining the firm, then known as Chamberlain, Carter & Hornblower, Hughes was made partner, and the firm's name was changed to Carter, Hughes & Cravath.
1900–1999 • 1910 - After four years as governor of New York, Hughes was appointed to the
Supreme Court by
President William Howard Taft. • 1916 - Hughes resigned from the Court to run for president against
Woodrow Wilson. After he was defeated, Hughes rejoined his old partners and, with the exception of four years he served as
Secretary of State under President
Harding, he remained a partner in the firm until 1930. • 1929 -
Charles Evans Hughes, Jr. (1862–1948), also a partner in the firm, resigned to become
US Solicitor General. • 1930 - Hughes was appointed Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. Upon his father's appointment, Charles Evans Hughes, Jr. resigned from his position as Solicitor General and rejoined the firm as a partner. • 1937 - In June, the firm suddenly dissolved, due to what the media at the time reported was Charles Evans Hughes, Jr.'s desire to insulate his father from a political attack directed at one of Hughes, Jr.'s partners at the firm by
Roosevelt's
Secretary of the Treasury. On June 10 of that year, Hughes, Richards, Hubbard & Ewing opened its offices at
One Wall Street, where it would remain for over 50 years. • In the 1960s, Hughes Hubbard started representing
Coopers & Lybrand, culminating in its multibillion-dollar merger with
Price Waterhouse. Other clients who remained with the firm over multiple decades include
Merck,
BMI,
Continental Airlines (now
United), and
Viacom. • 1968 - The firm became Hughes Hubbard & Reed. • In the 1970s, Hughes Hubbard defended
Bristol Myers in an antitrust case and
Ford Motor Company in Pinto fuel tank cases, which was the start of the firm's product liability practice. • In the 1990s, Hughes Hubbard represented musician
Bob Marley's widow against 11 people who alleged they were Marley's children and sought recovery from his estate. • 1999 - The firm elected Candace Beinecke as Chair of the firm, making her the first woman to lead a major New York City law firm.
Since 2000 • 2007 - Hughes Hubbard led the drafting of a $4.8 billion global settlement program to resolve over 99.9% of eligible
Vioxx claims against its client Merck alleging heart attacks, ischemic strokes, and sudden cardiac death. • 2008 - Hughes Hubbard partner James Giddens was appointed trustee for the $123 billion liquidation of
Lehman Brothers, the largest bankruptcy in US history, and Hughes Hubbard was selected as his counsel. In the following years, Hughes Hubbard returned $110 billion to customers and general creditors. • 2011 - Hughes Hubbard partner James Giddens was appointed trustee for the liquidation of
MF Global, the eighth-largest bankruptcy in US history, and Hughes Hubbard was selected as his counsel. In the following years, Hughes Hubbard distributed $8.1 billion and achieved a full recovery for former customers and secured creditors and a 95% recovery for unsecured creditors. • 2014 - Hughes Hubbard served as lead counsel to Merck in its acquisition of antibiotics maker
Cubist Pharmaceuticals for $9.5 billion. • 2015 - Hughes Hubbard represented Merck in a $3.8 billion deal to buy Idenix Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company. • 2017 - Hughes Hubbard convinced federal prosecutors and the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to drop all criminal and civil charges against two former
JPMorgan traders, concluding the four-year “London Whale” case. • 2018 - Hughes Hubbard won the first of two arbitration proceedings at
The Hague against the
Russian Federation, following its 2014 invasion and occupation of
Crimea. In 2022, the Court of Appeals of The Hague upheld jurisdictional awards rendered in both cases. • 2021 - Hughes Hubbard advised
Grab Holdings in its $40 billion merger with Altimeter Growth Corp. in the largest
special-purpose acquisition company deal in the world to date. • 2022 - Hughes Hubbard distributed final payout in the liquidation of
Lehman Brothers, which remained the largest bankruptcy case in the world. • 2023 - A Connecticut federal court tossed a
United States Department of Justice criminal antitrust case, entering a judgment of acquittal for Hughes Hubbard client Harpreet Wasan immediately after the government rested. == Rankings and reputation ==