The firm was well known for its
litigation arm (second-largest in New York City after
white shoe establishment firm
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett). It also had an active
capital markets and
international finance practice, where its main client was
Merrill Lynch. The firm at its peak embraced approximately 400 attorneys and maintained offices in New York,
Washington, D.C.,
Los Angeles,
Paris,
London,
Hong Kong, and
Frankfurt. In 1986, Rogers & Wells, the prestigious law firm that paid $40 million to defrauded investors in the J. David financial scandal, closed the San Diego office that embroiled it in the fraud-ridden investment company's affairs. In 2000, the firm merged with London-based
Clifford Chance. The firm practiced as Clifford Chance Rogers & Wells in the Americas until 2003, when the use of the legacy U.S. firm's name was discontinued. Just before and immediately after the merger, some high-profile partners decamped for other firms including New York rival
Kaye Scholer. The Paris outpost joined
Kramer Levin. ==Notable alumni==