Saul Ewing Explained

Saul Ewing LLP is a U.S.-based law firm with 18 offices and more than 450 attorneys providing a broad range of legal services. Its offices are located along the East Coast from Boston to Miami and extend into the Midwest by way of Chicago.^[1] On September 1, 2017, Saul Ewing LLP and Arnstein & Lehr LLP merged to form Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP.^[2] In November 2022, the firm changed its name back to Saul Ewing LLP as part of a rebrand effort. On August 1, 2023, the firm merged with Los Angeles–based Freeman Freeman & Smiley.

History

In 1921, Maurice Bower Saul begins Saul, Ewing, Remick & Saul, along with his brother, Walter Biddle Saul, Joseph Ewing and Raymond Remick.^[3]

The partners combined their strengths in banking, estate management, litigation, international commerce, tax and real-estate development to work with many of the clients served by John G. Johnson, the leader of the Philadelphia bar who had died in 1917. Over the years, the firm continued to grow, expanding outside of Pennsylvania in 1982 with an office in Wilmington, Delaware. By 1998, the firm attained regional status, with offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. In 2000, the firm shortened its name to Saul Ewing and became a limited liability partnership. The firm expanded its footprint with offices in Boston, Massachusetts (2011) and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (2012).^{[4] [5]}

Saul Ewing was named a "Pennsylvania Powerhouse" firm by Law360 for several years.^[6] Under the direction of Managing Partner Barry F. Levin, in 2017, the firm completed its largest merger to date, combining with Chicago-based Arnstein & Lehr LLP, an established, 125-year-old firm, known for its litigation, bankruptcy and real estate practices.^[7] The combination added four offices in Illinois and Florida and 140 attorneys. Guided by Managing Partner Jason St. John, the firm merged with Freeman Freeman & Smiley in 2023, expanding the firm’s reach to California with offices in Los Angeles and Orange County.

Notable cases and deals

• International Speedway Corporation (ISC) in its $2 billion “going private” merger with NASCAR Holdings, Inc., with ISC becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of NASCAR. International Speedway owns and operates 13 racetracks and motorsports facilities, including Daytona International Speedway in Florida, home of the Daytona 500 race, and Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama.^[8]
• Allegheny County Airport Authority in litigation with the master concessionaire at the Pittsburgh International Airport over the failure to adequately fulfil its contractual obligations.^[9]
• A U.S. state as bond counsel in assisting it with issuing two series of general obligation bonds worth more than $350 million through a competitively bid, public sale.

Core services

As a full-service law firm, Saul Ewing provides legal advice and assistance in the following areas: bankruptcy and restructuring; corporate; cybersecurity and privacy; intellectual property; labor and employment; litigation; mergers and acquisitions; trusts and estates; private equity; public finance; real estate; tax; and venture capital.^[10]

Core industries

• Agribusiness
• Cannabis
• Construction
• Energy
• Food & Beverage
• Health Care
• Higher Education
• Insurance
• Real Estate
• Sports and Entertainment

Offices

The firm has offices in the following locations: Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Massachusetts; Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles, California; Miami, Florida; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Newark, New Jersey; New York, New York; Orange County, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Princeton, New Jersey; Washington D.C.; West Palm Beach, Florida and Wilmington, Delaware.^[11]

Notable lawyers and alumni

• Jim Durkin, Republican Minority Leader of the Illinois State Senate.
• Lawrence Coughlin, a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1993, representing the 13th district of Pennsylvania.
• Earl G. Harrison, Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and served as U.S. Commissioner of Immigration (1942–1944). In 1945, he was asked by President Harry Truman "to report on the condition of Jews in displaced person camps. His report led to creation of the State of Israel.”
• Henry “Hank” Ruth, Watergate special prosecutor, took leave from the firm in 1973 to be chief deputy in the Watergate Investigation. In 1974 he was appointed the third special prosecutor. One year later he issued a 271-page report on the investigation and, upon resigning, returned to the Philadelphia office.
• Albert Henry Loeb, in 1893, along with his partner Sydney Adler, founded a law firm which later would become Arnstein & Lehr. In 1895 Loeb handled the reorganization of Sears, Roebuck and Company and incorporated the company in Illinois. In 1903 he became a full time Sears executive and subsequently the number two man in the organization.
• Sigmund Livingston, founder and first president of the Anti-Defamation League.
• J. Hamilton Lewis, served as a United States Senator from Illinois. He was the first to be elected as Majority Whip. He was a partner in the Firm between terms in the Senate and returned to the Senate in 1930 where he served until his death in 1939.
• L.M.(Lucie Mae) Varner in 1934 became the Firm’s first woman partner. She was one of the few women lawyers in Chicago when, in 1929, she joined the Firm as an associate and was a part of the Firm’s very active commercial real estate practice.

Notes and References

1. Web site: About Us Saul Ewing LLP . 31 January 2023 . www.saul.com.
2. News: Randazzo . Sara . Law Firm Mergers Continue at Record Pace . 20 June 2018 . Wall Street Journal . 5 September 2017.
3. Web site: Saul Brothers Join Ewing and Remick to Found New Firm . saul.com . 20 June 2018.
4. News: Saul Ewing acquires Boston firm Dionne & Gass . 20 June 2018 . www.bizjournals.com.
5. News: Philadelphia firm Saul Ewing opens in Pittsburgh, drawn by natural gas work . 20 June 2018 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . en.
6. Web site: Pennsylvania Powerhouse: Saul Ewing – Law360 . www.law360.com . 20 June 2018 . en.
7. News: Saul Ewing and Arnstein & Lehr Merge to Create Firm with Expanded Capabilities and a Greater Depth of Talent . 20 June 2018 . en.
8. Web site: NASCAR closes merger with ISC .
9. Web site: Pittsburgh Airport Board OKs $10.5M Settlement With Airmall .
10. Web site: 31 January 2023 . Capabilities Saul Ewing LLP . saul.com.
11. Web site: Offices Saul Ewing LLP . 31 January 2023 . www.saul.com.