Dorsey & Whitney LLP (bekannt als Dorsey ) ist eine internationale Anwaltskanzlei mit Sitz in den Vereinigten Staaten und rund 700 Anwälten an 22 Standorten in den USA, Kanada, Europa und Asien (Stand: 2026). Der Hauptsitz der Kanzlei befindet sich in Minneapolis , Minnesota, wo sie gegründet wurde. [ 1 ] Seit 2025 wird Dorsey von Managing Partner Peter Nelson geleitet. [ 2 ] Zu den Anwälten der Kanzlei zählten bereits mehrere prominente Persönlichkeiten des öffentlichen Lebens, darunter der ehemalige US-Vizepräsident Walter Mondale . [ 3 ]

Geschichte

Dorsey wurde 1912 von William Lancaster, einem Direktor der First National Bank of Minneapolis (heute Teil der US Bank ), und David F. Simpson , einem Richter am Obersten Gerichtshof von Minnesota , gegründet . [ 3 ] Im darauffolgenden Jahr stellten sie James Dorsey als ersten Mitarbeiter ein. Dorsey verließ die Firma in den 1920er Jahren, um Investmentbanker zu werden, kehrte aber einige Jahre nach dem Börsencrash von 1929 zurück . Er leitete das Unternehmen bis zu seinem Tod im Jahr 1959. Der Name der Firma änderte sich im Laufe ihrer Geschichte immer wieder, bis er 1981 auf den heutigen, endgültigen Namen verkürzt wurde.

Die Kanzlei hat außerdem die Dorsey-und-Whitney-Professur für Rechtswissenschaften an der juristischen Fakultät der Universität von Minnesota gestiftet .

Standorte weltweit

Dorsey unterhält Büros in Anchorage, Peking, Boise, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Des Moines, Hongkong, London, Minneapolis, Missoula, New York, Palo Alto, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Shanghai, Südkalifornien (Costa Mesa), Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, DC und Wilmington. [ 4 ]

Vertretene Branchen

Dorsey vertritt Unternehmen aus einer Vielzahl von Branchen, darunter Banken und Finanzinstitute; Entwicklung und Infrastruktur; Energie und natürliche Ressourcen; Lebensmittel, Getränke und Agrarwirtschaft; Gesundheitswesen und Biowissenschaften; sowie Technologie. [ 5 ]

Tätigkeitsbereiche

Die Anwälte von Dorsey sind in über 60 Rechtsgebieten tätig, insbesondere in den folgenden Bereichen [ 6 ] :

  • Versuch
    • Handelsstreitigkeiten
    • Konstruktion & Design
    • Rechtsstreitigkeiten im Gesundheitswesen
    • Intellectual Property Litigation
    • Securities & Financial Services Litigation
    • Government Solutions & Investigations
  • Corporate
    • Capital Markets & Corporate Compliance
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Technology Commerce
    • Emerging Companies
  • Non-Trial Advocacy
    • Labor & Employment
    • Patent
    • Regulatory Affairs
    • Trademark, Copyright + Advertising
  • Transactions
    • Benefits & Compensation
    • Finance & Restructuring
    • Healthcare Transactions & Regulations
    • Public Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Tax, Trust and Estates

Pro bono commitment

Dorsey is committed to serving the communities in which they operate through pro bono work. The firm signed the American Bar Association's Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge charter in 1993. The charter signifies a pledge to provide pro bono legal assistance equal to at least 3% of the firm's billable hours. Dorsey has proudly exceeded the 3% challenge every year since 1993.[7]

In 2025, Dorsey provided more than 25,000 hours of pro bono legal services to low-income individuals and nonprofit organizations.[7]

Notable alumni

Assistance to Guantanamo captives

Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, an attorney with Dorsey & Whitney prepared the habeas corpus petition for the six Bahraini citizens held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.[7]Juma al Dossari, one of Colangelo-Bryan's clients, made a suicide attempt during Colangelo-Bryan's visit.[9][10][11][12]

Charles "Cully" Stimson, then Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs, stirred controversy when he went on record criticizing the patriotism of law firms that allowed employees to assist Guantanamo captives: "corporate CEOs seeing this should ask firms to choose between lucrative retainers and representing terrorists." [13] Stimson's views were widely criticized. The Pentagon disavowed them and he resigned shortly thereafter.

Insider trading controversy

In 2008, police uncovered an insider trading conspiracy involving Dorsey & Whitney partner Gil Cornblum, who there and earlier in his career at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York discovered inside information and, with his co-conspirator, Stanko "Stan" Grmovsek– a former lawyer and Cornblum's law school classmate –was found to have gained over $10 million in illegal profits over a 14-year span.[4] Cornblum committed suicide by jumping from a bridge as he was under investigation and shortly before he was to be arrested but before criminal charges were laid against him, one day before his alleged co-conspirator pled guilty.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ^"History | About Us | Dorsey". www.dorsey.com. Retrieved 2026-04-30.
  2. ^"Management | About Us | Dorsey". www.dorsey.com. Retrieved 2026-04-30.
  3. ^ ab"History | About Us | Dorsey". dorsey.com. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  4. ^ ab"Locations | Dorsey". www.dorsey.com. Retrieved 2026-04-30.
  5. ^ ab"Industries & Practices | Dorsey". www.dorsey.com. Retrieved 2026-04-30.
  6. ^ ab"Industries & Practices | Dorsey". www.dorsey.com. Retrieved 2026-04-30.
  7. ^ abc"Pro Bono | Industries & Practices | Dorsey". www.dorsey.com. Retrieved 2026-04-30.
  8. ^Cillizza, Chris (2006-04-14). "The Washington Post: The Friday Line: Senate Gains Still Looking Certain For Dems". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2006-05-10.
  9. ^Kanwal Hameed (October 20, 2005). "Sex torture claim by Bay prisoner". Gulf Daily News. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  10. ^Josh White (November 1, 2005). "Guantanamo Desperation Seen in Suicide Attempts: One Incident Was During Lawyer's Visit". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  11. ^Kanwal Hameed (November 8, 2005). "Move to protect Bay detainee". Gulf Daily News. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  12. ^Jane Sutton (June 11, 2006). "Dozens have attempted suicide at Guantanamo". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-16.
  13. ^Lewis, Neil (2007-01-13). "Official attacks top law firms over detainees". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  14. ^Weiss, Debra (2009-10-27). "Ex-Dorsey Partner Kills Himself on Eve of Insider Trading Deal". ABA Journal. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  15. ^https://www.pressreader.com/canada/national-post-latest-edition/20100108/282059093120884. Retrieved 2024-06-14 – via Press Reader.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)