Holland & Knight LLP is a
multinational law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
with approximately 2,200 attorneys and professional staff worldwide. Headquartered in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
, the firm has a number of different practices areas, including
litigation
A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. ...
,
corporate law
Corporate law (also known as company law or enterprise law) is the body of law governing the rights, relations, and conduct of persons, companies, organizations and businesses. The term refers to the legal practice of law relating to corpora ...
,
real estate,
construction law
Construction law is a branch of law that deals with matters relating to building construction, engineering, and related fields. It is in essence an amalgam of contract law, commercial law, planning law, employment law and tort. Construction law co ...
, and
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
.
History
Holland & Knight was formed in 1968 after the merger of the firms established by
Spessard Holland
Spessard Lindsey Holland (July 10, 1892 – November 6, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician. A Southern Democrat, he served as the 28th List of Governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 1941 to 1945, and as a US senator, U.S. senato ...
and
Peter O. Knight.
Chesterfield Smith was the managing partner of the new venture until 1983.
In 1997 the firm acquired Haight Gardner Poor & Haven, making them the 12th largest law firm at the time with 600 attorneys. That number had grown to 840 by 1998 following subsequent acquisitions. Holland & Knight merged with the Dallas-based, 275-attorney Thompson & Knight in 2021, retaining the name Holland & Knight. By 2022 it had become the 7th-largest US-based law firm with 1,596 attorneys.
Political involvement
According to
OpenSecrets
OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying, including a revolving door database which documents the individuals who have worked in both the public sector an ...
, Holland & Knight was one of the top law firms contributing to federal candidates during the 2012 election cycle, donating $1.19 million, 59% to Democrats.
Since 1990, Holland & Knight has contributed $10.47 million to federal campaigns, and spent over $1 million on lobbying since 2001.
Charitable work
Attorney
Stephen Hanlon established the
pro bono
( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...
practice at Holland & Knight and served as project director for multiple state studies documenting excessive workloads for
public defenders
A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Belgium, Hungary and Si ...
. His work has led to legislative reforms, court decisions, and national standards for indigent defense. Some pro bono cases include a joint case with the
ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million.
...
for death row inmates experiencing unconstitutional conditions of confinement in Mississippi.
In 1996 Gregg Thomas and Hanlon brought the case to the law firms attention after hearing that the "key witness against him recanted his testimony." the Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano death penalty case who had been convicted in a 1976 killing based on eye-witness testimony.
Also Hanlon was involved in the
Rosewood massacre case hoping to get reparations for survivors and their families for the crime that had taken place in January 1923 in rural
Levy County, Florida
Levy County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the North central Florida part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 42,915. Its county seat is Bronson, Florida, Brons ...
. Hanlon brought on lawyer Martha Barnett which he credits for successfully changing minds of the Florida state legislator which had been thought of as an impossible task. Holland & Knight in April 1994 won a 2.1 million dollar settlement for survivors and descendants.
Charitable giving is managed and coordinated by the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, which was established as a 501(c)(3) public charity in 1996. The foundation underwrites several programs that support education, including the Opening Doors for Children reading program, the Holocaust Remembrance Project national essay contest, Young Native Writers Essay Contest for Native American high school students, and the Dream Scholarship Essay Contest designed to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prior winners of the Young Native Writers Essay Contest were featured in
Indian Country Today
''ICT'' (formerly known as ''Indian Country Today'') is a nonprofit, multimedia news platform that covers the Indigenous world, with a particular focus on American Indian, Alaska Native and First Nations communities across North America.
Fo ...
.
Awards and achievements
* The firm received national first-tier rankings in the 2013 U.S. News – Best Lawyers ''Best Law Firms'' guide in 22 practice areas.
* More than 130 Holland & Knight attorneys were named in the ''
Chambers USA'' 2013 guide.
* ''Corporate Counsel'' magazine named Holland & Knight a "2012 Go-To Law Firm" for the top 500 U.S. companies.
* Holland & Knight ranks among the top-performing law firms that provide superior client service, according to 2013 BTI Consulting Group's annual survey of corporate counsel and C-level executives.
* Holland & Knight was named ''one of the world's top
trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...
law firms'' in the ''World Trademark Review 1000 – The Definitive Guide to Trademark Legal Services''.
* ''Directors & Boards'' magazine ranked Holland & Knight the nation's top law firm for dealing with director liability issues.
* The firm was named the Law Firm of the Year in the Washington, D.C., area by the Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors three times in the past five years.
*
Working Mother
''Working Mother'' was a magazine for working mothers launched in 1979 by Founding Publisher Milton Lieberman, who was succeeded by Carol Evans. The founding editor of the magazine was Vivian Cadden, who retired as editor in 1990. Subsequent edi ...
magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers named Holland & Knight one of 50 "2012 Best Law Firms for Women".
* The firm earned Gold Standard Certification from The Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) p.
* The firm ranked third in ''The American Lawyer'' magazine's 2012 Diversity Scorecard for the number of Hispanic attorneys.
* The firm was awarded the "Michael K. Reese Quality of Life Award" by The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division.
References
External links
*
Chambers and Partners Firm Profile*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland and Knight
Law firms established in 1968
Law firms based in Florida
1968 establishments in Florida