Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP is an American
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 ...
based in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
with offices also in
Washington, D.C. and
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Founded in 1919, it is prominent in the practice areas of
capital markets and
banking & finance.
History
Cahill opened its doors at 120 Broadway in 1919 as McAdoo, Cotton & Franklin. In 1921
William G. McAdoo moved away to California, and the firm was renamed Cotton & Franklin.
By the end of the
Depression, it expanded to handle bankruptcies, reorganizations, and regulatory matters. During and after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, under the leadership of
John T. Cahill, former
United States Attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
for the
Southern District of New York, the firm grew dramatically. As Cahill Gordon Reindel & Ohl, it moved to 80 Pine Street, where it remained until 2020, then it moved to 32 Old Slip. Partner John Ohl, a tax specialist, retired in 1976. The firm established its
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
office in 1928, though it closed in 2000 when the firm opened its
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
office. Today, Cahill maintains offices in London and Washington D.C, though its largest office by far is in New York City.
Litigation work
On behalf of Cahill,
Floyd Abrams successfully defended ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' in the landmark ''
New York Times Co. v. United States'' case. In that 1971 case the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
refused to permit the
Nixon Administration to stop the publication of thousands of pages of
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
-related government documents. Thereafter, Abrams and Cahill became prominent defenders of the media and
First Amendment rights. On September 9, 2009, Abrams argued before the Supreme Court on behalf of Senator
Mitch McConnell in the highly publicized re-argument ordered by the Court on the constitutionality of McCain-Feingold, defending the rights of corporations and unions to donate unlimited amounts of money to political allies in ''
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
''Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission'', 558 U.S. 310 (2010), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court regarding Campaign fin ...
''.
Corporate work
The firm is active in the US capital markets, the Euromarket, and bank lending market, advising investment and commercial banks in their roles as underwriters, initial purchasers, arrangers, agents, and dealer managers. It was Cahill that represented the financing sources in many of
Wall Street's historic buyouts, beginning with the
leveraged buyout of
RJR Nabisco in 1989, up through the mega-buyouts of
TXU,
Hospital Corporation of America,
Kinder Morgan,
Harrah’s,
Alltel,
First Data and
Clear Channel in the 2006 and 2007
LBO boom, where the largest buyout records were set.
Notable attorneys
*
Floyd Abrams
*
Michael F. Armstrong
*
William A. Jacobson
*
Ellen L. Weintraub
*
Loretta Lynch (former
United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...
)
See also
*''
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
''Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission'', 558 U.S. 310 (2010), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court regarding Campaign fin ...
''
*
Thomson Financial League Tables
References
External links
llp Web Site">Cahill Gordon & Reindel llp Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cahill Gordon and Reindel
Law firms based in New York City
Law firms established in 1919
1919 establishments in New York (state)