Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP, known as Troutman Pepper, was an American law firm with more than 1,200 attorneys located in 23 U.S. cities as of 2024. In terms of revenue, Troutman Pepper placed 47th on ''
The American Lawyer
''The American Lawyer'' is a monthly legal magazine and website published by ALM Media. The periodical and its parent company, ALM (then American Lawyer Media), were founded in 1979 by Steven Brill.AmLaw 100 rankings of U.S. law firms, with $1,029,503,000 in gross revenue in 2021.
In January 2025, Troutman Pepper merged with Locke Lord to become Troutman Pepper Locke.
Background
On July 1, 2020, Troutman Sanders merged with Pepper Hamilton to become Troutman Pepper. Stephen E. Lewis of Troutman Sanders was the firm's managing partner and became chair of Troutman Pepper after the merger.
Troutman Sanders
Troutman Sanders was founded in 1897 in Atlanta as the law practice of Walter T. Colquitt. Colquitt was well known in Atlanta near the end of the 19th century for his representation of the Georgia Railway and Electric Company, which would later become the Georgia Power Company.
In 1930, Colquitt formed a partnership with two brothers, Henry and Robert Troutman, both lawyers with clients such as Gulf Refining Company, the Georgia Real Estate Commission and the National Surety Company. Additionally, Colquitt had two other attorneys, Robert S. Parker and Preston Stanley Arkwright Jr., join the firm creating Colquitt, Parker, Troutman and Arkwright. For the next 30 years, the firm grew in size, reputation, and client base, and went through a few name changes as partnerships were formed and broken. By the late 1960s, the firm was known as Troutman Sams Schroder & Lockerman.
In 1971, then-president of
Georgia Power
Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was established as the Georgia Railway and Power Company and began operations in 1902 running streetcars in Atlanta as a successor to the Atlanta Consol ...
, Ed Hatch, suggested the merger of Troutman Sams Schroder & Lockerman with former Governor
Carl Sanders
Carl Edward Sanders Sr. (May 15, 1925 – November 16, 2014) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 74th governor of Georgia from 1963 to 1967.
Early life and education
Carl Sanders was born on May 15, 1925, in Augusta, Georg ...
' firm, Sanders Ashmore & Boozer. Hatch believed the merger would keep intact the decades of utility expertise of the Troutman firm, while merging the fresh talent and energy of Sanders’ young firm. The new firm would operate as Troutman Sanders Lockerman & Ashmore, until shortened to Troutman Sanders in 1992 when the firm moved from downtown Atlanta's Candler Building to
Midtown Atlanta
Midtown Atlanta, or Midtown for short, is a Urban area, high-density commercial and residential neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The exact geographical extent of the area is ill-defined due to differing definitions used ...
's new 55-story Bank of America Plaza.
From 1993 to 2015, Robert W. Webb Jr. served as managing partner, while the firm experienced growth in the United States and internationally. In 2001, Troutman Sanders merged with Mays & Valentine LLP, which added 150 attorneys to the firm and offices in Richmond, Tysons Corner, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. This spurred further growth and the subsequent opening of offices in Raleigh, NC (2003) and New York City with the acquisition of the New York office of Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin LLP in 2005.
In 2006, Carl Sanders retired and Webb became the firm's chairman and managing partner while Sanders served as chairman emeritus until his death in 2014. In 2009, the firm merged with D.C.-based Ross Dixon & Bell. Troutman Sanders grew to 15 offices after the merger, adding Chicago, Orange County, San Diego, and doubling its D.C. presence. This brought the total number of attorneys to over 650.
In 2011, Stephen E. Lewis became the managing partner. In 2015, Webb retired and Lewis became chairman as well. The firm continued to expand, with offices opened in 2014 in Charlotte and in 2015 in San Francisco.
Before merging with Pepper Hamilton in 2020, Troutman Sanders was organized into 17 areas of legal practice within five departments: Corporate, Real Estate & Finance, Business Litigation, Specialized Litigation, and Energy and Regulatory.
A number of notable lawyers and alumni were associated with the firm.
* Mark Howard Cohen, judge for the
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (in case citations, N.D. Ga.) is a United States district court which serves the residents of forty-six counties. These are divided up into four divisions.
Appeals from case ...
*
Frank Hanna III
Frank J. Hanna III is an American entrepreneur, merchant banker and philanthropist. He was one of three entrepreneurs profiled in the Acton Institute and PBS documentary film ''The Call of the Entrepreneur''.
Hanna has been described as "one o ...
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 ...
*
Patty Shwartz
Patty Shwartz (born July 24, 1961) is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Early life and education
Shwartz was born in Paterson, New Jersey. She grew up in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, whe ...
, judge for the
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district courts for the following United Sta ...
During its history, Troutman Sanders was known by a number of names:
*Walter T. Colquitt, Esq. (1897)
*Colquitt and Lumpkin (1897–1904)
*Colquitt and Conyers (1904–1917)
*Colquitt, Conyers and Latimer (1918–1930)
*Colquitt, Parker, Troutman and Arkwright (1930–1935)
*Colquitt, MacDougald, Troutman and Arkwright (1935–1937)
*MacDougald, Troutman and Arkwright (1937–1947)
*MacDougald, Troutman, Sams and Branch (1947–1949)
*MacDougald, Troutman, Sams and Schroder (1949–1953)
*Troutman, Sams, Schroder and Lockerman (1953–1971)
*Troutman, Sanders, Lockerman and Ashmore (1971–1992)
*Troutman Sanders LLP (1992–July 2020)
Pepper Hamilton
Pepper Hamilton
Troutman Pepper Locke LLP is an international law firm with more than 1,600 attorneys located in 32 U.S. cities and London. The firm was formed on January 1, 2025, as a merger of Troutman Pepper and Locke Lord.
Background
Before the merger ...
dates its founding to 1890 when former U.S. Senator George Wharton Pepper began his legal practice in Philadelphia. Pepper's essays on
conflicts of laws
Conflict may refer to:
Social sciences
* Conflict (process), the general pattern of groups dealing with disparate ideas
* Conflict continuum from cooperation (low intensity), to contest, to higher intensity (violence and war)
* Conflict of ...
were cited by Justice Brandeis in the landmark ruling ''Erie Railroad v. Tompkins'' (1938).Vault.com /ref> Pepper was also instrumental in Supreme Court arguments that led to many New Deal provisions being struck down as beyond the Federal Government's commerce power.
In 1954, the Pepper firm and another Philadelphia law firm — Evans, Bayard & Frick — merged as Pepper, Bodine, Frick, Scheetz & Hamilton creating a 35-lawyer entity. This merger brought in some aspects of the legacy of John G. Johnson (ob. 1917), a solo practitioner, and an eminent antitrust lawyer who had represented Standard Oil and U.S. Steel, argued 168 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and was called the greatest lawyer in the English speaking world in his New York Times obituary. In 1955, shortly after the merger of the Pepper and Evans firms, George Wharton Pepper retired from practice because of failing health. He was succeeded as chairman of the firm by John D. M. Hamilton, who was chairman of the
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...
in 1940. In 1960, another merger brought in the firm of Moffett, Frye & Leopold. The firm grew significantly in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
In 2007, the partnership elected Nina M. Gussack as chairwoman of Pepper's Executive Committee, the first woman to be elected to that position. Pepper partner A. Michael Pratt became the Philadelphia Bar Association’s 81st Chancellor in 2008. He was the third African-American to serve in that office since the Association’s founding in 1802.
Events since Pepper Hamilton merger
In 2021, the firm partnered with the
University of Richmond School of Law
The University of Richmond School of Law (abbreviated as Richmond Law) is the law school of the University of Richmond, a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond Law is ranked tied for 66th in the US by ''U.S. News & World ...
as the "innovator-in-residence" for the university's Legal Business Design Challenge, a course that allows law students to identify business opportunities or improve client services for law firms.
On December 20, 2021, its attorneys successfully overturned the wrongful conviction of Devonia Inman, who spent 23 years in prison for a murder in South Georgia.
On February 9, 2023 it was reported the organization was a target of a cyberattack: “We can confirm that on Feb. 8 Troutman Pepper was a target of a cyberattack,” the firm said in a statement. “Following our established protocols, we took immediate action to contain the threat and inspect thoroughly before we restore systems access.”
In 2024, Troutman Pepper was named a recipient of a
HIAS
HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is a Jewish American nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. It was established on in 1881 to help Russian Jewish immigrants to the United States escaping antisemi ...
Pennsylvania Golden Door Award, in recognition of activities that include the provision of
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 ...
services to low-income immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
In September 2024, it was announced that Troutman Pepper and Locke Lord would be merging effective January 1, 2025. The new law firm took the name Troutman Pepper Locke LLP.
See also
*
List of largest law firms by profits per partner
This is a list of global law firms ranked by profits per equity partner (PPEP) in . Firms marked with "(verein)" are structured as a Swiss association.
These are estimates and equity partners can make vastly different salaries inside the same firm ...