Established in 1969, Dechert’s Washington, D.C. office is one of the primary hubs of the firm’s core corporate and financial groups.

Our D.C. lawyers, many of whom are former federal regulators and government officials, focus their considerable experience, institutional expertise and commercial judgment on the most sophisticated, high-stakes matters and areas of the highest regulatory demand.

  • Dechert is a leading advisor to asset managers, investment funds and other financial services firms, representing most of the world’s largest asset managers as well as smaller and emerging managers. We are the only firm with lawyers in all of the EU’s leading investment fund jurisdictions as well as numerous others throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

    Our lawyers advise on fund formation across the full range of asset classes, management company issues, regulatory and compliance matters, fund and management company transactional matters, commodities and derivatives law, and financial institutions regulation.

  • Dechert’s financial institutions team handles a wide range of complex legal issues related to mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, securities offerings, proxy contests, bank regulatory issues, internal and government investigations, enforcement and compliance issues, distressed bank investments and securities class action litigation.

    We advise commercial banks, savings banks and their holding companies, mortgage-related lenders, mutual funds, private equity and hedge funds, investment banks, housing-oriented government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), broker-dealers, private equity investors, credit unions, technology companies, state governmental entities and financial trade associations.

  • We represent private funds and their managers on a variety of transactions, from advising start-up managers operating a limited number of strategies to publicly traded global financial institutions and their affiliates. We also help managers develop strategies within more retail-based vehicles, including exchange-traded funds and UCITS.

  • Our antitrust lawyers bring a strategic focus to high-stakes litigation, securing timely government agency review of complex business combinations, defending against sensitive criminal investigations and resolving government antitrust investigations. We provide pragmatic business solutions by our deep understanding of the markets in which our clients operate.

    Dechert is consistently ranked one of the top antitrust practices in the nation by ChambersThe Legal 500 and Benchmark Litigation. Our reputation for handling multi-jurisdictional cases is enhanced by the firm’s growing antitrust/competition practice in Europe.

  • One of the few firms with a longstanding securities practice, Dechert is recognized as one of the foremost defenders against complex, high-stakes litigation in the country. Our experienced lawyers, many of whom have held senior positions at the SEC, DOJ and other agencies, bring an invaluable perspective and credibility that comes from being in the shoes of government decision makers.

    We represent public and private corporations, private equity funds, officers and directors, special committees and professional service firms in securities litigation, securities enforcement matters, corporate governance, fiduciary, mergers and acquisitions, and banking and financial institution litigation.

  • Dechert’s acclaimed white collar lawyers defend clients facing allegations of financial and business crimes and related civil and class action litigation. We handle all phases of an investigation, and when litigation is unavoidable, implement a comprehensive strategy of relentless advocacy to secure the interests and well-being of our clients. Our internal investigations team has an impressive track record of resolving these difficult and sensitive matters discreetly and favorably without prosecution.

    We advise boards of directors, special committees and senior executives on critical decisions involving white collar and related matters. Our experienced team includes former Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Criminal Division, Major Frauds Section, Securities and Commodities Fraud Unit, and various U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and task forces of the Department of Justice.

  • We represent a range of industries in commercial agreements, consumer fraud, insurance and banking, false advertising, corporate governance and M&A-related claims. Recognized for our multi-jurisdictional capabilities and deep expertise, we devise litigation strategy, manage virtual law firms, facilitate pre-trial resolutions to commercial disputes, defeat class certification, manage e-discovery, obtain summary judgments or voluntary dismissal of claims, negotiate favorable settlements and prevail at trial.

  • Dechert’s litigation and enforcement team has the multi-jurisdictional capabilities, experience, legal expertise and commercial judgment to assist clients with regulatory and litigation disputes anywhere in the world. Our fund litigators are involved in all of the strategic legal issues currently affecting the industry, representing many leading fund complexes and boards, hedge funds and banking institutions as well as working closely with industry organizations.

  • We structure and implement complex financial transactions worldwide, including in the United States, Europe, the CIS region, the Middle East and North Africa, Latin America and Asia. We represent corporate and sovereign issuers, underwriters, financial sponsors, investors and selling shareholders in all types of public and private debt, equity, equity-linked and other securities offerings, and advise a wide range of industries.

  • Our lawyers represent a number of publicly-listed and privately-held companies on complex business combinations. Consistently recognized as a leading adviser among M&A law firms by MergerstatBloombergThomson Reuters and mergermarket, we focus on structuring successful deals, ensuring speed-to-market execution and protecting our clients’ interests in all phases of a transaction.

  • Our Washington office represents national and international pharmaceutical companies and biotechs on their most complex M&A and licensing transactions. We provide comprehensive legal services to clients involved in all aspects of the life sciences industry, and advise on the commercial, legal and regulatory issues facing life sciences companies at all stages of growth.

  • We routinely represent clients before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Courts of Appeals and state appellate courts.

    Our experienced team includes a former Assistant Solicitor General of the United States, a former Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel, and a former Chief of the Appellate Unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office the Southern District of New York. Many of our lawyers have clerked for federal and state appellate judges, including the Supreme Court.

  • Dechert’s tax practice combines in-depth knowledge of our country’s tax regimes with an understanding of the business tax systems of the major trading nations and how international transactions and structures work.

    We help structure, negotiate and execute taxable and tax-free transactions, including domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, liquidations, restructurings, bankruptcies and workouts, international financings and recapitalizations. We also advise on the tax aspects of securitizations, real estate finance, project finance, mutual funds and offshore funds.

  • We have significant experience resolving contentious issues in both domestic and cross-border business. We have acted as counsel under all major arbitration rules and in proceedings with a vast range of governing laws and venues. Our multilingual team advises clients on all sides of the table, representing states and state entities, majority and minority shareholders in joint ventures, multinational corporations, medium-sized companies and individuals.

  • Our experienced international trade lawyers assist clients across industries and jurisdictions on a wide range of matters. We advise on export controls, economic sanctions, trade embargoes, anti-corruption, customs procedures, trade defense measures and national security reviews of foreign direct investment.

Office

1900 K Street, NW, Washington, DC, United States of America 20006-1110

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