Ropes & Gray LLP is an American multinational law firm. It was founded in 1865 in Boston by John Codman Ropes and John Chipman Gray. The firm has over 1,500 lawyers and about 1,300 employees worldwide, with 16 offices across the United States, Asia, and Europe. Its clientele consists mainly of corporations, financial institutions, government agencies, universities, and health care organizations.
History
Founding to 20th century (1865–2000)
The firm was founded in 1865 by two Harvard Law School graduates, John Codman Ropes and John Chipman Gray, Jr.. In 1878, William Loring, also a Harvard graduate, joined the firm, and it was renamed "Ropes, Gray and Loring" until Loring's departure in 1899, when he was appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and the firm was renamed as "Ropes, Gray and Gorham" with the addition of Robert Gorham. Following Gorham’s death, the firm was renamed Ropes, Gray, Boyden & Perkins in 1914, adding Roland Boyden and Thomas Perkins as name partners. The firm began with representation of, mainly, individuals, and Harvard University. With the addition of Loring, in 1878, the New York and New England Railroad became a client, and the firm began its shift to corporate law, growing to 11 lawyers and 15 staff by 1910. The firm grew during the 20th century, developing a bankruptcy practice during the Great Depression, a labor practice in response to The New Deal, and adding financial reports to its services after the creation of the SEC. In 1940, the firm's name was changed to Ropes, Gray, Best, Coolidge & Rugg, until 1961, when its original name, "Ropes & Gray" was again adopted. In 1942, a book written by Albert Boyden, which chronicles the history of the firm, was published under the title Ropes-Gray, 1865-1940.
21st century In 2003, the firm acquired New York City based private equity law firm Reboul, MacMurray, Hewitt & Maynard. In 2005, it acquired NYC-based intellectual property law firm Fish & Neave. Two years later, the firm opened its first international office in Tokyo, followed by an office in London, in 2010. In 2012, the Korean Bar Association approved Ropes & Gray as the first Foreign Legal Consultant Office in Korean history, allowing the firm to open an eleventh office, in Seoul. At the time, Ropes & Gray had 1,100 lawyers and had expanded its presence in Asia with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and in Tokyo. In 2023, the firm opened an office in Dublin, Ireland. Later that year, in July, Ropes & Gray announced the relocation of some Shanghai-based lawyers to its Hong Kong operation and the launch of an office in Singapore. In November 2023, amid antisemitic incidents at U.S. law schools, Ropes & Gray was among a group of law firms that sent a letter to law school deans warning them that an escalation in incidents targeting Jewish students would have corporate hiring consequences. The letter stated: "We look to you to ensure your students who hope to join our firms after graduation are prepared to be an active part of workplace communities that have zero tolerance policies for any form of discrimination or harassment, much less the kind that has been taking place on some law school campuses." In 2024, the firm, previously 16th, was ranked 24th in the London Stock Exchange Group's global M&A legal advisor rankings, reflecting more than 200 deals valued at $136.8 billion. In September 2025, Ropes & Gray opened its fourth European office, in Milan, raising its office count to 16, with seven U.S. offices, in Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Palo Alto, and other international offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Dublin, London, and Paris.
Leadership In 2017, Ropes & Gray elected Julie Jones as chair. After serving as chair-elect for two years, Jones took the helm in January 2020 as the first woman to chair the firm. Jones arrived at the firm in 1994 from Cornell Law School. She is an M&A partner and private equity specialist with a focus on transactions in the healthcare and technology industries. She led the firm's securities and public companies group from 2006 to 2011 and has been on the firm's management committee since 2011. From 2020 to 2023, only three years since taking the lead role, the firm's revenue was $3 billion with profits per equity partner at $4.5 million. That was an increase from 2019, the year before Jones became chair, when the firm's revenue was $1.9 billion with profits per equity partner at $2.8 million. In 2024, Jones was re-elected to a second five-year term. Also in 2024, Ropes & Gray partner Neill Jakobe was elected vice chair for a five-year term that began in January 2025.
Practice areas Ropes & Gray's practice areas include:
Antitrust Appellate Practice Asset Management Business Restructuring Capital Markets Corporate Law Data, Privacy, & Cybersecurity Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law Employment Law Finance Healthcare Life Sciences Intellectual Property Investment Banking Investment Management Litigation & Enforcement Mergers & Acquisitions Private Equity Real Estate Law Securities Tax Law Technology
Notable clients and cases
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