Cravath

Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP is a U.S. law firm founded in 1819, when Richard Blatchford opened an office at 140 Water Street in New York City. It advises clients on their most challenging legal issues, most significant business transactions and most critical disputes. The firm maintains three offices, in New York, London and Washington, D.C., and states that it does not aim to be the largest firm by number of lawyers or offices.

Its practice spans corporate law, litigation, tax, executive compensation and benefits, and trusts and estates. Work is handled through an integrated and collaborative approach across these areas, with the stated goal of being the firm of choice for clients' most difficult matters.

Cravath is also known for the Cravath System, a method of hiring, training and compensating lawyers developed by Paul Cravath that became the blueprint for the modern American law firm and has been in common use at U.S. law firms for more than a century. The firm's history runs alongside that of the United States, and it has played a central role in shaping how law is practised, how lawyers are trained and how business risk is managed.