Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton
Professional services
UnclaimedCleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is a New York-headquartered international law firm known for cross-border corporate, financial, regulatory, litigation, arbitration, antitrust, and sovereign-debt work.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, commonly known as Cleary Gottlieb, is an American multinational law firm founded in New York in 1946. It is commonly associated with the United States “white shoe” legal sector and has developed an international practice serving governments, financial institutions, multinational companies, and major investors. The firm’s principal office is at One Liberty Plaza in Lower Manhattan, across from the World Trade Center site, and it also maintains a significant Washington, D.C. presence at 2112 Pennsylvania Avenue. Wikipedia describes the firm as having more than 1,000 lawyers practicing worldwide. The firm originated when six partners left Root, Clark, Buckner & Howland to establish Cleary, Gottlieb, Friendly & Cox. Henry Friendly was among the founding partners. After Friendly became a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1959, his name was removed from the firm’s name in keeping with the convention that sitting judges do not remain listed in law-firm names. The firm subsequently adopted the Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton name. Cleary Gottlieb’s business is organized around legal advice rather than conventional consumer products. Its work includes mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, banking and finance, antitrust and competition, securities regulation, tax, litigation, international arbitration, restructuring, investigations, sanctions, and public international law. A distinctive part of its reputation comes from cross-border matters involving sovereign borrowers and state-linked entities. The firm advised Argentina during its 2005 restructuring of approximately $81.8 billion in global debt, represented Greece in the 2012 restructuring of approximately €206 billion of privately held bonds, and advised governments and public bodies including the Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Puerto Rico in debt, litigation, or restructuring matters. The firm has also participated in some of the largest corporate transactions of the past two decades. Its reported matters include advising T-Mobile in its merger with SunCom Wireless, advising Google in its acquisition of Motorola Mobility, advising T-Mobile US and Deutsche Telekom in their combination with Sprint, representing Dow Chemical in the antitrust aspects of its merger with DuPont, and advising Disney and 21st Century Fox on competition issues related to Disney’s acquisition of Fox assets. It has represented clients in major arbitration and public-law disputes, including litigation connected with attempts to collect against Congolese oil royalties and proceedings associated with the Yukos dispute. Cleary Gottlieb’s international profile has also brought scrutiny. In 2007, a federal judge imposed monetary sanctions after finding that the firm had improperly attempted to dissuade a witness in litigation involving the Republic of Congo. The firm has represented Russian state-owned energy companies, including Rosneft and Gazprom, in matters before the period following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and reporting has identified Cleary as particularly active in transactions involving Russian companies subject to sanctions or restrictions. In November 2023, the firm joined other major U.S. law firms in warning law-school leaders that antisemitic incidents and other discrimination could affect graduate hiring. In March 2025, it acquired Springbok AI, a legal-technology company, broadening its connection with technology-enabled legal services. Cleary Gottlieb is also associated with influential legal scholarship and practice concerning sovereign debt. Partner Lee C. Buchheit helped develop modern approaches to collective action clauses, contractual mechanisms that can allow a qualifying majority of bondholders to bind dissenting holders to a restructuring. The firm’s alumni and lawyers have included senior government officials, judges, diplomats, academics, and leaders of nonprofit organizations. Jeffrey Karpf was elected managing partner effective January 2026, succeeding Michael Gerstenzang, who became senior partner.
History
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton was established in New York in 1946 by six partners who left Root, Clark, Buckner & Howland. The original name was Cleary, Gottlieb, Friendly & Cox. Henry Friendly, one of the founding partners, later became a judge of the Second Circuit. His departure from private practice led to the removal of his name in 1959, after which the firm evolved into the Cleary Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton name used today. The firm grew from its New York base into an international practice focused on matters requiring coordination across jurisdictions. Its work came to encompass corporate transactions, securities, banking, antitrust, tax, litigation, arbitration, public international law, and regulatory investigations. The firm’s offices in New York and Washington became important centers for U.S. corporate, financial, governmental, and competition work, while its broader network supported clients in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and other international markets. A major strand of the firm’s history is its role in sovereign finance. Cleary Gottlieb represented Argentina in the 2005 restructuring of approximately $81.8 billion of global debt and later advised Greece in the 2012 restructuring and exchange involving approximately €206 billion in bonds held by private-sector creditors. It has also represented the Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Puerto Rico in sovereign or public-debt matters. Partner Lee C. Buchheit became particularly associated with this practice. His writing and negotiations helped popularize contractual collective action mechanisms, which permit a qualifying majority of bondholders to approve a restructuring that becomes binding on holders who voted against it. This work addressed practical problems created by the lack of a formal international bankruptcy system for sovereign states. Cleary Gottlieb has advised clients on large corporate combinations and investments as well. Reported matters include T-Mobile’s $2.4 billion merger with SunCom Wireless in 2007; Sichuan Hongda Group’s planned $3 billion investment in Tanzania in 2011; Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility; T-Mobile US and Deutsche Telekom’s merger with Sprint; Dow Chemical’s antitrust matters in its $130 billion merger with DuPont; and Disney and 21st Century Fox’s competition matters concerning Disney’s $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox assets. The firm also worked on the $146 billion Sprint-T-Mobile combination and represented Alphabet in connection with compliance with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act beginning in 2022. Its disputes practice has included representation of the Republic of Congo in U.S. litigation concerning attempts to garnish oil royalties, representation of a Mittal Steel Czech subsidiary in an ICC arbitration, and work for Russia in proceedings arising from the Yukos dispute. The firm’s work for Russian state-owned energy groups Rosneft and Gazprom continued until 2022, and its activity in transactions involving sanctioned or restricted Russian companies became a subject of public reporting. The firm has faced criticism and legal sanctions. In August 2007, Manhattan federal judge Loretta Preska imposed monetary sanctions after finding that Cleary Gottlieb had improperly attempted to dissuade a witness in Kensington International Ltd. v. Republic of Congo. Commentators also criticized the firm’s handling of aspects of Argentina’s debt litigation in 2014. These matters illustrate the reputational and ethical scrutiny that can accompany representation of sovereign governments and politically sensitive clients. In November 2023, Cleary Gottlieb joined a group of major law firms that wrote to leading U.S. law-school deans about antisemitic incidents and discrimination affecting Jewish students. The letter linked campus conduct with expectations for future workplace communities and recruitment. In March 2025, the firm acquired Springbok AI, reflecting an expansion into legal technology. Jeffrey Karpf became managing partner in January 2026, succeeding Michael Gerstenzang, who assumed the role of senior partner.
- 2026
Managing-partner succession
[1]Jeffrey Karpf became managing partner and Michael Gerstenzang became senior partner.
- 2025
Springbok AI acquisition
[1]The firm acquired legal-technology company Springbok AI.
- 2023
Law-firm letter on antisemitism and discrimination
[1]Cleary Gottlieb joined other large law firms in addressing law-school leaders about antisemitic incidents and workplace expectations.
- 2022
Alphabet digital-markets compliance work
[1]The firm began representing Alphabet in connection with compliance with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act.
- 2012
Greek sovereign-debt restructuring
[1]Cleary Gottlieb advised Greece on a restructuring and exchange involving approximately €206 billion in privately held bonds.
- 2007
Sanctions in Republic of Congo litigation
[1]A federal judge imposed monetary sanctions over the firm’s conduct toward a witness in litigation involving Congo.
- 2005
Argentina sovereign-debt restructuring
[1]The firm advised Argentina on restructuring approximately $81.8 billion in global debt.
- 1959
Henry Friendly’s name removed
[1]After Henry Friendly became a Second Circuit judge, his name was removed from the firm name.
- 1946
Firm founded in New York
[1]Six partners leaving Root, Clark, Buckner & Howland established Cleary, Gottlieb, Friendly & Cox.
Products and positioning
An elite, globally integrated law firm positioned around complex cross-border transactions, disputes, financial regulation, antitrust, sovereign finance, and public-policy matters.
Corporate legal services
Mergers and acquisitions
Advice on domestic and cross-border acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, strategic investments, and related corporate governance matters. The firm has advised clients on transactions involving telecommunications, technology, chemicals, media, energy, and other heavily regulated or competition-sensitive sectors.
Financial and public international law
Sovereign debt and restructuring
Legal advice to sovereign governments, public bodies, creditors, and financial institutions on debt issuance, restructuring, bond exchanges, litigation, and negotiations. The practice is closely associated with complex restructurings involving Argentina, Greece, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Financial legal services
Capital markets and securities
Counseling on public and private securities offerings, disclosure, financial regulation, structured products, and related corporate-finance matters for issuers, underwriters, investors, and financial institutions.
Regulatory legal services
Antitrust and competition
Competition-law advice, merger review, investigations, and antitrust litigation. Reported matters include work on the Dow-DuPont transaction, Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets, and telecommunications combinations involving T-Mobile and Sprint.
Legal-technology services · 2025
Legal technology
Technology-enabled legal capabilities associated with the firm’s acquisition of Springbok AI in 2025. The available reference material does not specify the complete scope or branding of the resulting offering.
Controversies
2014
Criticism concerning Argentina debt litigation
Commentators criticized the firm’s handling of aspects of the Argentine debt case. The available reference does not provide sufficient detail to characterize the criticism beyond that reported controversy.
2007
Witness-related sanctions in Republic of Congo litigation
In litigation concerning Kensington International’s effort to collect a judgment against the Republic of Congo, Judge Loretta Preska imposed monetary sanctions after finding that Cleary Gottlieb improperly attempted to dissuade witness Medard Mbemba from testifying.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Law-firm letter on antisemitism and discrimination
United States
Cleary Gottlieb joined other major U.S. law firms in writing to law-school deans about antisemitic incidents and discrimination on campuses, emphasizing that future workplace communities should not tolerate harassment or discrimination.
Outcome. The letter publicly connected law-school conduct with expectations for graduate recruitment and professional workplaces.
Brand decisions
2025
Acquire Springbok AIM&ABackground
Legal services are increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence and other technology-enabled workflows.
Action taken
The firm acquired Springbok AI, a legal-technology company.
Aftermath
The acquisition broadened Cleary Gottlieb’s legal-technology capabilities, although the available reference does not specify the transaction terms or organizational structure.
2022
Expand European digital-regulation advisory workStrategyBackground
The European Union’s Digital Markets Act introduced new obligations for large digital-platform companies.
Action taken
Cleary Gottlieb represented Alphabet in connection with the company’s compliance with the Act.
Aftermath
The matter extended the firm’s regulatory and competition practice into a major new area of technology-platform oversight.
2012
Build leadership in sovereign-debt restructuringStrategyBackground
The firm developed a prominent sovereign-finance practice amid large restructurings and the absence of a formal international bankruptcy regime for sovereign states.
Action taken
It advised governments and creditors on restructurings and promoted contractual tools, including collective action clauses, that could facilitate bondholder-approved restructurings.
Aftermath
Cleary Gottlieb became closely associated with major sovereign-debt matters and with the work of partner Lee C. Buchheit.
Recent events
Reported
Google launches Gemini Enterprise for Legal[2]
Google expanded its Gemini Enterprise AI platform with Gemini Enterprise for Legal, a tool for lawyers and law firms that adds plugins integrating with legal software and data platforms and provides AI agents for specialized legal and administrative work.
Reported
Google launches Gemini Enterprise for Legal[3]
Google expanded its Gemini Enterprise AI platform with Gemini Enterprise for Legal, a tool for lawyers and law firms that integrates with legal software and data platforms and includes AI agents for legal and administrative work. Google also announced related tools for the financial services industry and said law firms including Weil Gotshal, Cleary Gottlieb, Freshfields and Williams & Connolly took part in co-developing the product.
Sources3 sources
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