Ropes & Gray
An international law firm serving corporations, financial institutions, governments, universities, and healthcare organizations, with particular strength in private equity, life sciences, transactions, and complex litigation.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Ropes & Gray LLP is a Boston-founded international law firm established in 1865 by Harvard Law School graduates John Codman Ropes and John Chipman Gray. It began as a general practice serving individuals and institutions, including Harvard University, but expanded into corporate work after William Loring joined in 1878 and brought the New York and New England Railroad into the firm’s client base. Over time, the firm developed practices responsive to major changes in the American economy and regulatory system, including bankruptcy work during the Great Depression, labor law during the New Deal era, and securities and financial-reporting advice following the creation of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm’s modern identity is built around sophisticated business law and disputes work. Its principal practices include private equity, mergers and acquisitions, asset management, investment management, capital markets, finance, restructuring, tax, antitrust, intellectual property, healthcare, life sciences, employment, data privacy and cybersecurity, and litigation and enforcement. Its clients are primarily corporations, private equity sponsors, investment funds, financial institutions, public bodies, universities, and healthcare organizations. The firm is particularly associated with sponsor-side private equity transactions, fund formation, life-sciences licensing and M&A, healthcare regulation, and high-value commercial and appellate litigation. Ropes & Gray expanded through a combination of domestic growth and selected strategic combinations. It acquired New York private-equity specialist Reboul, MacMurray, Hewitt & Maynard in 2003 and intellectual-property firm Fish & Neave in 2005. International expansion followed with Tokyo in 2007, London in 2010, and Seoul in 2012 after approval as Korea’s first foreign legal consultant office. The firm subsequently developed offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Paris, Dublin, and other major legal and financial centers. The reference material describes a 16-office network spanning the United States, Europe, and Asia, although office counts and locations can change. The firm has acted in prominent constitutional, financial, regulatory, corporate, and investigative matters. Examples include representing plaintiffs in Obergefell v. Hodges, defending physicians’ First Amendment rights in Wollschlaeger v. Governor of Florida, representing Harris Associates in Jones v. Harris Associates, advising Gawker during its Chapter 11 case, defending former BP engineer Kurt Mix, and conducting the independent investigation commissioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee concerning abuse by former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar. Its transactional work has included major acquisitions, mergers, financings, fund formations, restructurings, and life-sciences collaborations. Julie Jones became the firm’s first woman chair in 2020 after being elected in 2017 and serving as chair-elect. She was re-elected to a second five-year term in 2024, while Neill Jakobe was elected vice chair for a term beginning in January 2025. Ropes & Gray remains a privately held professional-services partnership rather than a publicly traded company. Its competitive positioning rests on high-end legal advice, cross-border execution, institutional client relationships, and integration between transactional, regulatory, intellectual-property, healthcare, life-sciences, and disputes practices.
History
Ropes & Gray was founded in Boston in 1865 by John Codman Ropes and John Chipman Gray, two Harvard Law School graduates. The early practice represented individuals and institutions, including Harvard University. William Loring joined in 1878, bringing the New York and New England Railroad as a client and helping move the firm toward corporate law. The partnership’s name changed several times as prominent lawyers joined or departed: it became Ropes, Gray and Loring, then Ropes, Gray and Gorham, and later Ropes, Gray, Boyden & Perkins. In 1940 it was known as Ropes, Gray, Best, Coolidge & Rugg; the shorter Ropes & Gray name was restored in 1961. During the first half of the twentieth century, the firm broadened its capabilities in response to economic and institutional developments. It built a bankruptcy practice during the Great Depression, developed labor-law work in the New Deal period, and added securities and financial-reporting advice following the establishment of the SEC. The firm’s history was documented in a 1942 volume covering its first 75 years. The firm’s contemporary growth accelerated through targeted combinations and international expansion. In 2003 it acquired Reboul, MacMurray, Hewitt & Maynard, a New York firm known for private-equity work. In 2005 it acquired Fish & Neave, strengthening its intellectual-property capabilities. Ropes & Gray opened in Tokyo in 2007 and London in 2010. In 2012, Korean regulatory approval allowed it to establish a Seoul office, adding to its Asian presence in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Subsequent expansion added or strengthened operations in Europe and Asia, including Paris, Dublin, and Singapore. The reference material also describes changes to the firm’s Shanghai and Hong Kong operations in 2023 and a 16-office network across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Because professional-services office networks change over time, the firm’s current website is the better authority for a live office list. Ropes & Gray’s work has combined transactional and disputes practices. It has advised private-equity sponsors, strategic companies, investment managers, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and life-sciences businesses on acquisitions, divestitures, financings, fund formation, licensing, restructurings, and regulatory matters. Its litigation record includes constitutional, securities, commercial, environmental, and white-collar matters. The firm represented plaintiffs in Obergefell v. Hodges, represented Harris Associates in Jones v. Harris Associates, defended physicians in Wollschlaeger v. Governor of Florida, represented Gawker in bankruptcy, and defended former BP engineer Kurt Mix in proceedings arising from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It also conducted the independent investigation into allegations involving Larry Nassar commissioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Governance has included a long succession of named partners and elected firm leaders. Julie Jones became the first woman to chair the firm in 2020, following her election in 2017 and a two-year chair-elect period. She was re-elected in 2024. Neill Jakobe, a private-equity lawyer and former co-head of the global private-equity practice, became vice chair at the beginning of 2025. The firm remains a private law partnership and does not have publicly traded shares or a stock ticker.
- 2024
Chair re-elected
[1]Julie Jones was re-elected for a second five-year term, and Neill Jakobe was elected vice chair.
- 2023
Dublin and Singapore expansion
[1]The firm opened in Dublin and Singapore and adjusted its Shanghai-Hong Kong staffing structure.
- 2020
Julie Jones becomes chair
[1]Jones became the first woman to lead the firm.
- 2012
Seoul office approved
[1]The Korean Bar Association approved the firm as a foreign legal consultant office.
- 2010
London office opens
[1]The firm established a significant European base in London.
- 2007
First international office opens in Tokyo
[1]Tokyo became the firm’s first office outside the United States.
- 2005
Fish & Neave acquired
[1]The acquisition expanded the firm’s intellectual-property platform.
- 2003
Reboul, MacMurray, Hewitt & Maynard acquired
[1]The New York private-equity specialist joined Ropes & Gray, strengthening its sponsor-side transactional practice.
- 1961
Ropes & Gray name restored
[1]The firm returned to its shorter historic name.
- 1940
Partnership name changes
[1]The firm adopted the name Ropes, Gray, Best, Coolidge & Rugg before later restoring Ropes & Gray.
Products and positioning
Premium international legal-services provider for complex transactions, regulated industries, institutional investors, and high-stakes disputes.
Corporate transactions
Private equity and mergers and acquisitions
Advice to private-equity sponsors, portfolio companies, strategic acquirers, and financial investors on acquisitions, dispositions, leveraged transactions, joint ventures, takeovers, governance, and cross-border execution.
Industry-focused legal services
Life sciences and healthcare
Legal services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical-device, diagnostics, and healthcare organizations, including licensing, collaborations, clinical and regulatory matters, intellectual property, compliance, investigations, and M&A.
Dispute resolution
Litigation and enforcement
Representation in complex commercial, constitutional, appellate, securities, antitrust, environmental, white-collar, government-enforcement, and class-action matters, including trial and Supreme Court advocacy.
Financial-services law
Investment management and fund formation
Counsel for asset managers, private funds, institutional investors, and financial institutions on fund formation, investment-management regulation, carried interest, transactions, governance, compliance, and restructuring.
Technology and IP law
Intellectual property
Patent, trademark, copyright, trade-secret, licensing, technology-transfer, and IP litigation services, supported by the firm’s integration of Fish & Neave’s intellectual-property practice.
Controversies
2022
Joanna Torode sues Ropes & Gray
Barrister Joanna Torode sued Ropes & Gray for damages, alleging that the firm’s working conditions and workload contributed to her illness and ended her law career. The firm denies that her workload was excessive and disputes her account. The case had not yet been heard by a judge.
Brand decisions
2023
Asian and European network reconfigurationStrategyBackground
The firm continued adjusting its international platform as cross-border demand and local operating requirements evolved.
Action taken
It opened in Dublin and Singapore and moved some Shanghai-based lawyers toward its Hong Kong operation.
Aftermath
The changes expanded the firm’s regional coverage while reshaping its China-related platform.
2005
Acquisition of Fish & NeaveM&ABackground
The firm pursued additional depth in intellectual-property law.
Action taken
Ropes & Gray acquired New York intellectual-property firm Fish & Neave.
Aftermath
The acquisition broadened the firm’s IP and technology offering.
2003
Acquisition of Reboul, MacMurray, Hewitt & MaynardM&ABackground
Ropes & Gray sought to deepen its private-equity and corporate-transaction capabilities in New York.
Action taken
The firm combined with the New York private-equity law firm.
Aftermath
The combination strengthened Ropes & Gray’s position in sponsor-side transactions.
Recent events
- 2024
Julie Jones re-elected as chair[1]
Leadership change
The firm re-elected Jones to a second five-year chair term; Neill Jakobe was elected vice chair for a term beginning in 2025.
- 2023
Ropes & Gray warns law schools over antisemitic incidents[1]
Other
The firm joined other law firms in sending law-school deans a letter warning that discrimination and harassment targeting Jewish students could affect corporate recruiting relationships.
- 2023
Ropes & Gray expands its European and Asian footprint[1]
Other
The firm opened in Dublin, shifted some Shanghai-based lawyers toward Hong Kong, and launched a Singapore office.
- 2020
Julie Jones becomes the firm’s first woman chair[1]
Leadership change
Julie Jones took over as chair after serving as chair-elect, becoming the first woman to lead Ropes & Gray.
- 2012
Ropes & Gray approved as Korea’s first foreign legal consultant office[1]
Regulation
Approval by the Korean Bar Association enabled the firm to establish a Seoul office and provide qualifying foreign-law services in Korea.
- 2010
Ropes & Gray opens London office[1]
Other
The firm expanded into London as part of its international growth strategy.
- 2007
Ropes & Gray opens Tokyo office[1]
Other
The firm began its international office expansion with a Tokyo location.
Sources3 sources
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