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Holland & Knight LLP
HeadquartersTampa, Florida
No. of offices30 U.S., 5 international
No. of attorneys1596 (2022)
Revenue$846 million (2018)
Date founded1968
FounderSpessard Holland
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitehklaw.com

Holland & Knight LLP is a multinational law firm with approximately 2,200 attorneys and professional staff worldwide.[1] Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the firm has a number of different practices areas, including litigation, corporate law, real estate, construction law, and intellectual property.

History

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Holland & Knight was formed in 1968 after the merger of the firms established by Spessard Holland and Peter O. Knight. Chesterfield Smith was the managing partner of the new venture until 1983.[2]

In 1997 the firm acquired Haight Gardner Poor & Haven, making them the 12th largest law firm at the time with 600 attorneys.[3] That number had grown to 840 by 1998 following subsequent acquisitions.[4] Holland & Knight merged with the Dallas-based, 275-attorney Thompson & Knight in 2021, retaining the name Holland & Knight.[5] By 2022 it had become the 7th-largest US-based law firm with 1,596 attorneys.[6]

Political involvement

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According to OpenSecrets, Holland & Knight was one of the top law firms contributing to federal candidates during the 2012 election cycle, donating $1.19 million, 59% to Democrats.[7] By comparison, during that same period Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld donated $2.56 million, 66% to Democrats,[7] while oil conglomerate ExxonMobil donated $2.66 million, 88% to Republicans.[8] Since 1990, Holland & Knight has contributed $10.47 million to federal campaigns, and spent over $1 million on lobbying since 2001.[9]

Charitable work

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Attorney Stephen Hanlon established the pro bono practice at Holland & Knight and served as project director for multiple state studies documenting excessive workloads for public defenders. His work has led to legislative reforms, court decisions, and national standards for indigent defense. Some pro bono cases include, a joint case with the ACLU for death row inmates experiencing unconstitutional conditions of confinement in Mississippi.[10]

In 1996 Gregg Thomas and Hanlon brought the case to the law firms attention after hearing that the "key witness against him recanted his testimony." the Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano death penalty case who had been convicted in a 1976 killing based on eye-witness testimony.[11]

Also Hanlon was involved in the Rosewood massacre case hoping to get reparations for survivors and their families for the crime that had taken place in January 1923 in rural Levy County, Florida. Hanlon brought on lawyer Martha Barnett which he credits for successfully changing minds of the Florida state legislator which had been thought of as an impossible task. Holland & Knight in April 1994 won a 2.1 million dollar settlement for survivors and descendants.[12]

Charitable giving is managed and coordinated by the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation,[13] which was established as a 501(c)(3) public charity in 1996. The foundation underwrites several programs that support education, including the Opening Doors for Children reading program, the Holocaust Remembrance Project[14] national essay contest, Young Native Writers Essay Contest[15] for Native American high school students, and the Dream Scholarship Essay Contest designed to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prior winners of the Young Native Writers Essay Contest were featured in Indian Country Today.[16]

Awards and achievements

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  • The firm received national first-tier rankings in the 2013 U.S. News – Best Lawyers Best Law Firms guide in 22 practice areas.[17]
  • More than 130 Holland & Knight attorneys were named in the Chambers USA 2013 guide.[18]
  • Corporate Counsel magazine named Holland & Knight a "2012 Go-To Law Firm" for the top 500 U.S. companies.[19]
  • Holland & Knight ranks among the top-performing law firms that provide superior client service, according to 2013 BTI Consulting Group's annual survey of corporate counsel and C-level executives.[20]
  • Holland & Knight was named one of the world's top trademark law firms in the World Trademark Review 1000 – The Definitive Guide to Trademark Legal Services.[21]
  • Directors & Boards magazine ranked Holland & Knight the nation's top law firm for dealing with director liability issues.[22]
  • The firm was named the Law Firm of the Year in the Washington, D.C., area by the Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors three times in the past five years.[23]
  • Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers named Holland & Knight one of 50 "2012 Best Law Firms for Women".[24]
  • The firm earned Gold Standard Certification from The Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF) p.[25]
  • The firm ranked third in The American Lawyer magazine's 2012 Diversity Scorecard for the number of Hispanic attorneys.[26]
  • The firm was awarded the "Michael K. Reese Quality of Life Award" by The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Firm Culture | Holland & Knight".
  2. ^ "History | Holland & Knight". www.hklaw.com. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Holland & Knight, Haight Gardner merge". Bizjournal.com. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Merger Creates Giant Law Firm". Orlando Sentinel. October 28, 1998. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Holland & Knight flexes Texas muscles after Thompson & Knight deal". Reuters.
  6. ^ Zaretsky, Staci (2022-06-21). "Dueling Rankings Of The Biggest Biglaw Firms In The Country (2022) - Above the Law". Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  7. ^ a b "Lawyers & Lobbyists: Top Contributors to Federal Candidates, Parties, and Outside Groups". OpenSecrets.org. OpenSecrets.
  8. ^ "Energy/Natural Resources: Top Contributors to Federal Candidates, Parties, and Outside Groups". OpenSecrets.org. OpenSecrets. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  9. ^ "Organizations: Holland & Knight". OpenSecrets.org. OpenSecrets. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  10. ^ "Appeals Court Affirms that Mississippi Death Row Conditions are Unconstitutional". Aclu.org. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  11. ^ Vielmetti, Bruce (January 15, 1996). "Definitely not your average pro bono case". Tampa Bay Times. p. 43. Retrieved 12 April 2025. Gregg Thomas and Stephen Hanlon used E-mail to float the idea of helping Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano around to their far-flung partners for a 10-day period of comment
  12. ^ "The Chesterfield Smith Award". vimeo.com. Vimeo. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  13. ^ GuideStar Profile
  14. ^ "For Educators - Florida Holocaust Museum". Flholocaustmuseum.org. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Trevin Cole wins 2011 Young Native Writers essay contest | Choctaw Nation". Archived from the original on 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  16. ^ "Essay Writers Asked to Tackle Crucial Issues". Archived from the original on 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
  17. ^ "U.S. News – Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms". Bestlawfirms.usnews.com. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  18. ^ "Chambers USA Announces Rankings for 2013; Holland & Knight Among Nation's Top Law Firms | News | Holland & Knight". www.hklaw.com. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  19. ^ Corporate Counsel's In-House Law Departments at the Top 500 Companies, November 2011
  20. ^ The BTI Consulting Group, 2012
  21. ^ "WTR 1000 - World Trademark Review". Worldtrademarkreview.com. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  22. ^ Directors & Boards magazine, July 2012
  23. ^ "GWCAR - Greater Washington Commercial Association of REALTORS®". Archived from the original on 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  24. ^ "2012 Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women | workingmother.com". Archived from the original on 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  25. ^ "CERTIFICATION - Women In Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF)". Wilef.com. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  26. ^ "2015 Diversity Scorecard: Minorities Gain Little Ground - The American Lawyer". Americanlawyer.com. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  27. ^ "Awards". Flayld.org. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
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