Pennsylvania Powerhouse: Blank Rome
Blank Rome LLP was named a 2021 Pennsylvania Powerhouse by Law360, which recognized our firm for handling “some of the biggest deals and most high-profile courtroom battles” in Pennsylvania over the past year, offering clients “regional expertise and making a lasting impact on the law at the state and local level.” Below is an excerpt from Blank Rome’s Pennsylvania Powerhouse profile, as published by Law360 on August 3, 2021.
Pennsylvania Powerhouse Profile Excerpt:
Though Blank Rome LLP has grown over the last 75 years from its deep Philadelphia roots to a multi-state law firm with major national clients, it has held on to the mentality of a small firm unafraid to get into the courtroom or help a small business or entrepreneur get a foothold.
The commitment by Blank Rome’s Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices to serve its clients over the last 12 months helped the firm secure a spot among Law360’s 2021 Pennsylvania Powerhouses. A nationwide pandemic did not stop it from securing judgments in several noteworthy cases, including a vaccine dispute and a complaint against the NCAA.
“Everyone from the associates up to the partners are ready to go to court,” said Daniel E. Rhynhart, partner and co-chair of Blank Rome’s litigation department in Philadelphia. “We love it, we love talking about it, we love watching movies and television shows about the courtroom. We pride ourselves as a big firm, but not the stereotypical big firm that buries the other side in paperwork and then settles. We have the mentality of a smaller firm that wants to get to trial, cut through the paper. That’s how we've had success.”
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Blank Rome’s litigation successes over the last year also happened in the gaming, real estate and business industries, among other areas covered by the firm’s 215 statewide attorneys. That diversification helped Blank Rome weather the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, as some clients were able to thrive while others had to pull back and ride it out as best they could.
“Some of our clients called on our expertise to help execute their business plans during the pandemic,” said Louis M. Rappaport, partner and co-chair of the corporate, M&A and securities group. “We were happy to play a role in helping clients ameliorate any of their problems, because we are a firm of problem-solvers.”
Blank Rome’s transactional services kept pace with the firm’s litigation successes, Rappaport said, as it worked to help clients big and small grow their businesses. One of Blank Rome’s highlights is the role it played helping a Philadelphia-based health technology company, HealthVerity, raise $100 million of private equity and venture capital during its series D round of financing.
“It’s a great story obviously for our activity, but also for a local company coming into its own,” Rappaport said. “We’ve stayed strong in Pennsylvania because we’re keeping the same types of clients we’ve always had. We didn’t just try to target Fortune 500 companies as we grew nationally. Our strength over the years has been helping small companies in this area grow and become large companies.”
To read Blank Rome’s full Pennsylvania Powerhouse profile, please click here.