The rapid growth and expansion of Simpson Thacher's office in Washington, D.C. over the past two decades was featured in an article titled "As Wall Street Law Firms Seek out DC Growth, Simpson Sticks to Corporate Practice Roots" in The National Law Journal. The piece highlighted D.C. office Co-Managing Partners Josh Bonnie, Rajib Chanda, and Jeff Knox, who shared insights on the factors contributing to the office’s success.
The article highlights the office’s unique approach in establishing full-service transactional capabilities in D.C., rather than positioning it solely as a litigation and regulatory outpost. “We are a Wall Street firm that happens to be in Washington,” said Chanda. “We are weighted more towards corporate than litigation in Washington, which I think is a particularly unique place to be."
The article also outlines the Firm’s strategic approach to growing the D.C. office, marked by a focus on attracting top talent in the region, which has led to an increase in attorney headcount from just six in 2005 to over 170 today. “When we think about talent, there are fewer competitors in D.C. for lawyers that want to do at least the transactional kind of work,” said Bonnie. “But one of the reasons I think that we've been able to be so successful here, candidly, is that it is less competitive than New York, where there are a lot of firms that are doing transactional work, and they have very large offices, and so they're hiring a lot of people.”
The office recognized its 20th anniversary on September 19, 2025.
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