Paul Hastings

What Paul Hastings does

Paul Hastings LLP is a privately held, partner-owned global law firm headquartered in Los Angeles with its main US office in New York and a regional headquarters in London. Founded in 1910 and operating as a limited liability partnership across nine US offices plus London and Hong Kong, the firm provides corporate transactional and disputes services — notably M&A, private equity, investment funds and private capital, capital markets, finance and restructuring, life sciences (transactions and regulatory), energy and infrastructure, real estate, and litigation — to financial institutions, private equity sponsors (including Apollo, Blackstone, Carlyle, and KKR), and a broad roster of Fortune 500 and growth-enterprise clients.

The firm monetizes exclusively through professional services fees structured as hourly billing, fixed fees for defined matters, and success-based fees for transactions. Fiscal 2024 revenue reached $2.68 billion, a 20% year-over-year increase, with profits per equity partner of just over $653,000 (up nearly 21% and more than doubled since FY2020). London office revenue grew 25% to $272.4 million for the year ending January 31, 2025. The underlying operating model is partner-led enterprise field sales, with no consumer or self-serve channel; client engagement is direct, multi-year, and frequently cross-border.

Operationally, Paul Hastings runs on Enterprise financial systems (Elite's financial operations software for billing, collections, reporting, and compliance, including a new cloud migration supported by Elite's Advisory Services unit) and is a customer — not a developer — of Bloomberg Law's legal matter and task management platform. Distribution is entirely direct through its global office network and partner relationships; there is no software, SaaS, reseller, or marketplace channel. The firm invests heavily in talent acquisition, having hired more than 140 partners since 2023 from competitors including Cravath, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Ropes & Gray, Hogan Lovells, Cooley, Dechert, and Slaughter and May, and channels go-to-market through thought-leadership content, league-table recognition (Chambers USA "Law Firm of the Year" 2026, #1 APAC M&A 2025, 13th globally for deal value), and deal- and hire-driven earned media.

Name

Paul Hastings

Legal name

Paul Hastings LLP

Website

https://paulhastings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Paul Hastings is a global law firm providing M&A, private equity, capital markets, finance, litigation, and regulatory legal services to financial institutions, PE sponsors, and Fortune 500 companies across US, Europe, and Asia Pacific offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG), Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Corporate legal services
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Private equity law
• Capital markets advisory
• Cross-border transactions

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: Paul Hastings generates revenue through legal services fees, including hourly billing, fixed fees for specific matters, and success-based fees for transactions. Revenue reached $2.68 billion in fiscal 2024, a 20% increase year-over-year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Paul Hastings is a global law firm that provides legal advisory and representation services to corporations, financial institutions, private equity sponsors, and emerging companies. The firm delivers counsel across transactional, regulatory, and contentious matters, including M&A, private equity, capital markets, finance and restructuring, litigation, international arbitration, and sector-focused practices such as life sciences and energy.

Product overview

Paul Hastings LLP is a global law firm providing legal services across multiple practice areas including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, finance, restructuring, litigation, and energy/infrastructure. The firm does not offer a software product; its 'products' are legal services delivered by attorneys. Services include advising on transactions (M&A, IPOs, financing), litigation, regulatory matters, and corporate counseling across sectors such as technology, life sciences, energy, financial services, and real estate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Private Equity
• Capital Markets
• Finance and Restructuring
• Litigation and Disputes
• International Arbitration
• Investment Funds and Private Capital
• Life Sciences Transactions
• Life Sciences Regulatory
• Energy and Infrastructure
• Greater China Practice

Quantifiable outcome

• $250 billion+ in global deals advised in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kirkland & Ellis LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaul Hastings served alongside Kirkland & Ellis and Ropes & Gray as legal advisors to KKR on the $2.2 billion sale of Novaria Group to Arcline Investment Management.
• Morrison Foerster LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMorrison Foerster and Paul Hastings served as legal advisors to Sumitomo Forestry on the $4.5 billion acquisition of Tri Pointe Homes.
• SWHY FinancingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSWHY Financing served as advisor while Paul Hastings provided legal counsel for Shanghai Zhida Technology Development's capital raising initiative.
• Multiple Law Firms (Simpson Thacher, Hogan Lovells, Kirkland & Ellis)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple law firms including Simpson Thacher, Hogan Lovells, Paul Hastings, and Kirkland & Ellis advised on ByteDance's TikTok US Joint Venture transaction.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Davis Polk & Wardwell: Elite New York law firm with leading M&A, securities, and finance practices. Directly competes for premium corporate transactional mandates and capital markets advisory work.
• Sullivan & Cromwell: Premier global law firm for M&A, securities, and capital markets, with strong cross-border capabilities. Directly competes with Paul Hastings for high-end transactional work, particularly in financial services and Greater China.
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom: Large global law firm with a top M&A, private equity, and capital markets practice. Direct competitor for the same enterprise and PE client base that Paul Hastings serves.
• Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz: Elite New York law firm and a longstanding leader in M&A and corporate governance. Direct competitor for the largest, most complex M&A transactions.
• Simpson Thacher & Bartlett: Top-tier U.S. law firm with a leading private equity, M&A, and capital markets practice. Directly competes for PE sponsor mandates; recently co-counseled with Paul Hastings on the ByteDance/TikTok US JV matter.
• Clifford Chance: Major global law firm with strong cross-border M&A, finance, and capital markets capabilities. Direct competitor for international and London-based mandates; Paul Hastings competes with it for cross-border PE and corporate finance work.
• Cravath, Swaine & Moore: Elite New York-based law firm historically dominant in M&A and securities law. Directly competes for premium M&A mandates and is one of the firms Paul Hastings has hired partners from to expand its transactional bench.
• Latham & Watkins: Global elite law firm with a top-tier M&A, private equity, and capital markets practice. Directly competes for the same enterprise clients and large transactional mandates; a frequent source of lateral hires for Paul Hastings.
• Kirkland & Ellis: The world's largest law firm by revenue and the dominant player in private equity and M&A. Directly competes with Paul Hastings across the PE, M&A, and finance practices, and is also a frequent co-counsel on matters (e.g., KKR's Novaria Group sale).
• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton: Premier global law firm for M&A, securities, and international corporate work. Direct competitor for cross-border transactional matters and in the Greater China capital markets space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/paul_hastings
• Facebookfacebook.com/paulhastingsllp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paul-hastings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paul Hastings