Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global full-service law firm founded in 1877 with 1,600+ lawyers across 34 offices worldwide, serving multinational corporations, private equity sponsors, and financial institutions across five industry verticals with $1.58B in revenue.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1877
- HeadquartersPittsburgh, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Reed Smith does
Reed Smith LLP is a global full-service law firm founded in 1877 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The firm employs over 3,000 people, including more than 1,600 lawyers, across 34 offices spanning the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Asia Pacific. Reed Smith delivers legal services across four practice groups (Advisory & Counseling, Litigation & Disputes, Regulatory, and Transactional) and five industry verticals (Energy & Natural Resources, Entertainment & Media, Financial Services, Health Care & Life Sciences, and Transportation), serving multinational corporations, private equity sponsors, financial institutions, and government entities. The firm reported fiscal year revenue of $1.58 billion with profits per partner exceeding $2 million.
The firm's technology footprint centers on Gravity Stack LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary that provides AI-enabled e-discovery solutions and legal technology platform development. Reed Smith operates Reed Smith Resource Law Alliance in Singapore (a combination of Reed Smith Pte Ltd and Resource Law LLC) and maintains wholly-owned subsidiaries including Reed Smith Richards Butler LLP (Hong Kong), Beaufort Trust Corporation Limited (UK pension and trustee services), and Reed Smith Corporate Services Limited. The firm holds Tier 1 rankings in The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific for Data Protection among foreign firms in China, and ranks in PitchBook's Q2 2025 Global League Tables for private equity, M&A, and ECVC.
Reed Smith's go-to-market is relationship-based and partner-led, targeting enterprise clients with complex cross-border legal matters. Revenue is generated through professional fees billed primarily on hourly rates or fixed fees per matter, with alternative billing arrangements available depending on client preference. The firm markets through extensive thought leadership (industry blogs, podcasts, client alerts, and CLE events) and pursues aggressive geographic and practice expansion via lateral partner hiring and new office launches (four new offices opened in approximately 14 months including Atlanta, Denver, Riyadh, and Boston).
Reed Smith firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Reed Smith
- Legal name
- Reed Smith LLP
- Website
- https://reedsmith.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1877
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Reed Smith is a global full-service law firm founded in 1877 with 1,600+ lawyers across 34 offices worldwide, serving multinational corporations, private equity sponsors, and financial institutions across five industry verticals with $1.58B in revenue.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Reed Smith industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency Law (BPAHAAAH)
Keywords
Where Reed Smith is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pittsburgh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices30 records
Markets served
Reed Smith business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Legal Services - Professional Fees: Revenue generated from providing legal advisory services to corporate clients across multiple practice areas including M&A, private equity, litigation, regulatory compliance, and transactional work. Services billed primarily on hourly rates or fixed fees per matter.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise legal services for corporations and institutions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Reed Smith product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Reed Smith is an international law firm providing comprehensive legal services across four practice groups—Advisory & Counseling, Litigation & Disputes, Regulatory, and Transactional—for clients in Energy & Natural Resources, Entertainment & Media, Financial Services, Health Care & Life Sciences, and Transportation. Services are delivered by more than 1,600 lawyers across 34 global offices and billed primarily on hourly rates or fixed fees per matter.
Product overview
Reed Smith is a global law firm providing comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas and industries. The firm does not offer a software product or technology platform; rather, it delivers legal services through attorneys across offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Services are organized into four main practice groups: Advisory & Counseling, Litigation & Disputes, Regulatory, and Transactional. The firm serves clients across five industry sectors: Energy & Natural Resources, Entertainment & Media, Financial Services, Health Care & Life Sciences, and Transportation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Gravity Stack: Technology and legal solutions subsidiary providing AI-powered e-discovery and legal technology services
- Reed Smith Alumni Network
Products and services
- Advisory & Counseling Legal Services Legal advisory and counseling services for corporate clients, providing strategic legal guidance on business operations, regulatory matters, and risk management across multiple industries.
- Litigation & Disputes Legal Services Representation of clients in complex litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution matters, including high-stakes commercial disputes, international arbitration, and cross-border litigation.
- Regulatory Legal Services Regulatory compliance counseling, enforcement defense, and regulatory investigations across multiple industries and jurisdictions, including healthcare regulation, financial services compliance, and trade compliance.
- Transactional Legal Services
Quantifiable outcome
- $1.58 billion in revenue with profits per partner exceeding $2 million
Companies that use Reed Smith
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Reed Smith technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Reed Smith partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WTW (formerly Willis)coreReed Smith collaborated with WTW on the annual Directors and Officers Liability Insurance Survey, providing insights on top risks for directors and officers globally. The survey showed geopolitical risk rising to top 7 concerns with 59% rating it very important or extremely important.
- Zepos & YannopoulosminorReed Smith advised Eurobank on EUR 144 million financing while Zepos & Yannopoulos advised Mirova via its subsidiary Trifylli Iliaki for photovoltaic portfolio in Greece. Both firms served as co-advisors on the transaction.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Reed Smith competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DLA Piper: Global full-service law firm with comparable international footprint (40+ countries) and similar mid-tier-to-large Am Law 50 revenue scale. Overlaps directly with Reed Smith across M&A, PE, litigation, and regulatory practices for multinational and middle-market clients.
- Hogan Lovells: Major international law firm formed through the merger of Hogan & Hartson and Lovells. Comparable size, global office network, and full-service practice mix — particularly strong overlap with Reed Smith in energy, financial services, and life sciences regulatory work.
- Norton Rose Fulbright: Global law firm with closely comparable revenue scale and industry-aligned practice mix across financial services, energy, and transportation. Reed Smith has actively poached partners from Norton Rose Fulbright (e.g., Etelka Bogardi in Singapore fintech), reflecting direct talent market overlap.
- White & Case: Global elite law firm that has been actively recruiting Reed Smith M&A partners (Jenny Cheng, Sue Nieto). Direct head-to-head competitor for cross-border M&A, PE, and large-cap transactional mandates across Reed Smith's key client segments.
- Goodwin Procter: U.S. law firm with strong PE, life sciences, and financial services practices. Actively recruiting Reed Smith partners and associates (six Philadelphia hires, healthcare attorney from Reed Smith), representing the most direct market overlap in PE and life sciences.
Broad incumbents
- Baker McKenzie: Largest global law firm by geographic reach (70+ offices). Direct competitor for cross-border transactional and regulatory work, particularly in emerging markets where Reed Smith is also expanding (Middle East, Southeast Asia).
- Freshfields: Premier international law firm competing with Reed Smith on high-end M&A and PE transactions. Source of lateral talent (Andrea Merediz Basham, recently recruited by White & Case from Freshfields), demonstrating the shared senior-partner labor pool.
- Kirkland & Ellis: Largest law firm globally by revenue, dominant in private equity and large-cap M&A. Represents the ceiling Reed Smith competes against for premium PE deals and is the structural competitor that pressures the long-term trajectory of mid-tier firms like Reed Smith.
- A&O Shearman: Global elite law firm formed by the Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling combination. Directly competing for high-end cross-border M&A, finance, and disputes work that Reed Smith targets through its global offices.
Emerging players
- Bird & Bird: International law firm with strong technology, media, and life sciences practices. Reed Smith hired Anders Nilsson, the former head of Bird & Bird's Middle East offices, evidencing direct regional overlap and talent competition in the Middle East.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Reed Smith social profiles
Digital presenceReed Smith financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Reed Smith leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Reed Smith subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
Reed Smith funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Reed Smith M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Reed Smith
What does Reed Smith do?
Reed Smith is an international law firm providing comprehensive legal services across four practice groups—Advisory & Counseling, Litigation & Disputes, Regulatory, and Transactional—for clients in Energy & Natural Resources, Entertainment & Media, Financial Services, Health Care & Life Sciences, and Transportation. Services are delivered by more than 1,600 lawyers across 34 global offices and billed primarily on hourly rates or fixed fees per matter.
Is Reed Smith a public or private company?
Reed Smith is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Reed Smith founded?
Reed Smith was founded in 1877. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Reed Smith based?
Reed Smith is headquartered in Pittsburgh, United States, in the North America region.
How does Reed Smith make money?
One revenue line is on record: legal Services - Professional Fees.
Who are Reed Smith's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DLA Piper, Hogan Lovells, Norton Rose Fulbright, White & Case and Goodwin Procter. Broad incumbents are Baker McKenzie, Freshfields, Kirkland & Ellis and A&O Shearman. Bird & Bird is listed as an emerging player.
Does Reed Smith have an API?
No public API is recorded for Reed Smith.
What industry is Reed Smith in?
Reed Smith's product category is Legal Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAAAB, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, with a secondary code of BPAHAAAH, Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency Law. Its NAICS code is 541110 and its SIC code is 8111.