What Choate, Hall & Stewart does

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP is a Boston-based law firm organized as a Limited Liability Partnership, operating exclusively from a single office at Two International Place. The firm serves market-leading corporate clients, private equity sponsors, financial institutions, and life sciences companies through five core practice areas: Finance & Restructuring, Intellectual Property, Litigation & Investigations, Private Equity and M&A, and Wealth Management. With 200+ attorneys and a deliberately balanced partner-to-associate ratio, the firm operates on a partner-led, highly integrated model that emphasizes cohesion over geographic expansion.

The firm's revenue model is professional services — fees generated from complex transactional, litigation, and advisory matters. The Finance & Restructuring practice handles acquisition financing, asset-based lending, junior capital, restructuring/bankruptcy, sports financing, and utility financing; the firm represents 8 of the top 10 U.S. commercial banks and closed 78 deals in this practice in 2025. Intellectual Property includes IP counseling, IP litigation, and post-grant proceedings, backed by 45+ team members with PhDs and supported by 4,500+ patents granted since 2020. Private Equity and M&A — the largest practice with 60+ professionals — handles middle-market transactions for 125+ global sponsors, with $1T+ aggregate deal value over the past decade. Litigation and Investigations covers business and financial litigation, government enforcement, and an international insurance/reinsurance practice. Choate Wealth, including the ChoateIA investment advisory subsidiary, provides wealth management services.

The firm's go-to-market is enterprise relationship-based, with the majority of clients retained for 25+ years. Business development is driven by thought leadership, peer-ranked credentials (Chambers Band 1, Legal 500 Tier 1, IAM Patent 1000 Gold, Vault Top 10 Most Prestigious), a tightly cultivated alumni network, and partner-led client engagement. Notable clients include Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citizens, JP Morgan, PNC, Liberty Mutual, Biogen, Akamai, Hewlett-Packard, and Bain Capital Life Sciences. Co-Managing Partners Charles A. Cheever and Robert A. Kole lead the firm, which is governed as a traditional partner-owned LLP with no external ownership or institutional backing.

Name

Choate, Hall & Stewart

Legal name

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP

Website

https://choate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP is a Boston-based law firm with 200+ attorneys serving market-leading corporate clients, private equity sponsors, and financial institutions through five core practice areas: Finance & Restructuring, Intellectual Property, Litigation & Investigations, Private Equity and M&A, and Wealth Management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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 - Professional Fees: Choate generates revenue through legal fees for services across Finance & Restructuring, Intellectual Property, Litigation & Investigations, Private Equity and M&A, and Wealth Management practice areas. The firm serves market-leading corporate clients, private equity sponsors, financial institutions, and life sciences companies with partner-led client service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP is a Boston-based full-service law firm with 200+ attorneys operating across five core practice areas: Finance and Restructuring (debt finance, restructuring/bankruptcy, sports and utility financing), Intellectual Property (patent prosecution, IP litigation, post-grant proceedings), Litigation and Investigations (business litigation, government enforcement, insurance/reinsurance), Private Equity and M&A (buyouts, growth equity, fund formation, life sciences/technology, real estate, tax), and Choate Wealth. The firm provides partner-led legal counsel to market-leading corporate clients, private equity sponsors, financial institutions, and life sciences companies nationally and internationally.

Product overview

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP is a Boston-based law firm organized as a coordinated portfolio of legal practice areas rather than a unified product platform. The firm operates across five core practice areas: Finance and Restructuring, Intellectual Property, Litigation and Investigations, Private Equity and M&A, and Choate Wealth. Finance and Restructuring encompasses acquisition financing, asset-based lending, junior capital, restructuring/bankruptcy, sports financing, and utility financing. Intellectual Property includes IP counseling, IP litigation, and post-grant proceedings. Litigation covers business/financial litigation, government enforcement/investigations, and insurance/reinsurance. Private Equity and M&A comprises buyouts/growth equity, corporate specialty areas, fund formation, life sciences/technology, real estate, and tax. Choate Wealth provides wealth management services. Each practice area functions as a distinct service line with specialized sub-practices, and the firm's model emphasizes integrated collaboration across these areas for complex transactions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Choate Wealth: Wealth management and investment advisory services offered by the firm
• ChoateIA

Products and services

• Finance and Restructuring Premier debt finance and restructuring practice representing money center banks, private credit lenders, finance companies, hedge funds, and business development companies in sponsor-backed facilities, acquisition financings, and complex restructurings. Represents 8 of the top 10 commercial banks nationwide and operates one of the largest DIP financing practices in the U.S.
• Intellectual Property Trusted IP counsel for over four decades serving pharmaceutical, biotech, and technology companies with patent portfolio management, IP protection, and dispute resolution. The IP team includes 45+ attorneys, patent agents, and scientists with PhDs and advanced degrees across 20+ scientific and technical areas, and has secured 4,500+ patents granted since 2020.
• Litigation and Investigations Complex high-stakes litigation and investigations representing Fortune 500 companies in business disputes, government enforcement, and appellate matters. Includes a leading international reinsurance trial/arbitration practice and white collar defense work. Includes the $3.1 billion verdict for Hewlett-Packard against Oracle.
• Private Equity and M&A Represents sophisticated private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies globally. The largest group in the firm with 60+ professionals focused on middle-market transactions, the team has handled over $1 trillion in aggregate value across 1,000+ M&A and growth equity deals over the past decade and closed 100+ deals in 2024.
• Choate Wealth Wealth management services for clients including estate planning, trust services, and investment management, offered alongside the firm's ChoateIA investment advisory subsidiary.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 trillion in aggregate value of 1,000+ M&A and growth equity deals in last 10 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ModernacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChoate represented Carisma Therapeutics in a $100M+ collaboration agreement with Moderna, a significant strategic partnership in the cell therapy space for autoimmune disease treatment.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• WilmerHale: Boston-based full-service firm with comparable prestige and overlapping practices in IP litigation, government enforcement, corporate/M&A, and securities litigation. Direct competitor for high-stakes IP and litigation work and for Fortune 500 clients seeking Boston-based counsel.
• Ropes & Gray: Elite Boston-based law firm with a comparable mix of private equity, finance & restructuring, IP/life sciences, and litigation practices. Ropes & Gray is the most direct competitor to Choate in the Boston market and serves similar Fortune 500 and PE sponsor clients nationally and globally.
• Sullivan & Worcester: Boston-based firm with comparable finance, restructuring, and private equity practices. A direct competitor in the Boston middle-market PE and lending ecosystem where both firms represent sponsors and lenders.
• Mintz Levin: Boston-based full-service firm with significant life sciences, IP, and finance practices. Competes directly with Choate for biotech, healthcare, and technology clients and for middle-market PE deals in the Northeast.
• Goodwin Procter: Boston-headquartered peer with overlapping practice strengths in private equity, M&A, life sciences (often considered the leading life sciences firm), and financial services litigation. Directly competes with Choate for PE sponsors, biotech clients, and complex transactional matters.

Broad incumbents

• Kirkland & Ellis: The leading global PE law firm. Many of Choate's PE sponsor clients (125+ sponsors) are simultaneously represented by Kirkland on larger transactions, making it both a competitor for middle-market PE work and a frequent co-counsel relationship.
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom: Global firm with leading M&A, finance, and restructuring practices. Competes with Choate's PE/M&A and Finance & Restructuring teams on sponsor financings, restructurings, and large-cap M&A where clients require multi-office staffing.
• Latham & Watkins: Global Am Law 5 firm with dominant PE/M&A, finance, IP, and litigation practices. Choate frequently serves alongside or competes against Latham on mid-market PE sponsor financings and life sciences transactions where Latham provides broader geographic coverage.
• Hogan Lovells: Global firm with strong life sciences, IP, and finance practices. Frequently competes with Choate on cross-border life sciences IP and corporate matters where Hogan Lovells offers broader international coverage.
• Sidley Austin: Global full-service firm with leading PE, finance, healthcare/life sciences, and litigation capabilities. Competes with Choate for sophisticated PE sponsor representation and life sciences clients across the full corporate life cycle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/choatellp?lang=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/choate-hall-&-stewart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles30 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Choate, Hall & Stewart