What Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler does

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP is a New York-based law firm founded in 1919, operating as a private limited liability partnership with approximately 200 lawyers concentrated in a single Midtown Manhattan office at 1133 Avenue of the Americas. The firm is organized around three core practice areas: Litigation, Disputes & Investigations; Corporate & Transactions; and Exempt Organizations & Private Clients, supported by more than 20 practice groups spanning white-collar defense, securities litigation, intellectual property, advertising litigation, real estate, art and cultural property, bankruptcy, and trusts and estates. Its technology footprint is that of a traditional professional services firm — website analytics, standard security and communications tooling, and electronic practice management — with no proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capabilities disclosed.

The firm serves a diversified enterprise client roster that includes major pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers (Eli Lilly, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Siemens Healthineers), consumer products companies (Danone, Coca-Cola, Brita, Recess, Naples Pride), publishing (McGraw Hill), Fortune 1000 private foundations, national trade associations, cultural institutions, and high-net-worth individuals. GTM motion is enterprise field sales in form — direct partner-led relationship-building with institutional clients — but in practice is sustained through long-tenured client relationships (many spanning decades) and external recognition in The American Lawyer A-List, Chambers USA (including "The Elite" tier for White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations), and The Legal 500 guides across multiple practice areas.

The revenue model is professional services fee-for-service based on hourly billing for legal representation; the firm has committed to the ABA Pro Bono Challenge (up to 5% of annual billable hours devoted to pro bono work, a threshold exceeded every year since 2004, with 100% attorney participation in pro bono matters every year since 2004). The firm reinvests in talent, with 75% of associates joining directly from judicial clerkships, and supplements its practice with five active legal blogs and a podcast that serve as thought-leadership channels supporting inbound enterprise client development.

Name

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler

Legal name

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

Website

https://pbwt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP is a New York-based, private limited liability partnership of approximately 200 lawyers founded in 1919, delivering litigation, corporate, and exempt-organization legal services to a diversified enterprise and institutional client base from a single Midtown Manhattan office.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (525920)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK), Management Liability (D&O/EPL/Fiduciary) (FSAJAGAD)

Keywords

• Litigation legal services
• Corporate transactional law
• White-collar defense
• Intellectual property law
• Tax-exempt organizations

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: Full-service law firm generating revenue through billable hours for legal representation across litigation, corporate transactions, and tax-exempt organization services. Operates as a partnership structure with attorneys billing clients for services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP is a New York-based law firm of approximately 200 lawyers delivering full-service legal representation through three core practice areas: Litigation, Disputes & Investigations (high-stakes litigation, white-collar criminal defense, corporate investigations, securities litigation); Corporate & Transactions (M&A, private equity, capital markets, corporate counseling); and Exempt Organizations & Private Clients (counsel to tax-exempt organizations, private foundations, charities, and high-net-worth individuals on governance, compliance, trusts, and estates).

Product overview

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP is a New York-based law firm of approximately 200 lawyers offering a full range of legal services centered around three core practice areas: Litigation, Disputes & Investigations; Corporate & Transactions; and Exempt Organizations & Private Clients. The firm delivers services across more than 20 practice groups to clients globally. Additionally, the firm maintains several educational content platforms including five blogs (Bankruptcy Update, NY Patent Decisions Blog, Second Circuit Criminal Law Blog, Securities Enforcement & Litigation Insider Blog) and one podcast (How to Build a Nation in 15 Weeks) that provide legal analysis and industry insights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Litigation, Disputes & Investigations Full-service litigation practice handling high-stakes disputes, white-collar criminal defense, corporate investigations, securities litigation, and trial and appellate representation in government investigations and regulatory enforcement matters for major corporations, institutions, and high-profile individuals.
• Corporate & Transactions Sophisticated transactional legal services including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, and general corporate counseling for diverse institutional clients across more than 20 practice groups.
• Exempt Organizations & Private Clients Comprehensive legal counsel for tax-exempt organizations, private foundations, charities, and high-net-worth individuals on governance, compliance, endowments, trusts and estates, art and cultural property, and related private client matters.

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and key.

• Eli Lilly and Co.majorOthersOn June 9, 2026, Patterson Belknap secured a preliminary injunction on behalf of Eli Lilly in a litigation alleging defendants caused Eli Lilly to pay more than $200 million in fraudulent rebates related to prescription drug coverage claims for church members.
• Danone US LLCmajorOthersOn June 15, 2026, Patterson Belknap filed a false advertising lawsuit on behalf of Danone US, LLC against rival Chobani LLC.
• Recess (Drink Recess, Inc.)majorOthersOn May 27, 2026, firm secured significant victory in trade secrets dispute on behalf of Recess; Court denied plaintiffs' motion for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction allowing employees to continue working at Recess.
• New York Legal Assistance GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NYLAG for pro bono legal work; firm received NYLAG's 2025 Champion of Justice Award recognizing contributions of over 74,000 pro bono hours in Fiscal Year 2025 supporting Medicaid recipients, cancer patients, immigrants, and students with disabilities.
• The American LawyerkeyOthersFirm consistently ranked in The American Lawyer's A-List and Pro Bono Scorecard; Michael F. Buchanan featured as Litigator of the Week and Attorney of the Year Finalist.
• Various Legal Services OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirm works in partnership with leading legal services organizations for pro bono matters including International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Legal Aid Society, LatinoJustice, Volunteers of Legal Service, Veterans Advocacy Project, Access-A-Ride.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Milbank LLP: NYC-based elite law firm of comparable size with premier litigation, corporate, and restructuring practices. Direct competitor on large transactional and high-stakes litigation matters for institutional clients.
• Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz: Iconic NYC-based law firm with a similarly elite single-office model, premier M&A and litigation practices, and reputation for top-of-market partner talent. Direct competitor for high-stakes corporate and litigation work for elite institutional clients.
• Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP: NYC-headquartered elite international law firm with strong litigation, M&A, and white-collar defense practices. Overlaps directly on bet-the-company litigation and cross-border corporate matters for major institutional clients.
• Sullivan & Cromwell LLP: NYC-based elite law firm with premier M&A, securities, and litigation practices and a similarly long-tenured institutional client base. Direct competitor for high-end corporate and litigation mandates.
• Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP: Historic NYC-based elite law firm with strong litigation and corporate practices, known for clerkship-driven associate hiring (the 'Cravath system') and elite client roster. Direct competitor for transactional and litigation matters at the highest end of the market.
• Debevoise & Plimpton LLP: New York-based elite full-service law firm of comparable size and practice mix, with strong litigation, M&A, and private funds practices, and a similarly selective talent model including clerkship hiring. Direct competitor for the same Fortune-class clients and complex matters.
• Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP: NYC-based elite law firm with premier litigation, M&A, securities, and white-collar practices. Direct competitor for the same Fortune 100 clients and high-stakes corporate/investigations matters.
• Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP: Large NYC-based full-service law firm with major litigation, M&A, and white-collar practices. Comparable client base across Fortune 100 corporations and similar practice mix, though materially larger.
• Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP: NYC-headquartered elite full-service law firm with major litigation, corporate, and white-collar practices. Frequently named as opposing counsel and direct competitor on major litigation and transactions.
• Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP: NYC-based elite law firm with strong litigation, M&A, and private funds practices. Comparable Am Law A-List pedigree and overlapping Fortune 100 client base make it a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pbwtlaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler