Hollingsworth LLP

What Hollingsworth LLP does

Hollingsworth LLP is a privately-held, litigation-only limited liability partnership founded in 1982 and headquartered in Washington, DC. The firm employs 101-250 people, including 65 litigators, and operates as a focused complex-litigation boutique rather than a general-practice firm. Its practice spans high-stakes trial and appellate work across products liability and toxic torts, pharmaceutical and medical device defense, aerospace and defense, environmental and natural resource damages (including CERCLA and PFAS matters), government contracts and investigations, insurance coverage, class actions, business interruption and commercial disputes, engineering and construction, and federal claims. The firm represents multinational blue-chip companies, large and small domestic businesses, directors and officers, and individuals in matters in 46 states, and maintains an active amicus practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and federal/state appellate courts. Technical capabilities center on large-scale eDiscovery management (supervising tens of millions of pages of document review), scientific and expert witness strategy including Rule 702/Daubert challenges, and precedent-setting trial and appellate advocacy supported by 44 years of courtroom experience and the country's longest-running CLE-accredited annual seminar on complex litigation defense (now in its 34th year).

The firm earns revenue through professional-services legal engagements quoted on a per-matter basis, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Go-to-market is anchored on directory-driven acquisition — Chambers USA, BTI Client Service A-Team, Vault, Best Law Firms, Lawdragon 500, and Super Lawyers — supplemented by client referrals, the annual CLE seminar, webinars (e.g., Barbri PFAS program, July 7, 2026), publications in Law360, Westlaw Today, Bloomberg Law, and Food Safety Magazine, and active participation in industry associations such as DRI, IADC, PLAC, ALI, the Sedona Conference, and the Washington Legal Foundation. Ownership is held by equity partners under Managing Partner Donald R. McMinn, with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent company; the firm operates independently. Notable recent activity includes three new partner elections in February 2024 (Altieri, Proctor, Schifrin), a 2026 Summer Associate class, and a build-out of PFAS litigation expertise. The firm offers no software products, APIs, or AI-native platforms; its competitive position rests on talent, institutional credibility, and procedural depth rather than technology differentiation.

Name

Hollingsworth LLP

Legal name

Hollingsworth LLP

Website

https://hollingsworthllp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hollingsworth LLP is a Washington, DC-based litigation-only limited liability partnership founded in 1982, with 65 litigators serving multinational blue-chip corporations in high-stakes complex trial and appellate work across products liability, pharmaceutical, environmental, and government contracts matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Complex Litigation Defense

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Complex litigation defense
• Products liability defense
• Appellate advocacy
• Toxic tort litigation
• Mass tort defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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 - Complex Litigation and Trial Work: Hollingsworth LLP provides legal representation services to corporate clients in complex litigation, trial work, and appellate matters. The firm represents multinational blue-chip companies, large and small domestic businesses, directors and officers, and individuals in high-stakes cases nationwide.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hollingsworth LLP is a litigation-only law firm that represents corporate clients in complex, high-stakes trial and appellate work across the United States. The firm focuses on products liability, toxic torts, pharmaceutical and medical device defense, environmental litigation, government contracts, federal claims, insurance coverage, and class action defense. With 65 litigators, the firm delivers end-to-end litigation representation from case inception through trial and appeal, serving multinational blue-chip companies and domestic businesses.

Product overview

Hollingsworth LLP is a litigation law firm offering a unified suite of legal services centered on complex trial and appellate work. The firm provides specialized practice areas including Products Liability & Toxic Torts, Pharmaceutical & Medical Device, Aerospace Defense, Environmental, Government Investigations, Insurance Coverage, and Construction & Engineering. Unlike a platform with modules, these represent distinct legal service offerings unified by the firm's focus on high-stakes litigation, trial work, and appellate advocacy for corporate clients. The firm does not offer software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Products Liability & Toxic Torts
• Pharmaceutical & Medical Device
• Environmental Law
• Aerospace Defense Legal Services
• Class Action Defense
• Complex Litigation
• Defense & Government Contracting
• Discovery & E-Discovery
• Engineering & Construction
• Federal Claims
• Government Investigations, White Collar & Civil Defense
• Insurance Coverage
• Amicus Brief Services
• Business Interruption & Commercial Disputes
• Natural Resource Damages
• Risk Mitigation & Management
• Transportation
• Financial Institutions

Quantifiable outcome

• 44 years of winning at trial and on appeal in courts all over America
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Defense Research Institute (DRI)coreOthersHollingsworth LLP is an active member of the Defense Research Institute and firm attorneys participate in DRI seminars and serve on the Advisory Council for the DRI Center for Law and Public Policy. Partner Robert Johnston serves on the Center's Legislation and Rules Committee and Third-Party Litigation Funding Task Force.
• American Law InstitutecoreOthersHollingsworth LLP holds active membership in the American Law Institute, participating in the development of model legal standards and principles.
• Products Liability Advisory Council (PLAC)coreOthersHollingsworth LLP holds active membership in the Products Liability Advisory Council, supporting industry defense efforts in product liability litigation.
• Washington Legal FoundationcoreOthersHollingsworth LLP holds active membership in the Washington Legal Foundation and authors publications through its Washington Legal Foundation's Legal Pulse.
• Atlantic Legal FoundationcoreOthersHollingsworth LLP collaborates with the Atlantic Legal Foundation on amicus curiae briefs, including in cases involving expert admissibility and regulatory issues.
• The Sedona ConferenceminorOthersHollingsworth LLP holds active membership in The Sedona Conference, which focuses on the development of case management and eDiscovery best practices.
• International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)coreOthersHollingsworth LLP holds active membership in the International Association of Defense Counsel, a premier professional organization for corporate defense counsel.
• Lawyers for Civil JusticeminorOthersHollingsworth LLP holds active membership in Lawyers for Civil Justice, an organization advocating for fair and efficient civil justice reforms.
• U.S. Chamber of CommercecoreOthersHollingsworth LLP has collaborated with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on business coalition amicus briefs, including supporting the mobile phone industry in significant DC Court of Appeals litigation.
• National Association of ManufacturerscoreOthersHollingsworth LLP files amicus briefs on behalf of the National Association of Manufacturers in key cases involving regulatory overreach and securities regulations.
• American Coatings AssociationcoreOthersHollingsworth LLP serves as amicus counsel for the American Coatings Association, contributing to major Daubert rulings such as Sherwin-Williams Co. v. Gaines in the Mississippi Supreme Court.
• American Tort Reform AssociationminorOthersHollingsworth LLP holds active membership and collaborates with the American Tort Reform Association on issues affecting tort reform.
• BarbriminorOthersPartner David Schifrin presented on PFAS litigation in a Barbri CLE webinar on July 7, 2026, covering expert, scientific, and evidentiary issues in PFAS-based disputes.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Latham & Watkins LLP: Global Am Law 5 firm with one of the largest and most active complex litigation and product liability practices worldwide, regularly serving as lead or co-counsel on the mega-MDLs where Hollingsworth also appears as defense counsel.
• Sidley Austin LLP: Global Am Law firm with elite product liability and complex litigation practices serving many of the same blue-chip pharmaceutical, chemical, and manufacturing clients that Hollingsworth serves.
• King & Spalding LLP: Large Am Law firm with a top-tier products liability and mass tort practice, including major pharmaceutical and MDL defense work that overlaps with Hollingsworth's pharmaceutical/medical device practice.
• Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP: Am Law 10 full-service firm with one of the most highly ranked litigation practices nationally (Chambers Band 1 across multiple litigation categories). Represents the larger incumbent that Hollingsworth benchmarks against and competes with for complex defense mandates.

Direct peers

• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP: The largest litigation-only global firm, focused on complex business disputes, mass torts, and white-collar matters. Same litigation-only identity and complex-case orientation as Hollingsworth, but materially larger and global in footprint.
• Williams & Connolly LLP: Washington DC-based litigation boutique of similar pedigree (Chambers-ranked, elite trial reputation) but larger (~120 attorneys). Directly comparable GTM, geography, and client profile (Fortune 500 defense, Supreme Court/appellate work) to Hollingsworth.
• Susman Godfrey LLP: Houston-founded national litigation boutique with strong complex commercial and intellectual property trial practice. Same pure-litigation boutique model, comparable partner-driven economics, and similar high-stakes matter profile as Hollingsworth.
• Boies Schiller Flexner LLP: Litigation-focused firm with premier complex civil and white-collar practice and major corporate defense clients. Overlapping complex-litigation defense positioning and blue-chip client roster make it a relevant comparable to Hollingsworth.
• Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP: San Francisco litigation-only boutique focused on complex commercial, intellectual property, and white-collar defense for technology and life sciences clients. Same boutique model, similar scale, and similar emphasis on trial-readiness and Daubert-quality work as Hollingsworth.
• Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP: Chicago-based elite litigation boutique with a similar model: complex, science-heavy trial work for sophisticated corporate clients, comparable bench size (~80-100 attorneys), and reputation for high-stakes bet-the-company cases. Closely comparable in GTM, fee model, and client mix to Hollingsworth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hollingsworth-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Hollingsworth LLP