Davis & Harman

What Davis & Harman does

Davis & Harman LLP is a Washington, DC-based boutique law firm founded in 1985 by Thomas 'Tad' Davis and William Harman at the Willard Hotel. The firm specializes in federal income tax law affecting insurance products, ERISA and employee benefits, and federal legislative and regulatory advocacy. With approximately 18 professionals operating from a single office at 1455 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, the firm is organized as a limited liability partnership and serves large corporations, life insurance companies, financial institutions, and trade associations, including anchor engagements such as the Committee of Annuity Insurers, which represents roughly 80% of the U.S. annuity market.\n\nThe firm operates through three practice areas — Insurance Tax, Employee Benefits, and Advocacy — covering technical compliance, private letter rulings, IRS representation, retirement plan design, executive compensation, fiduciary advice, and lobbying before Congress and executive branch agencies. Service delivery relies on direct attorney engagement rather than technology platforms or digital channels; revenue is generated through professional service fees on negotiated engagements, with no public pricing model. Client acquisition runs primarily on professional reputation, referrals, thought-leadership publications, media appearances, and conference speaking.\n\nA defining feature of the firm is the government background of its practitioners: multiple partners and of counsel have held senior roles at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, IRS National Office, Joint Committee on Taxation, Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, and the ERISA Industry Committee. The firm states it has participated in every major regulatory and legislative effort affecting federal tax law or ERISA since the 1986 Tax Reform Act, an institutional track record that underpins its positioning as a nationally recognized authority in these complex fields.

Name

Davis & Harman

Legal name

Davis & Harman LLP

Website

https://davis-harman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Davis & Harman LLP is a Washington, DC boutique law firm founded in 1985 that advises large corporations, life insurance companies, financial institutions, and trade associations on federal insurance tax law, ERISA/employee benefits, and legislative advocacy. Its roughly 18 professionals leverage deep government experience at Treasury, IRS, and Congress.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services — Employee Benefits and Insurance Tax Law

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Guardianship, Conservatorship & Special Needs Trust Services (FSAEAKAG)

Keywords

• Insurance tax law
• Employee benefits law
• ERISA compliance
• Federal legislative advocacy
• Retirement plan counsel

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 Advisory Services: Davis & Harman generates revenue through providing legal advisory services to clients on employee benefits, insurance tax law, and advocacy matters. The firm serves large corporations, insurance companies, financial institutions, and trade associations requiring specialized legal counsel on complex federal tax law, ERISA compliance, and legislative matters. Revenue is generated through professional services fees for legal consultation, regulatory representation, and advocacy services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Davis & Harman LLP is a Washington, DC-based boutique law firm providing specialized legal counsel and federal legislative advocacy on employee benefits and insurance tax law. The firm advises large corporations, life insurance companies, financial institutions, and trade associations on federal income tax matters affecting life insurance, annuities, long-term care insurance, retirement plans, and ERISA compliance, including IRS representation and regulatory advocacy before Congress and executive branch agencies.

Product overview

Davis & Harman LLP is a law firm offering legal services across three practice areas: Insurance Tax, Employee Benefits, and Advocacy. The firm provides advisory, compliance, and advocacy services primarily to large corporations, financial institutions, and trade associations on federal tax, employee benefits, and insurance law matters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insurance Tax

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Groom Law Group: Washington DC-based boutique law firm specializing in ERISA, employee benefits, and health insurance law. Most directly comparable peer — similar size, DC location, and narrow focus on benefits regulatory and litigation matters, often cited alongside Davis & Harman in benefits boutique rankings.
• Miller & Chevalier: Washington DC-based tax-focused boutique law firm. Comparable size and DC positioning; serves large corporations, financial institutions, and trade associations on complex federal tax matters, often competing for the same clients.
• The Wagner Law Group: Boston-based boutique specializing in ERISA, tax-qualified retirement plans, executive compensation, and welfare benefit plans. Comparable in scale and specialist focus, serving large employers and plan service providers with similar niche depth.

Broad incumbents

• Covington & Burling: Major Washington DC-based law firm with deep regulatory and ERISA practices; partner Michael Hadley joined Davis & Harman from Covington's benefits practice. Broader corporate and litigation offerings create competitive overlap on large regulatory matters.
• Ice Miller: Indianapolis-based law firm with a nationally recognized employee benefits and executive compensation practice. Comparable specialist depth in benefits/ERISA but with broader corporate services and Midwest geographic roots.
• Eversheds Sutherland: Global law firm with one of the largest US insurance tax practices; co-founder John Adney joined Davis & Harman from the predecessor firm Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan. Competes for the same insurance company tax mandates but offers a broader global service portfolio.
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Major DC-based law firm with strong public policy, regulatory, and federal advocacy practices that mirror Davis & Harman's Advocacy work. Competes for similar large-corporate and trade association mandates with a much broader practice portfolio.
• K&L Gates: Large global law firm with significant employee benefits, executive compensation, and tax practices serving large corporate clients. Competes for similar benefits advisory work with a broader global platform and deeper cross-practice resources.
• Steptoe & Johnson: Large Washington DC-based law firm with strong insurance, tax, and employee benefits practices. Serves similar large institutional clients on regulatory and legislative matters; broader practice footprint than Davis & Harman.
• Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease: Large Ohio-based law firm with prominent employee benefits, executive compensation, and tax practices. Serves similar large employer clients on benefits compliance and ERISA matters from a Midwest base, often cross-referring with DC counsel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/davis-&-harman

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 Davis & Harman