Hunton Andrews Kurth Celebrates 120th Anniversary

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP is pleased to celebrate 120 years of legal excellence and innovation. The firm’s success is rooted in executing a strategy that focuses on its strength in core industry sectors, such as energy and retail, as well as a firm-wide focus on community engagement, diversity and inclusion, and the development of cutting-edge practices and initiatives. In 2018, two century-old law firms, Hunton & Williams and Andrews Kurth Kenyon, joined forces, to create Hunton Andrews Kurth. Today, the firm has nearly 900 lawyers with offices in 13 U.S. and six international cities.

At the forefront of innovation with cutting-edge practices and initiatives, Hunton Andrews Kurth is constantly evolving to support clients with increasingly complex issues, and has developed innovative practice groups focusing on Environmental Justice, Energy Transition, and Privacy and Cybersecurity. Innovation also drove the 2020 development of a litigation tracker dedicated to monitoring all federal and state litigation involving claims related to COVID. The tracker currently offers information on more than 12,000 COVID-related lawsuits across the U.S. Similarly, when the pandemic forced the firm’s 2020 summer program to go entirely virtual, the firm launched a virtual Shark Tank-style competition, in which groups of summer associates across all offices presented programming ideas aimed at improving and sustaining diversity and inclusion initiatives to be rolled out in a pilot program.

Hunton Andrews Kurth has taken concrete, measurable steps in furthering its mission to pursue and ensure equality within the legal profession. Last year, 100% of its full-time U.S. attorneys participated in diversity and inclusion initiatives, dedicating 9,000 hours to diversity & inclusion efforts. The firm also achieved 2021 Mansfield Rule™ 4.0 Certified Plus Status with Diversity Lab’s program, which requires that at least 30% of selected leadership position candidate pools are composed of women or minorities. Additionally, the firm is a charter member of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, received a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index and was named “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ 2021”.

“The firm’s mission is to build and leverage a diverse and inclusive professional community that promotes a culture of collaboration, respect, involvement, and empowerment,” said deputy managing partner Robin Russell. “We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce optimizes the delivery of outstanding client service and creates an innovative, productive community of lawyers and professional staff.”

In addition to its commitment to diversity and inclusion, Hunton Andrews Kurth’s commitment to pro bono is a core value that is evidenced by its dedication of more than 58,000 hours to pro bono projects in 2020. In the wake of the pandemic, the firm partnered with the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program to launch the organization’s first virtual legal aid intake clinic to restore access to vital pro bono services for area residents. The firm also assisted the Merrill’s Marauders Association in enlisting congressional support for passage of the Merrill’s Marauders Congressional Gold Medal Act, which awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to veterans of a top-secret U.S. Army unit that fought behind enemy lines in the jungles of Burma in World War II. Firm partners were also proud to represent the City of Richmond, Virginia on a pro bono basis to obtain the reversal of a temporary injunction barring the City’s removal of its Confederate monuments.

“Both legacy firms—Hunton & Williams and Andrews Kurth Kenyon—had deep roots as community leaders, and that legacy continues across all of our offices with a firm-wide mission to provide pro bono services throughout our communities,” said managing partner Wally Martinez. “We give back to our communities because we recognize that the practice of law is, first and foremost, a service to society.”

Building on this 120-year history, Hunton Andrews Kurth continues to provide the high-quality legal services, together with practical legal and business counsel, that allows its clients to accurately assess risks and rewards and act accordingly. At its core, the firm’s commitment to community, equality, and innovation will continue to guide its client-centered mission into the future.