What Sets Us Apart

Morris Nichols is a leader in shaping Delaware law.

We offer unparalleled insight, advocacy, and counsel to the law firms that we partner with and the clients we serve because of our unique experience.  This experience includes crafting many of the statutes that Delaware courts interpret and representing clients in connection with some of the most significant rulings and landmark cases in the state. 

Our focus on Delaware has always been clear and consistent.  This focus has earned us a national reputation in our core areas of service — corporate litigation, corporate and alternative entity counseling, bankruptcy and restructuring, and intellectual property litigation. It has enabled us to stand apart because of the informed and innovative approaches we offer, grounded in an unmatched understanding of Delaware’s laws and courts.

Much of the work we do is at the law’s cutting edge. Clients trust us with their most challenging legal issues, significant transactions, and complex litigation. They do so because of our deep, unrivaled understanding of Delaware’s law and courts and the quality of our people. It is our people who have led us to achieve national recognition and have enabled us to retain our character as a firm — collegial, dedicated to the community and the bar.

Our Story

Since 1930 when Judge Hugh Morris established the firm, Morris Nichols has played an integral role in the development and evolution of Delaware business law. Our role is an important one because of Delaware’s national preeminence in corporate law and jurisprudence, and the fact that more than 1.9 million businesses and 68% of the Fortune 500 choose Delaware as their legal home. Our lawyers have helped draft and update the Delaware corporate statutes, have secured some of the most significant rulings from the state’s courts, and have been instrumental in developing legislation that fueled the growth of the financial services sector and transformed Delaware’s economy.

The firm’s story is filled with lawyers who have held pivotal roles in making Delaware a destination for the country’s leading businesses and financial institutions. In 1967, partner Samuel Arsht chaired a committee that revised and updated the entire Delaware General Corporation Code. The committee’s work under his leadership laid a foundation that sustains Delaware’s historic prominence in the field of corporate law and jurisprudence today. Our lawyers also drafted the Financial Center Development Act of 1981. The Act, which transformed the state’s economy, opened doors for national banks and credit card companies to start operations in the state. Over the course of the following 14 years, our lawyers drafted 12 additional, significant pieces of legislation affecting the banking, credit card and securities industries.

Our tradition of leadership and service continues unabated today. At Morris Nichols, you will find lawyers who have served as members of the judiciary, presidents of the State Bar Association, and chairs of statutory drafting committees. Our alumni include two former Chancellors of the Court of Chancery, former and current members of the Delaware Supreme Court, and a current member of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.

Distinguishing Factors

Tradition. Since 1930, Morris Nichols lawyers have been credited with shaping the business-friendly legislation that now applies to 60% of the world’s largest corporations and a half-million other organizations incorporated in Delaware.

Specialization. Delaware is the preeminent place for businesses to incorporate. More than one million business entities make Delaware their legal home, including more than 50% of all publicly-traded U.S. companies and 66% of the Fortune 500. As a result, disputes regarding corporate law are often brought in, and decided by, the Delaware courts. As Delaware lawyers, we devote our entire careers to becoming immersed in the body of law that governs the capital structure, governance and business decisions of our clients. As leaders of the Delaware bar, we help craft the statutes that the courts interpret and litigate the cases that shape the common law. This focus allows us to provide unparalleled insight into all aspects of Delaware’s business laws, and to avoid pitfalls that can lead to issues at various stages of a corporation’s development.

Reputation. Morris Nichols lawyers have been involved in some of the most significant rulings in the Delaware courts, including landmark cases on M&A transactions, fiduciary duties, special committees, executive compensation, bankruptcy, and intellectual property. We represent clients across a broad spectrum of industries as both co-counsel and lead counsel.

Character. We have achieved a significant national presence, yet we have retained our character as a Delaware firm — collegial, dedicated to the community and bar, and eminently qualified to provide the highest level of service to clients in local, national and global markets.

Quality. Morris Nichols lawyers come from the top-tier schools in the United States. Nearly one-third of the attorneys practicing at Morris Nichols have served as judicial clerks.

Clients. From a myriad of industries, retained as lead counsel or co-counsel, our clients include giants among the Fortune 500, complex alternative legal entities, smaller firms and partnerships, financial institutions, government agencies, law firms, and not-for-profit organizations.

Recognition. Our efforts in corporate, intellectual property, business reorganization and restructuring and litigation have been singled out and recognized by Law360, The National Law Journal, The Deal, The Daily Bankruptcy Review, The Legal Intelligencer, Thomson Reuters, and Bloomberg Law. Our attorneys are quoted in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and other publications. Chambers USA consistently ranks Morris Nichols among their highest levels of recognition.

Global Connection

Clients often turn to Morris Nichols with matters of international significance. We are the Delaware representative of TerraLex, a global network of 130 independent law firms and 22,000 attorneys in more than 120 countries. Through TerraLex, Morris Nichols provides clients with access to an unparalleled geographic platform, simplifying the legal aspects of international business.