Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP (BCLP) is an international law firm with 32 offices worldwide. BCLP is headquartered in St Louis, Missouri. BCLP states that it specializes in Real Estate, Tax, Finance, Corporate, Litigation & Corporate Risk and Transactions.
BCLP was formed in 2018 with the merger of St. Louis based Bryan Cave and the London firm Berwin Leighton Paisner.[2] In 2024, the firm completed the "formal transition from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner to BCLP".[3]
History
Bryan Cave
Bryan Cave was founded in 1873 in St. Louis.
In 2001, Bryan Cave opened their Chicago office.[4] Shortly after, Bryan Cave and New York-based Robinson Silverman Pearce Aronsohn & Berman merged.[5]
In 2005 Bryan Cave lost its Riyadh and Dubai offices to the Houston-based firm Fulbright & Jaworski, but retained its office in Kuwait.[5]
Offices were opened in Hamburg in 2007.[6]
In 2008, Bryan Cave and Atlanta-based Powell Goldstein merged, creating an expanded firm with new offices in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Dallas.[7] The Powell-Goldstein name was only retained in the firm’s Atlanta office for two-years. [8]
Bryan Cave merged in 2012 with Holme Roberts & Owen (HRO), a law firm based in Denver, Colorado with over 210 attorneys.[9]
In 2018, Bryan Cave’s partners voted to combine with Berwin Leighton Paisner.[10]
Berwin Leighton Paisner
In 2001, Paisner & Co and Berwin Leighton merged to form Berwin Leighton Paisner.[11] It specialized in real estate, finance, litigation and corporate risk, private wealth and tax.[12]
In 2009 Berwin Leighton Paisner was joined by 70 lawyers in Moscow. Operations in Russia traded under the name of Goltsblat BLP.
BCLP
Bryan Cave and Berwin Leighton Paisner combined in 2018, with Lisa Mayhew and Therese Pritchard announced as Co-Chairs.[13] In 2019, Pritchard stepped down as Co-Chair, with Steve Baumer elected as her replacement.[14]
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, BCLP closed its 200-person Moscow office in 2022.[15]
In 2023, BCLP moved to a single leadership structure, with Baumer elected as the new Global CEO.
In 2023 Jeff Haidet, who previously was co-chair of Dentons US, joined BCLP as a partner. Fifteen lawyers specializing in intellectual property moved from Dentons to BCLP.
In 2024, BCLP absorbed Seattle firm Harrigan Leyh Farmer & Thomsen.[16]
In 2025, BCLP opened two offices in Saudi Arabia: Riyadh and Al Khobar.[17] It also announced that it would be withdrawing from Asia, closing its Hong Kong and Singapore offices.[18]
Notable transactions
BCLP represented Ralcorp in the 2007 $2.6 billion merger between Ralcorp and Kraft Foods' portfolio of cereals under the Post Cereal label.
In 2008 the company Advised Monsanto in its $290 million purchase of Aly Participacoes, a division of Brazilian global conglomerate Votorantim Group. Aly Participacoes operated two companies, CanaVialis S.A. and Alellyx S.A. which focus on sugarcane breeding and related applied genomics and biotech in the sugarcane industry.
In 2025, BCLP, alongside Pinsent Masons, began advising Thames Water on its plans to build The Abingdon Reservoir in Oxfordshire.[19]
External links
References
- BCLP Sees Flat Year for Revenue, Profits^
- Bryan Cave to change its name in law merger www.bizjournals.com/stlouis, 2018-02-26, retrieved 2018-02-26^
- BCLP unveils global brand revamp BCLP - Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner - BCLP unveils global brand revamp, retrieved 2025-07-07^
- Bryan Cave opens office in Chicago The Lawyer, 2001-11-12, retrieved 2025-07-07^
- Vera Djordjevich. Brian Cave Closes Riyadh Office 2007-03-15, retrieved 2014-03-04^
- Our Offices | Offices | Hamburg Bryan Cave, retrieved 2014-03-04^
- Cynthia Cotts. Bryan Cave and Atlanta's Powell Goldstein to Merge Bloomberg.com, 2008-11-03, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- Powell Goldstein to Merge with Bryan Cave and Give up its Name ABA Journal, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- Bryan Cave Merges with Colo-based Holme Roberts & Owen - Law Blog - WSJ Blogs.wsj.com, 2011-12-06, retrieved 2014-03-04^
- Press Release. Bryan Cave and Berwin Leighton Paisner Partners Vote to Combine and Form Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP a New, Fully Integrated, Global Law Firm The Missouri Times, 2018-02-27, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- about blp Berwin Leighton Paisner www.blplaw.com, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- Berwin Leighton Paisner www.blplaw.com, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- Bryan Cave And BLP Approve Transatlantic Merger - Law360 www.law360.com, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- Eduardo Reyes. Co-chairs elected at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner Law Gazette, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- ‘Simply the right thing to do’ – five more law firms announce departure from Moscow www.globallegalpost.com, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- BCLP absorbs 12-lawyer Seattle litigation boutique Harrigan Leyh Farmer & Thomsen www.globallegalpost.com, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- BCLP enters Saudi Arabia with two office launch - Law Middle East 2025-02-10, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- BCLP to Close Hong Kong SAR and Singapore Offices, Withdraw from Asia www.legalbusinessonline.com, 2025-03-27, retrieved 2025-10-08^
- BCLP and Pinsent Masons Secure Lead Roles on £2.2B Water Project Law.com, retrieved 2025-10-08^