Stay on the file.
The partner who pitches the matter is the partner who runs it. We do not hand off to a junior desk after signing.
About
Founded in 1994. 12 lawyers. 4 offices. 10 practices. One standard of work.
Vellum Counsel was founded in 1994 by a group of lawyers who left a larger firm to do the work differently. The founding principle was simple: a law firm should be small enough that the partner who pitches the matter is the partner who runs it, and large enough to handle the matters that come in.
Three decades later, the principle has not changed. We have grown to 12 lawyers across 4 offices, and we have stayed lean enough that every partner still answers their own phone. We do not take a matter we cannot staff. We do not staff a matter we cannot win.
We are admitted in New York, London, Singapore, and we appear in courts and before regulators across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia. Our recent work — 24 representative matters across 2023–2024 — is the best description of what we do.
The arc
Scroll to follow the firm from a six-lawyer founding to 4 offices across 3 continents.
1994
Six lawyers leave a larger firm to do the work differently. The founding principle: a law firm should be small enough that the partner who pitches the matter is the partner who runs it.
2007
London opens. The firm coordinates its first cross-border merger review across three jurisdictions. The conflict desk clears engagements in four business hours.
2024
4 offices, 12 lawyers, 10 practices, 24 representative matters across 2023–2024. The principle has not changed.
1994
Six lawyers leave a larger firm to do the work differently. The founding principle: a law firm should be small enough that the partner who pitches the matter is the partner who runs it.
2007
London opens. The firm coordinates its first cross-border merger review across three jurisdictions. The conflict desk clears engagements in four business hours.
2024
4 offices, 12 lawyers, 10 practices, 24 representative matters across 2023–2024. The principle has not changed.
Principles
The partner who pitches the matter is the partner who runs it. We do not hand off to a junior desk after signing.
We do not announce deals before they close. We do not call the press when we win. The work speaks for itself, to the people who matter — the client and the judge.
Our conflict desk clears potential engagements within four business hours. We do not let a conflict check become a deal delay.
Each office is staffed by local lawyers who are part of one firm. No referrals. No local counsel. The team you meet in New York is the team that files in Singapore.
Offices
United States
The firm's founding office and headquarters. Houses the M&A, litigation, tax, and regulatory practices, plus the firm's conflict desk.
United Kingdom
Opened in 2007. Coordinates the firm's European antitrust, regulatory, and real estate practices.
China (SAR)
Opened in 2009. The firm's Asia capital markets and M&A hub, with a growing IP litigation practice.
Singapore
Opened in 2013. Anchors the firm's Southeast Asia practice, with a focus on cross-border IP and capital markets.
A 20-minute call with a partner. No fee. No obligation.