Thelen LLP
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| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
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| No. of offices | 8 |
| No. of attorneys | 400 |
| Major practice areas | Construction, Energy, Technology and Outsourcing |
| Key people | Stephen V. O'Neal (Managing Partner) |
| Date founded | 1924 |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Dissolved | October 2008, due to partner departures and credit problems |
| Website | www.thelen.com |
Thelen LLP, formerly known as Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner was a bicoastal American law firm formed by two mergers between California and New York-based law firms. The firm peaked at roughly 600 attorneys in 2006, and had 500 early in 2008, with attorneys with offices in eight cities in the United States, England and China. By the time of its decision to dissolve in late October 2008, it had shrunk to 400 attorneys through layoffs and attrition. Thelen was known for its preeminent construction practice which dates back to the 1930s and the local association between the law firm and contractors and developers of large hydroelectric dam projects. The construction practice offered regulatory, transactional and dispute resolution (litigation and arbitration) support. It was also known for its energy expertise, particularly in the electricity regulatory area, as well as for legal advice concerning technology and outsourcing.
The firm that would become Thelen LLP was founded in 1924 as Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges (TMJB) in San Francisco, California. The firm counseled contractors and developers in a wide range of big ticket infrastructure projects, including the Hoover Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco-Oakland Bridge and the second stage of Grand Coulee Dam. United States Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy was a TMJB Associate Attorney from 1961 to 1963. In June 1998, Thelen Marrin merged with New York-based Reid & Priest, a firm with 160 attorneys founded in 1935 with a Washington, D.C., office, known for its industry experience in the electric utility sector. The combined firm reportedly sought to merge with an English law firm following the revelation that New York-based Rogers & Wells and London-based international firm Clifford Chance were in merger talks that eventually reached fruition. However, the firm did not ultimately engage in a transatlantic merger. Instead, it opted for domestic growth by acquiring the 10 lawyers of San Francisco-based boutique technology firm Britton Silberman & Cervantez in 2000. Three years later, the firm established a joint venture with UK firm Pinsent Masons focused on construction and project finance, called Masons Thelen Reid. The joint venture later launched a link-up with a law firm in Iraq in 2004 to assist firms involved in reconstruction. The joint venture was abandoned in 2007.
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