About
Boutique by choice, not by circumstance
CaseWell is a firm of eight senior practitioners built around a single premise: the matters that most affect a business — or a person — should reach senior judgment, not get delegated past it. We've kept the firm small for fifteen years because small is what makes the work possible.
We exist to give the matters that shape a business — and a life — the senior counsel they deserve.
At CaseWell, we believe the most consequential legal matters are the ones that should reach senior counsel directly. Too often, in firms of any size, the work that matters most is the work that gets delegated furthest down. We were founded in 2011 to be the alternative — a firm small enough that every matter reaches the partner table, and senior enough that the partner table can actually do the work.
We accept fewer matters than firms our size typically do. We hire only when the right senior practitioner presents themselves — not on a recruiting calendar. We bill for the scope we own, not the hours we can fill.
What that produces is a bench of eight attorneys who have collectively spent over 140 years at the bar, with no associates leading client matters. Every transaction, every dispute, every petition is run by the partner who'll sign their name to the closing dinner.
We've doubled once since 2011, from four attorneys to eight. We don't intend to double again. The firm is small because that's what makes the work work.
Eleanor Halden
Founding & Managing Partner
The partners who started — and the partners who lead.
Eleanor Halden
Founding & Managing Partner — M&A
Eleanor founded the firm in 2011 after twelve years at Davis Polk's M&A group. She leads our mergers and acquisitions practice and has closed over $4B in transactions across the US, UK, and EU.
Marcus Vale
Founding Partner — Intellectual Property
Marcus co-founded the firm with Eleanor in 2011, bringing the IP practice from Kirkland & Ellis. His patent litigation has spanned biotechnology, semiconductors, and AI infrastructure.
Rosa Argento
Partner — London Office, Cross-Border M&A
Rosa heads our London office and leads our cross-border M&A practice. Dual-qualified in New York and England and Wales, she joined CaseWell in 2020 from Latham & Watkins, London.
What we hold to
Four principles that shape every engagement.
Senior Judgment
Every matter is led by a partner who has spent at least two decades in the work. Associates support; the strategic decisions stay at the senior table. We don't hand off mid-matter, and the partner
Honest Scoping
We tell clients what a matter will cost before we agree to take it. If it doesn't fit our expertise or your budget, we say so and refer thoughtfully. Surprise invoices aren't a fee strategy — they're a sign of poor planning.
Selective Intake
We accept fewer matters than firms our size typically do. The work we take gets our full attention because we're not running thin across forty engagements at once. Our partners carry six to eight active matters at a time, by design.
Long Engagement
We stay engaged after closing. Most clients return for follow-on matters, and our average client relationship spans more than a decade. Single-transaction work is a feature of how some firms work — for us, it's the exception.
REQUEST A CONSULTATION
Tell us about the matter
Initial consultations are confidential and complimentary. We respond within one business day. If the matter falls outside our practice areas, we'll tell you and recommend counsel who can help.
