From the Southern Manifesto to a $2 billion legal powerhouse

Wars & Conflicts · Published 17 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The history of Holland & Knight is a study in institutional evolution. Founded by figures tied to segregationist politics, the firm has transformed into a massive corporate entity that now navigates high-stakes private equity deals and multi-billion dollar litigation.

The firm's roots are deeply embedded in 20th-century American politics. Spessard Holland, who opened his practice in 1929 as Holland & Bevis, was a former governor and US senator. In 1956, he joined eighteen other senators in signing the Southern Manifesto, a document that declared court-ordered school desegregation an "unwarranted … abuse of judicial power" and pledged to resist integration by any lawful means.

Despite these origins, the firm's modern identity is defined by massive scale and corporate influence. After merging its namesake practices in 1968, Holland & Knight expanded through aggressive acquisitions, including a 2021 merger with Thompson & Knight and a 2023 merger with Waller, Lansden, Dortch & Davis. By the 2024 financial year, the firm surpassed $2 billion in revenue for the first time, employing over 2,174 attorneys.

Today, the firm operates as a major political and economic actor. It maintains one of the largest lobbying practices in the U.S. by revenue and has been involved in controversial work, such as seeking to ease payday lending restrictions in 2002. Conversely, it also successfully lobbied for $1.5 million in compensation for victims of the 1923 Rosewood Massacre after a lawsuit was dismissed. This duality highlights a firm that wields significant power to shape both legislative policy and corporate law.

The firm currently faces scrutiny over its role as a facilitator of management services organization (MSO) private equity deals. In 2026, it faced a $1.2 billion lawsuit from MV Realty PBC, alleging the firm's advice on homeowner benefit agreements was deceptive and unconscionable—a claim the firm maintains is meritless.

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