The story
The firm was well known for its litigation arm (second-largest in New York City after white shoe establishment firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett). It also had an active capital markets and international finance practice, where its main client was Merrill Lynch. The firm at its peak embraced approximately 400 attorneys and maintained offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Paris, London, Hong Kong, and Frankfurt.
In 1986, Rogers & Wells, the prestigious law firm that paid $40 million to defrauded investors in the J. David financial scandal, closed the San Diego office that embroiled it in the fraud-ridden investment company's affairs.
In 2000, the firm merged with London-based Clifford Chance. The firm practiced as Clifford Chance Rogers & Wells in the Americas until 2003, when the use of the legacy U.S. firm's name was discontinued. Just before and immediately after the merger, some high-profile partners decamped for other firms including New York rival Kaye Scholer. The Paris outpost joined Kramer Levin.
From Wikipedia’s article on Rogers & Wells, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4