COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 54111

Offices of Lawyers

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

45companies1792–1972founding years44still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedCadwalader, Wickersham & Taft
1792
FoundedKelley Drye & Warren LLP
1836
FoundedFoley & Lardner
1842
FoundedWinston & Strawn
1853
FoundedSidley Austin Brown & Wood
1866
FoundedPillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP
1874
FoundedThe Legal Aid Society
1876
FoundedSimpson Thacher & Bartlett
1884
FoundedOppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP
1886
FoundedJones, Day, Reavis & Pogue
1893
FoundedAndrews Kurth, LLP
1902
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedKirkland & Ellis LLP
1908
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedVinson & Elkins L.L.P.
1917
FoundedBrobeck, Phleger & Harrison, LLP
1926
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedAkin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedCleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedWilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedGreenberg Traurig, LLP
1967
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Latham & Watkins →
Active
Latham & Watkins is one of the world's largest law firms, with about 1,000 attorneys practicing in 14 American and…
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft →
Active · founded 1792
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft claims the distinction of being the United States' oldest law firm, tracing its roots to…
Clifford Chance LLP →
Active · founded 1802 · United Kingdom
Clifford Chance LLP is the world's largest law firm, based on its approximately 3,000 lawyers operating in some 30…
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP →
Active · founded 1836
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP is one of the oldest and largest law firms in the United States.
Baker and Botts, L.L.P. →
Active · founded 1840
With branch offices in Dallas, Austin, New York, London, Moscow, Washington, D.C., and Baku, Azerbaijan, the…
Foley & Lardner →
Active · founded 1842
Foley & Lardner is one of the oldest and largest law firms in the United States.
Davis Polk & Wardwell →
Active · founded 1849
Davis Polk & Wardwell is one of the largest U.S.
Coudert Brothers →
Defunct · founded 1853
With 25 offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, Coudert Brothers is an important international law firm…
Winston & Strawn →
Active · founded 1853
One of the nation's top 50 law firms, Winston & Strawn serves corporate clients, government agencies, and others in…
Ropes & Gray →
Active · founded 1865
Founded in 1865, Ropes & Gray is one of the oldest and most respected law firms in the nation.
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood →
Active · founded 1866
One of the world's largest law firms, Chicago-based Sidley Austin Brown & Wood is a legal powerhouse with several…
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP →
Active · founded 1873
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP is one of the world's largest law firms, with over 200 attorneys in each of its offices in…
Shearman & Sterling →
Active · founded 1873
Shearman & Sterling is one of the largest law firms in the United States, if not the world.
Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP →
Active · founded 1874
Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP ranks as the nation's 33rd largest law firm, according to the June 1999 Corporate Legal…
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP →
Active · founded 1876
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP is a prominent New York City-based law firm that provides a full range of legal services…
The Legal Aid Society →
Active · founded 1876
The Legal Aid Society of New York City is the United States' oldest and largest provider of legal services to people…
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC →
Active · founded 1876
Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC is a full service regional law firm with five offices in North Carolina…
Fish & Neave →
Active · founded 1878
Mid-1970s:The firm begins serving high-tech clients in Silicon Valley.
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett →
Active · founded 1884
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett consistently ranks as one of the world's great law firms.
O'Melveny & Myers →
Active · founded 1885
O'Melveny & Myers is one of the largest law firms in the world, with more than 700 lawyers working from its Los Angeles…
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP →
Active · founded 1886
Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP offers its legal expertise to businesses operating everything from manufacturing to…
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP →
Active · founded 1890
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (Gibson Dunn) is one of the world's largest law firms.
Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe →
Active · founded 1890
Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe is one of America's top 100 law firms.
Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue →
Active · founded 1893
Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue (Jones Day) is one of the world's major law firms, with numerous offices in the United…
White & Case LLP →
Active · founded 1901
White & Case LLP is one of the largest law firms in the world and in November 1999 ranked fifth among the International…
Andrews Kurth, LLP →
Active · founded 1902
Andrews Kurth, LLP is one of the ten largest law firms in the state of Texas, with more than 400 lawyers.
Chadbourne & Parke →
Active · founded 1902
Chadbourne & Parke is a major international law firm.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP →
Active · founded 1908
Based on gross revenue of $611 million, Kirkland & Ellis LLP is the largest law firm in Chicago and the 12th largest in…
Dewey Ballantine LLP →
Active · founded 1909
Dewey Ballantine LLP is one of the world's largest international law firms.
Baker & Hostetler LLP →
Active · founded 1916
Headquartered in Cleveland, Baker & Hostetler LLP is one of the nation's largest law firms.
Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. →
Active · founded 1917
One of the world's major law firms, Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.
Covington & Burling →
Active · founded 1919
One of the United States' preeminent law firms, Covington & Burling, with its more than 450 lawyers, provides expertise…
Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, LLP →
Active · founded 1926
Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, LLP ranks as one of the largest law firms in the United States.
LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, L.L.P. →
Active · founded 1929
One of the world's largest law firms, LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, L.L.P., maintains 15 offices across the United…
Snell & Wilmer L.L.P. →
Active · founded 1934
With offices in Phoenix, Tucson, Salt Lake City, and Irvine, California, Snell & Wilmer L.L.P.
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P. →
Active · founded 1945
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P., is one of the world's largest law firms, with more than 870 lawyers based in…
Arnold & Porter →
Active · founded 1946
Arnold & Porter is one of the largest law firms in the United States and in the world.
Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton →
Active · founded 1946
Although Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton is still a relatively young law firm, it is a major player in the legal…
Holme Roberts & Owen LLP →
Active · founded 1950
Holme Roberts & Owen LLP has grown from a small partnership into one of the largest law firms in Colorado's Rocky…
Jenkens & Gilchrist, P.C. →
Active · founded 1951
With its home office in Dallas, Jenkens & Gilchrist, P.C.
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati →
Active · founded 1961
Best known as a full-service law firm that serves mainly high-technology and biotechnology companies, Wilson Sonsini…
Patton Boggs LLP →
Active · founded 1962
Patton Boggs LLP is a Washington, D.C.-based full-service law firm best known for its lobbying prowess.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP →
Active · founded 1967
Miami-based Greenberg Traurig, LLP is an international law firm with approximately 1,100 lawyers in 24 offices located…
Holland & Knight LLP →
Active · founded 1968
With 31 domestic and international offices, Holland & Knight LLP is among the 20 largest law firms in the world.
Fenwick & West LLP →
Active · founded 1972
Although Fenwick & West LLP provides legal services for a variety of clients, its practice focuses on serving…
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