Firm History

From its very inception, Schiff Hardin's focus has been on counseling and growing with business and corporate clients. We began counseling many of our current banking and industrial clients in the 1870s and 1880s. It is this dedication to our clients coupled with our understanding of the law that allows us to build the lasting client relationships that we are known for.

Throughout the last half-century, Schiff Hardin has helped shape the basic rules of law in a number of United States Supreme Court and Circuit Courts of Appeals cases, including landmark decisions in the fields of utility rate jurisdiction, antitrust, state taxation, finance, and the obligations of former employees to their former employers. Today, litigation — including a particular emphasis on complex, toxic tort, insurance class actions, and reinsurance disputes — is our largest practice group.

Our law firm has changed and grown a lot in the past 144 years.  We now have more than 400 attorneys in offices located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Lake Forest, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. One thing remains unchanged — our commitment to our clients.

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1864 — Abraham Lincoln was President, Chicago was barely 27 years old, and a new law firm was formed — Hitchcock & Dupee.

1872 — As counsel for the Chicago City Railway Company, we successfully overcame opposition to the conversion from horse-drawn trolleys to new cars pulled by steam-powered cables. After consolidation of the Chicago public transit system, Schiff Hardin is proud to act as counsel for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) with respect to labor and employment, real estate and construction matters, particularly with respect to light rail operations.

1889 — When the Illinois State Auditor refused to grant a charter to the organizers of The Northern Trust Company, we persuaded the Illinois Supreme Court to order the Auditor to issue the charter. We continue to represent The Northern Trust Company to this day.

1902 — Predecessors of our firm organized American Steel Foundries, now known as Amsted Industries, and still a Schiff Hardin client.

1920s — Our firm became synonymous with expertise in financing and corporate organization for energy companies and public utilities. Today, that practice remains one of our largest.

1940s — Schiff Hardin created innovative air rights techniques that permitted the construction of the Prudential Building. Now we represent some of the foremost real estate developers in Chicago and nationwide.

1940s-1970s — We counseled Bill Veeck in his ownership of the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. Now, our winning tradition in sports representations includes our role as counsel for the Chicago Bears, including the complex financing and governmental relations work needed for the complete renovation of Soldier Field.

1973 — We completed four years of complex work necessary to create and obtain regulatory approval for the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE). Prior to this time, there was no organized marketplace where securities options could be traded. Our Securities and Futures Regulation group continues to represent CBOE, together with other exchanges and a wide variety of other participants in the securities, commodity futures and unregulated markets.

1974 — Our Chicago office relocates to the recently-completed Sears Tower — the world’s tallest building for 25 years from 1973-1998.

1977 — Our Washington, D.C. office opens. Initially focusing on energy and market regulation work, it has subsequently grown to include a wide range of corporate and litigation practices.

1979 — Our Chicago-area attorneys begin working with the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) Foundation in one of their storefront legal clinics in a neighborhood on the far north side of Chicago. We continue to sponsor the same clinic and actively participate in Foundation matters.

1980-1990s — We helped make new law in the areas of trademarks, trade dress and trade secrets. Today, we have one of the largest intellectual property groups among general practice law firms.

1991 — Our New York City office opens establishing significant practices in an increasing array of key legal services. Furthermore, our New York office serves as a focal point of our representation of overseas clients.

2000s — Schiff Hardin continues to represent longtime clients such as NiSource Inc. and Newell Rubbermaid Inc. in implementing their ongoing merger and acquisition strategies to achieve the goal of market leadership. This included NiSource's $8.5 billion acquisition of Columbia Energy Group, and Newell's acquisition of the worldwide stationery products businesses of The Gillette Company, which has annual sales of nearly $800 million. We also represented NiSource in its 2003 dispositions of Columbia Energy Resources, Inc. and most of Primary Energy Inc. in two separate transactions totaling $665 million.

2002-2003 — Schiff Hardin works with our longtime clients The Chicago Bears on the renovation of Soldier Field. This involved negotiating a private/public partnership effort unmatched in Chicago history.

2003 — Our Atlanta office opens, expanding our services nationally and regionally.

2004 — We adopted a new name — Schiff Hardin LLP.

2007 — We combined with San Francisco-based Morgenstein & Jubelirer to open our first West coast office and expanded our Energy group to include a new office in Boston.

Change continues to be a constant at our firm as we embrace growth and new ways of achieving practice excellence.

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