Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis

Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP was a U.S. law firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and founded in Philadelphia in 1935 by former Pennsylvania Attorney General William A. Schnader, Bernard G. Segal, a former Deputy Attorney General serving under Schnader, and Francis A. Lewis. The firm was initially named Schnader & Lewis. Eventually, Segal was added as a name partner. The fourth name partner, Earl G. Harrison, joined the firm in 1948. When the firm announced its closure it had roughly 90 attorneys in six offices nationwide. On August 3, 2023, the firm announced it would dissolve and permanently cease operations.[2]

Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP
Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis
HeadquartersPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
No. of offices6
No. of attorneysApproximately 90[1]
Major practice areasGeneral practice; Litigation, Business/Corporate, Tax & Wealth Management
Key peopleKenneth R. Puhala, Chairman
Date founded1935
FounderWilliam A. Schnader
Company typeLimited Liability Partnership
Dissolved2023
Websiteschnader.com

History

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In 1935, after losing his bid for Governor of Pennsylvania, William A. Schnader decided to start his own law firm. He was joined by Bernard G. Segal, who had served as a Deputy Attorney General under Schnader, and Francis A. Lewis, who had been Schnader's campaign treasurer. Earl G. Harrison, the former Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and former Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, joined the firm in 1948, becoming the fourth name partner.

The Schnader firm expanded over the years, opening offices in Washington, D.C., Wilmington, Delaware, New York City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh. The firm operated a branch office in Atlanta from 1992-2008 and opened its first West Coast office in San Francisco, in 1999. In 2000, the firm merged with Mesirov Gelman Jaffe Cramer & Jamieson LLP in Philadelphia. In 2013, the firm entered into a non-exclusive association with the Jakarta-based law firm Yang & Co to provide representation to Indonesian companies and individuals requiring legal counsel in the U.S., and to U.S. companies and individuals requiring legal counsel in Indonesia.[3]

At close, Schnader had six offices that served local, national, and international clients ranging from large corporations to start-ups and entrepreneurs to individual clients in more than 40 areas of the law. In addition to the firm’s traditional strengths in complex litigation, commercial transactions, and wealth management, the firm had significant experience and depth in intellectual property, international commerce, labor and employment, financial services, construction law, real estate development, corporate governance, appellate services, technology-based companies, media and communications, government relations and regulatory affairs, energy and environmental issues, nonprofit, education, aviation issues, business reorganization, and securities and shareholder litigation [4][5]

On August 3, 2023, the firm announced a dissolution of the firm, following a decline in attorney headcount.[6] Schnader had over 300 attorneys in the early 2000s which declined to around 200 following the unwinding of a previous merger.[6] By June 2022 Schnader had 122 attorneys, falling to 90 attorneys when the firm announced its closure.[6]

Notable lawyers and alumni

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Offices

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References

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  1. ^ "Attorney List".
  2. ^ Ravitch, Lizzy (August 3, 2023). "Philadelphia-based law firm Schnader Harrison is closing". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  3. ^ "Schnader and Yang & Co. Formalize Representation Arrangement for Indonesia Related Legal Matters (press release)". October 22, 2013.
  4. ^ "Schnader Harrison: A Survivor at 75," The Legal Intelligencer, August 8, 2005
  5. ^ "Schnader firm looks at its fabled past," Philadelphia Business Journal Blog: Law and Finance, January 29, 2010
  6. ^ a b c Ravitch, Lizzy (August 3, 2023). "Philadelphia-based law firm Schnader Harrison is closing". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  7. ^ Timothy K. Lewis firm bio
  8. ^ "You (Probably) Can't Go Home Again," Pennsylvania Law Weekly, July 10, 2007
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