Michael S. Roberts

In the BeginningTaft Stettinius & Hollister LLP traces its roots back to 1885, when Worthington & Strong was founded by Judge William Worthington and Edward W. Strong. John L. Stettinius and John B. Hollister joined the firm after its founding, at which point the firm became known as Worthington, Strong, Stettinius & Hollister. In January 1923, Judge Worthington passed away. In the following year, a young firm headed by Robert A. Taft (who later became a U.S. Senator) and Charles P. Taft II, sons of former President William Howard Taft, joined the older firm to become Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP.The firm came to local prominence and national stature. For example, the firm’s labor department, led by J. Mack Swigert, was instrumental in helping Senator Taft draft and pass the groundbreaking Taft-Hartley Act in 1947.Strategic GrowthThrough a series of successful mergers and the establishment of new offices, Taft has become a premier regional law firm.

June 1983: Taft Cincinnati partner David Johnson moved to Columbus, Ohio to launch our Columbus office. As Taft continued to establish itself as a preeminent Ohio firm, it seemed appropriate that the firm should have an office in the state’s capital. 

April 1986: The firm opened an office across the river in Northern Kentucky. Three Taft attorneys, including the current partner-in-charge of our Kentucky office, Robert Craig, relocated from the Cincinnati office to Covington to support our growing clientele throughout Kentucky. 

January 2001: Cleveland-based Kelley, McCann & Livingstone joined the four attorneys in Taft’s Cleveland office. Known for its public law and litigation capabilities, the Kelley McCann lawyers welcomed the opportunity to join the Taft family and expand their services to clients throughout Northeast Ohio. 

July 2003: Hugh Wall III joined the firm and opened Taft’s Dayton office, which gave Taft a physical presence in a city where it already had many clients. By 2009, the office had more than 30 attorneys, and it has continued to expand client services since then. 

May 2008: Taft merged with Sommer Barnard, a prominent, full-service Indianapolis firm with more than 100 attorneys. The merger gave Taft and Sommer Barnard a regional presence, as well as greater depth in meeting a variety of business and individual legal needs. 

September 2008: Taft’s commitment to the Cleveland region was enhanced with the merger of Kahn Kleinman, a highly respected commercial real estate, corporate, and tax firm. The merger was named by Crain’s Cleveland Business as one of the “10 Deals That Mattered Most in 2008.” 

January 2012: Taft’s merger with Chester Willcox & Saxbe strengthened its presence in Ohio’s capital city. In addition to litigation, business, labor & employment, and private client practices, CWS attorneys provided a sophisticated energy practice. 

January 2014: Taft merged with Shefsky & Froelich, a Chicago law firm with 70 attorneys. The merger extended Taft’s footprint to the financial hub of the Midwestern region and enhanced Taft’s offerings to clients in other markets. 

July 2017: Taft opened an office in Delaware, Ohio, due to the growth rate in Delaware County and clients’ interest in doing business in Delaware County, among other factors.

January 2020: Taft combined with Minneapolis-based firm Briggs and Morgan, a firm of approximately 140 attorneys with experience in energy, finance, telecommunications, and transportation. Expanding Taft’s presence to the Twin Cities, a top market in the Midwest and flourishing business community, provides a larger platform to address the evolving needs of clients.

February 2021: Taft opened an office in Washington, DC, substantially expanding its existing group of public affairs professionals by establishing a new bipartisan and diverse federal, state, and local Public Affairs Strategies Group (PASG) in the nation’s capital and its Midwestern markets.

Taft Today

With 675 attorneys, Taft is more vibrant and engaged in a wider range of work than ever before — with clients, both individual and corporate, whose needs for legal services range from local to international in scope. The firm has 11 offices in six states, plus the District of Columbia:

Chicago, Ill.

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio

Delaware, Ohio

Denver, Colo.

Indianapolis, Ind.

Minneapolis, Minn.

Northern Kentucky

Washington, DC

In addition, the firm has an established Japanese practice based in the United States.

Throughout the firm’s history, our focus has remained constant: to provide clients, both large and small, with sound legal guidance driven by a collaborative approach to gain optimal results.