Seyfarth Shaw

Seyfarth Shaw LLP
HeadquartersWillis Tower
Chicago, U.S.
No. of offices17
No. of attorneys970 [1]
Major practice areasGeneral practice
RevenueIncrease $932 million USD (2024) (+6%)[2]
Date founded1945 (Chicago)
FounderHenry Seyfarth, Lee Shaw, and Owen Fairweather
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitewww.seyfarth.com

Seyfarth Shaw LLP (/ˈsaɪfɑːrθ/ SY-farth)[3] is an international AmLaw 100 law firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in Chicago in 1945 by Henry Seyfarth, Lee Shaw, and Owen Fairweather, Seyfarth Shaw initially focused on the area of labor law.[4]

As of 2025, the firm was among the most profitable law firms in the United States[5] with approximately 1,000 attorneys[6]

Lorie Almon was elected chair in 2023 and assumed the position of chair and managing partner of the firm on January 1, 2024.[7] She is the first woman to hold that title at Seyfarth.[8]

Seyfarth Shaw has 17 offices globally. This includes 13 active offices in 12 U.S. cities: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles (two offices), New York, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC.[9] The firm has four international locations, including Hong Kong, Melbourne, Sydney, and London.[9]

History

Early years

1952 political march by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. Among their signs is "Repeal Hartley–Taft Act"

During the Second World War, attorneys Henry Seyfarth and Owen Fairweather served on the National War Labor Board, which was responsible for monitoring labor issues.[10][11]

Seyfarth and Fairweather, along with Lee C. Shaw, left the firm Pope & Ballard and established Seyfarth, Shaw & Fairweather in Chicago in 1945, focused on the area of labor law.[12][13]

Shaw helped draft the 1947 Labor Management Relations Act, also known as the Taft-Hartley Act, which restricted the activities and power of labor unions. It was enacted by the 80th United States Congress over the veto of President Harry S. Truman, becoming law on June 23, 1947.[14]

Growth and expansion

By 1964, the firm was known as Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson, having incorporated the name of partner Ray Geraldson.[15]

In 1971, the firm established a presence in Washington, D.C. and expanded into legislative and regulatory affairs.[16]

After years of strikes, picketing, boycotts and solidarity actions in support of California farmworkers — such as the Delano grape strike and the Salad Bowl strike — the firm opened an office in Los Angeles in 1973, seeking to represent farmowners in labor negotiations against United Farm Workers. The struggle ultimately led to the enactment of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which established the right to collective bargaining for farmworkers in that state.[17][18]

The firm further expanded throughout the 1970s and 1980s, opening offices in New York City (1978) and San Francisco (1984).[19]

In 1990, the firm opened its first international office in Brussels, Belgium in order to assist corporate clients in the European Economic Community.[20][21] The firm further expanded through the 1990s, opening offices in Sacramento (1990), Houston (1995), Atlanta (1996) and Boston (1999).[22]

In 1999, the firm, wanting to change the perception that it "only did employment law and only practiced in Chicago," rebranded and shortened its name to Seyfarth Shaw.[23]

21st century

From 2000 to 2003, the firm underwent a series of strategic mergers: with McCullough Sherrill in 2000, Chappell White in 2001, and D’Ancona & Pflaum in 2003.[24][25]

The firm further expanded internationally in the 2010s, opening offices in:

Amid geopolitical tensions and an exodus of American law firms from mainland China, the Shanghai office was closed in 2025.[31][32]

Starting in 2004, managing partner J. Stephen Poor began encouraging the use of sophisticated management systems to drive efficiency as a way to modernize legal service delivery.[33] The following year, Poor championed the launch of SeyfarthLean, a team of 15 project managers dedicated to applying lean principles to legal work.[34] In 2008, the firm launched SeyfarthLean Consulting, which offered process improvement services to clients and their in-house legal departments.[35]

Awards and recognition

Notable lawyers and alumni

Rankings

The American Lawyer ranks Seyfarth 61st on its annual AmLaw 200 ranking of the largest U.S. law firms by revenue.[44] The National Law Journal's "NLJ 500" 2025 list ranks Seyfarth 63rd among the largest law firms in the United States.[44] Top Legal 500,[45] U.S. News & World Report[46] and Best Lawyers 2025 “Best Law Firms” awarded Seyfarth’s IP group a National Tier 1 ranking.[47]

References

  1. ^ "Legal 500"
  2. ^ "The American Lawyer".
  3. ^ "Working at Seyfarth".
  4. ^ "Market Knowledge Clears the Path for Early Construction and Signficant Cost Savings | US". Cushman & Wakefield. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  5. ^ "Top 100 US Law Firms - 2025 Am Law 100". www.law.com. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  6. ^ Dolmetsh, Chris (January 5, 2026). "Trump Organization, SBF Lawyer Mukasey to Join Seyfarth Firm". Bloomberg News.
  7. ^ "A Pioneering Spirit | University of Virginia School of Law". www.law.virginia.edu. May 24, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  8. ^ "Seyfarth law firm elects N.Y. partner Lorie Almon as next chair". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  9. ^ a b "Seyfarth Shaw LLP". U.S. News & World Report.
  10. ^ Martin, Douglas (November 25, 1999). "Lee Shaw, 86, Lawyer, Dies; Helped Develop Labor Law". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  11. ^ "Deaths | Dartmouth Alumni Magazine | June 1987". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine | The Complete Archive. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  12. ^ "AFTER LOOKING FOR A MERGER, LAW FIRM DECIDES TO DISSOLVE". Chicago Tribune. January 19, 1994. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  13. ^ "Lee C. Shaw; Pioneer in Labor Law". Los Angeles Times. November 23, 1999. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  14. ^ "Lee C. Shaw; Pioneer in Labor Law". Los Angeles Times. November 23, 1999. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  15. ^ "A 'quiet pioneer' in Chicago law dies". Crain's Chicago Business. February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  16. ^ "Timeline". Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  17. ^ "Lee C. Shaw; Pioneer in Labor Law". Los Angeles Times. November 23, 1999. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  18. ^ Shane Nelson (November 13, 2023). "Seyfarth Shaw celebrates 50 years in Los Angeles". Daily Journal Corporation. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  19. ^ "Timeline". Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  20. ^ Joel Havemann (December 4, 1990). "U.S. Law Firms Chasing New Clients in Brussels". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  21. ^ Carole Silver (2000). "Globalization and the U.S. Market in Legal Services: Shifting Identities" (PDF). Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  22. ^ "Timeline". Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  23. ^ "Balancing the scales of old and new". DoubleTake Design. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
  24. ^ "Timeline". Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  25. ^ "Seyfarth Shaw and D'Ancona & Pflaum Announce Merger". September 12, 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  26. ^ "Seyfarth Shaw to Open London Office". December 8, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  27. ^ "Seyfarth Opens in Australia with Offices in Sydney and Melbourne". June 10, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  28. ^ "Seyfarth Opens in Australia with Offices in Sydney and Melbourne". June 10, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  29. ^ "Seyfarth Shaw Announces Shanghai Office Opening". April 17, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  30. ^ "Seyfarth Continues Asia-Pacific Expansion with Hong Kong Office". February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  31. ^ Staci Zaretsky (June 6, 2025). "Yet Another Top Biglaw Firm Shutters An Office In China". Above the Law. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  32. ^ Sara Merken (June 5, 2025). "US law firm Seyfarth to exit Shanghai in latest China market retreat". Reuters. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  33. ^ "Innovative Managing Partner: Seyfarth's J. Stephen Poor - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  34. ^ "Seyfarth Shaw Puts 'Software Robots' to Use in Automation Push". Law.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  35. ^ "The Tech [R]evolution in Law | Law Quadrangle". quadrangle.michigan.law.umich.edu. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  36. ^ "Leading Law Firms: Redefining Success". July 7, 2025. Archived from the original on December 17, 2025. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  37. ^ "Client Challenge". www.ft.com. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  38. ^ "2025 Women, Influence and Power in Law Awards: Law Firm Winners". Law.com. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  39. ^ "Board Members Since 1935 | National Labor Relations Board". www.nlrb.gov. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  40. ^ "Magistrate Judge James R. Cho | US Courts - New York Eastern District". www.nyed.uscourts.gov. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  41. ^ "Jun 17, 1990, page 28 - Hartford Courant at Newspapers.com™". Newspapers.com. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  42. ^ "Laurie Robinson Haden, President and CEO of Corporate Counsel Women of Color". Law.com. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  43. ^ "Magistrate Judge Marcia M. Henry | US Courts - New York Eastern District". www.nyed.uscourts.gov. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  44. ^ a b "Seyfarth | Rankings, Lawyers & Practice Areas | Law.com". www.law.com. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  45. ^ "Legal500". Legal500. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  46. ^ "U.S. News - Best Lawyers Best Law Firms". Bestlawfirms.usnews.com. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  47. ^ "Seyfarth Shaw LLP - WTR 1000 - WTR". www.worldtrademarkreview.com. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
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