Taft Stettinius & Hollister

Taft Stettinius & Hollister
Name	Taft Stettinius & Hollister
Headquarters	Cincinnati, Ohio
Founded	1885
Founders	Charles Phelps Taft; William Howard Taft; (historical partners)
Num attorneys	300+
Practice areas	Corporate, Litigation, Labor & Employment, Intellectual Property, Real Estate

Taft Stettinius & Hollister is a large regional law firm founded in the late 19th century with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm has grown through mergers and lateral expansions to serve clients across the Midwestern and national markets, representing corporations, financial institutions, governmental entities, and individuals in complex matters. Its attorneys have been involved in precedent-setting litigation, major corporate transactions, regulatory matters, and public service roles at federal and state levels.

History

The firm traces roots to legal practices contemporary with figures such as William Howard Taft, Charles Phelps Taft, Rutherford B. Hayes, and institutions like the University of Cincinnati College of Law in the late 1800s. During the Progressive Era the firm advised clients engaged with industries tied to the Panic of 1893, the expansion of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and trusts that drew scrutiny under the Sherman Antitrust Act. In the 20th century the firm expanded alongside developments involving the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the rise of General Electric, and regulatory regimes shaped by the Federal Trade Commission and the Internal Revenue Service. Mergers and affiliations in the late 20th and early 21st centuries connected the firm to markets influenced by the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the growth of Silicon Valley-adjacent intellectual property practice. Partners have transitioned into public roles in administrations associated with Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and later governors of Ohio.

Practice areas

The firm maintains practices in corporate and transactional matters touching on Securities and Exchange Commission filings, mergers and acquisitions involving entities such as Procter & Gamble and Dow Chemical, and banking transactions with institutions like JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America. Its litigation group handles matters in federal courts overseen by judges appointed by administrations including those of Richard Nixon and Barack Obama, and engages with appellate work at the Supreme Court of the United States and circuit courts such as the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Labor and employment attorneys advise on matters implicating the National Labor Relations Board and statutes like the Fair Labor Standards Act. Intellectual property teams prosecute and defend patents before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and litigate trade secret disputes involving companies comparable to Microsoft, Apple Inc., and 3M. The real estate group manages transactions tied to municipal authorities like the City of Cincinnati and large developers comparable to The Related Companies. The firm also maintains practices in tax controversies before the United States Tax Court, environmental matters involving the Environmental Protection Agency, and healthcare regulatory work related to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Offices and geographic presence

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, the firm operates offices across multiple markets including locations in cities analogous to Columbus, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, Indianapolis, Indiana, Chicago, Illinois, Washington, D.C., and regions proximate to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Nashville, Tennessee. These offices serve corporate clients active in industries tied to Procter & Gamble, Kroger, General Motors, and regional financial institutions such as Fifth Third Bank. Regional presence supports matters before state courts like the Ohio Supreme Court and administrative bodies including the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

Notable attorneys and alumni

Alumni have included jurists and public figures who moved between private practice and roles in the United States Department of Justice, state attorney general offices, and federal judiciary appointments similar to those of judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Former partners have held elected office in the Ohio General Assembly and served in executive branch positions in administrations comparable to those of Harry S. Truman and George W. Bush. The firm’s alumni network intersects with leaders from institutions like the Ohio State University, Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and national bar organizations such as the American Bar Association.

Major cases and transactions

Attorneys from the firm have litigated and negotiated high-stakes matters involving mergers and acquisitions comparable to transactions involving Pfizer and AbbVie, bankruptcy reorganizations resembling filings by large retailers, and antitrust disputes with parallels to cases against AT&T and Microsoft. The firm has represented clients in complex securities litigation following patterns seen in suits involving Enron and WorldCom derivatives litigation, and prosecuted intellectual property disputes akin to cases with Qualcomm and Intel. In municipal finance, the firm has participated in bond issuances and public-private partnerships reminiscent of projects involving MetLife and municipal authorities such as Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Awards and rankings

The firm has received recognition from legal-ranking organizations comparable to Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, and U.S. News & World Report "Best Law Firms." Individual attorneys have been listed in publications like Best Lawyers and honored by civic organizations connected to United Way and chambers of commerce such as the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. The firm’s practice areas have been noted in rankings that also recognize firms representing clients like Procter & Gamble and Kroger.

Category:Law firms based in Cincinnati