Dinsmore & Shohl LLP celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, marking the milestone with a $100,000 contribution and volunteer commitment to nine Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
“Our founding partners believed in giving back to the profession and the community – and the firm has followed in their footsteps throughout our history,” said George H. Vincent, Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Today, we honor our founders and continue that legacy through our support of Big Brothers Big Sisters.”
"It is with profound gratitude that we accept the donation from Dinsmore & Shohl. As a fellow centurion organization (Big Brothers Big Sisters was founded in 1903), we congratulate Dinsmore & Shohl on their milestone and express our sincere appreciation for their gift of financial and volunteer support. The partnership is instrumental in helping us reach the most at-risk children in our region,” said Kathy List, President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Cincinnati.
In addition to a financial contribution, Dinsmore & Shohl attorneys throughout the region have volunteered their time and energy to support Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates and their mission.
Today, with more than 350 attorneys, Dinsmore & Shohl has grown to become the largest firm in its hometown of Cincinnati and one of the largest in the Midwest, ranking in the Am Law 200. The firm first ventured beyond Cincinnati in the 1980s, when offices were opened in Dayton and Columbus, Ohio. In the late 1990s, Dinsmore & Shohl expanded into Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky. In 2002 offices were established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Charleston, West Virginia. Two more West Virginia locations - Morgantown and Wheeling - were added in 2007.
The firm’s clients have grown too, now conducting business locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Dinsmore & Shohl's clients include Fortune 100 and 500 companies, public and private corporations, as well as institutions, civic and charitable organizations, and individuals.
History of Dinsmore & Shohl
Walter Shohl joined Frank Dinsmore’s law practice in 1908 and the partners made their mark on local and legal history, forging the foundation for a commitment to service for their clients, their communities and their profession.
In 1913, Dinsmore and Shohl successfully defended George B. “Boss” Cox on charges of violating state banking laws in two hotly contested and widely publicized trials. Ironically, 73 years later, the firm ended up on the other side of Ohio's misapplication of bank funds statute when Dinsmore & Shohl lawyers took the lead in prosecuting the well-publicized criminal trial following the collapse of Home State Savings & Loan.
More recently, this nationally recognized regional law firm has focused on providing cost-effective legal services to a wide range of corporate, institutional, government, and individual clients - successfully balancing the firm's involvement in high profile mass tort litigation for some of the country's largest manufacturers with counseling businesses on all aspects of corporate, litigation and labor and employment law.
A long list of Dinsmore & Shohl alumni have held public office or filled governmental and judicial roles. The founding partners certainly started the tradition, with Frank Dinsmore serving as counsel for the city and county, while Walter Shohl served a term in the Ohio Senate and three years as judge on Ohio’s First District Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. Perhaps the firm’s most famous member was Potter Stewart, who came to Dinsmore & Shohl in 1946 as an associate. He quickly gained a reputation as a top civil litigator, though he also handled criminal matters referred to him on a pro bono basis. In 1958, at the age of 43, Stewart was appointed by President Eisenhower to the U.S. Supreme Court. He served as an associate justice for 23 years, shaping landmark rulings on vital legal issues ranging from capital punishment and First Amendment rights to government wiretapping and school desegregation.
The legacy of Dinsmore and Shohl continues in the commitment each attorney and staff member makes, to their clients, their communities, and their profession. The founders may never have dreamed their relationship would go this far, but they certainly would be proud.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters:
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the largest youth mentoring organization in the United States. With more than 400 affiliates across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam, it served 242,000 children in 2006 – more than twice the number of five years ago. The Big Brothers Big Sisters Mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth.