Mayer Brown is a global law firm that represents and serves various large companies included in the Fortune 500 (around 89 companies), FTSE 100, DAX, and Hang Seng. It also extends its services to at least 35 of the United States’ largest banks.

The firm’s areas of expertise include Supreme Court and appellate, litigation, corporate and securities, finance, real estate and tax practices among others.

Considered one of the world’s oldest law firms, Mayer Brown has changed names several times; these names, though, never failed to include that of its founder, Levy Mayer.

Mayer and Czech immigrant-lawyer Adolf Kraus formed the law firm in 1881. Over the next five years, Mayer and Kraus’ cases tripled and they eventually changed the firm’s name to Moran, Kraus, Mayer & Stein after Illinois Appellate Court’s Judge Thomas A. Moran joined the group. When Stein, one of the partners, was elected as Cook County judge, the firm became known as Moran, Kraus & Mayer.

Over the next few years, the firm underwent more changes until in 2001 — when it was then known as Mayer, Brown & Platt — Mayer Brown joined forces with Paris and Frankfurt-based boutique firms. Two years later, in 2002, Mayer Brown merged with Rowe & Maw, a UK-based firm with 250 lawyers. The firm then became known as Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw.

In September 2007, the firm’s name was officially shortened to Mayer Brown just months after the firm began restructuring and reducing its number of partners by 10 percent.

Today, Mayer Brown has 21 offices and 1,800 lawyers in the United States, Europe and Asia. It has grown to become one of the largest global law firms in terms of revenue and number of lawyers. In 2007, its revenue was estimated to be a whopping $1.2 billion.

Mayer Brown’s legal practice is divided into several entities: Mayer Brown LLP, Mayer Brown International LLP, and JSM (Johnson Stokes and Master) Hong Kong. The firm’s Asian entity is known as Mayer Brown JSM.

Mayer Brown is committed to client service. It is also committed to serving the community and society by allotting 3 percent of their total billable time per year to pro-bono work.

Mayer Brown, a recipient of various awards and recognition from professional groups, works in alliance with Spain’s Ramon & Cajal, Italy’s Tonucci & Partners, and Jauregui, Navarrete y Nader, a Mexican law firm.

James D. Holzhauer is the firm’s current chairman.

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