Calfee was founded in Cleveland in 1903 by George Washington University Law School graduate, Robert M. Calfee. In 1929, Edwin G. Halter graduated from the Western Reserve School of Law and became a partner, with his name being added to the firm's name in 1946. R.M. Calfee’s son, Jack, joined the firm in 1938. In 1950, U.S. Supreme Court clerk Bruce Griswold joined the firm, and his name was added to the firm's in 1966.
Calfee opened the Columbus office in 1988, and in 1989, became a founding member of Lex Mundi – the world’s leading network of independent law firms with in-depth experience in 100+ countries worldwide. In 2011, Calfee opened the Cincinnati office, followed by Washington, D.C. in 2017 and Indianapolis and New York in 2019.
Firm Milestones
1903
Virginian Robert M. Calfee, a graduate of the George Washington University Law School, comes to Cleveland and forms Bemis, Zizelman & Calfee with two partners. The firm is located in the Old Arcade.
1908
R.M. Calfee becomes a sole practitioner with offices in the nearby Williamson Building.
1909
Joseph G. Fogg, a University of Wisconsin football star who coached briefly at Case Tech, joins Calfee. The firm is renamed Calfee & Fogg.
1916
R.M. Calfee turns over firm management to Fogg. He returns temporarily to Washington D.C. to counsel the inventor of the Lewis Machine Gun, which is manufactured in Europe and used by the allies in World War I. Afterward, he helps to write a new constitution for Czechoslovakia.
1928
The firm moves to the new Central National Bank Building located on Public Square.
1929
Twenty-three-year-old Edwin G. Halter graduates magna cum laude from the Western Reserve School of Law and becomes a partner.
1938
R.M. Calfee’s son, Jack, joins the firm.
1946
The firm moves to the Union Commerce Building on East 9th Street and Euclid Avenue, later renamed the Huntington Building, home to many other prestigious law firms. Joseph Fogg dies. The firm is renamed Calfee, Fogg, McChord & Halter.
1950
Bruce Griswold, a U.S. Supreme Court clerk, joins the firm.
1951
Securities lawyer Al Sommer joins the firm.
1953
Calfee celebrates its 50th anniversary. The firm has 10 partners and two associates.
1966
The firms changes its name to Calfee, Halter, Griswold & Sommer.
1967
Jack Calfee, son of the founder, becomes Chairman of the Executive Committee.
1968
Robert Calfee dies at 92.
1970
Al Sommer succeeds Jack Calfee as Chairman of the Executive Committee. Calfee now has 25 lawyers. The firm moves to the new Central National Bank building at East Ninth Street and Superior Avenue.
1973
Al Sommer is appointed an SEC Commissioner. The firm changes its name to Calfee, Halter & Griswold.
1975
Ed Halter dies at 69.
1985
Rush McKnight succeeds Dan Ekelman as Chairman of the Executive Committee and, together with future Executive Committee Chairmen John Wheeler and Dale LaPorte, leads the firm to significant growth.
1988
Calfee opens a Columbus office to service Government Relations clients.
1989
Calfee becomes a founding member of Lex Mundi. The firm grows to 131 lawyers.
1993
Bruce Griswold dies at 77.
2000
Dale LaPorte named Chairman.
2003
Jack Calfee dies at 90. The firm celebrates its Centennial with nearly 200 lawyers.
2004
Brent Ballard is elected Managing Partner. Tom McKee and Tom Wagner are named Co-Chairmen.
2008
Tom Wagner retires and Tom McKee becomes Chairman.
2009
Calfee begins looking for space to practice 21st century law and finds the former East Ohio Gas Co. building. The firm signs a long-term lease to have the building restored as Calfee’s new headquarters. The restoration of this historic building begins.
2011
Calfee opens an office in Cincinnati with former Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken and former Ohio Senate President Richard Finan. On December 27, the Cleveland office moves into the new Calfee building.
2012
The Cleveland Restoration Society honors the firm's commitment with a Distinguished Restoration and Rehabilitation Award.
2014
The Columbus office relocates to the Huntington Center.
2017
Washington, D.C. office opens as an extension of the firm’s Government Relations practice. Mitch Blair and Doug Neary are named as Vice Chairmen.
2018
Calfee becomes a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD).
2019
Tom McKee is named Senior Chairman, and Doug Neary is named Chairman of Calfee.
Indianapolis office opens to support the firm’s Energy and Utilities practice.
New York office opens in the city's Financial District to serve the firm's growing list of national and international clients.
Calfee becomes the "Cleveland City Lead," helping to launch the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity's 1L law student mentoring program to Cleveland-area law schools; the program pairs diverse law students with experienced attorneys from local law firms and corporations.
2020
Art Hall, Partner-in-Charge of the Cleveland office is named Firm Administrative Partner.
Calfee hosts inaugural "Northeast Ohio Summit on Diversity in the Legal Profession."
2021
John Cipolla is named Firm Vice Chair.
Calfee participates in the Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification process, with the shared goal of increasing the representation of historically underrepresented lawyers in law firms.
2022
Calfee achieves Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certification.
2023
Tom Welsh is elected Managing Partner.
Brent Ballard becomes the firm's first Chief Strategy Officer.
Jenn Vergilii and Terry Doyle are named Firm Vice Chair.
Calfee achieves Mansfield Certification (2022-2023).
From a one-attorney office to a firm with attorneys in 100+ practice groups and industries/sectors across six cities, Calfee's steadfast mission has been to provide meaningful legal and business counsel in matters that are critical to the success of our clients. These strong roots are what have enabled us to focus and grow with our clients' changing needs.
