Our story began on the 22nd day of March in 1819, when Richard Blatchford established a law office at 140 Water Street in New York City. Four years later, his lifelong colleague and friend, William Seward, began a partnership with Elijah Miller in Auburn. In 1854, the New York and Auburn offices formally combined.

These two great families of lawyers, the Blatchfords and the Sewards, were the foundation of our Firm. During the Civil War, Richard Blatchford and William Seward each served President Lincoln. Samuel Blatchford, our second Presiding Partner, would go on to become a Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Our model, developed by Paul Cravath, became the blueprint for the modern American law firm and many other professional services firms powered by human capital. The Cravath family legacy extended from the founding of Fisk University during the era of Reconstruction to the formation of the Council on Foreign Relations to seek a more peaceful world through the promotion of diplomacy and alliances among nations.