History
Dickinson Wright was founded in 1878 by two young lawyers, Henry Munroe Campbell and Henry Russel. [3]
The firm quickly became an influential force in Michigan’s legal and political development. Its members played key roles in drafting the state’s constitutions in both 1908 and 1963. During the national banking crisis of 1933, following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s closure of banks, the firm helped organize the federally funded National Bank of Detroit (now JPMorgan Chase & Co.), which was instrumental in stabilizing Michigan’s banking system and ending a 36-day bank holiday. [4]
The firm began expanding outside of Michigan in 1978 with the opening of its Washington, D.C. Over the years, it has continued to grow strategically, adding five additional offices in Michigan (Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Saginaw, and Troy). In the late 2000s, the firm entered new markets with offices in Toronto, Phoenix, and Nashville. That expansion continued with the opening of Columbus, OH in 2012 followed by new offices in Las Vegas, NV and Lexington, Kentucky in 2015. [4] Fort Lauderdale, FL and Austin, TX were added in 2016. The firm then opened in El Paso, Texas in 2017 and Silicon Valley in 2018. On January 1, 2021, the firm further expanded by opening a Chicago office through the acquisition of Stahl Cowen Crowley Addis LLC. [5] Growth continued in 2023 with the launch of the Denver [6] office, and in 2024 with new locations in San Diego [7] and Windsor. [8] Most recently, in 2025, the firm expanded to the Pacific Northwest with the opening of its Seattle office—marking Dickinson Wright’s continued commitment to serving clients nationwide.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, as Japanese companies expanded into Metro Detroit, the firm (then Dickinson, Wright, Moon, Van Dusen & Freeman) hired a Japanese paralegal and two Japanese attorneys. It also launched a Japanese-language newsletter and held seminars to better serve its Japanese clients—an early example of the firm adapting to meet the needs of an international client base. [9]
The firm adopted its current name, Dickinson Wright PLLC, in January 1998, when it became a professional limited liability company.
Around the late 1980s and early 1990s, because of the increase in Japanese companies in Metro Detroit, Dickinson Wright (then Dickinson, Wright, Moon, Van Dusen & Freeman) hired a Japanese paralegal and two Japanese lawyers. With its new employees it began publishing a Japanese-language newsletter for Japanese clients and began conducting Japanese-language seminars
Practice areas
Dickinson Wright offers legal services across a wide range of practice areas to support clients in both transactional and litigation matters. Our teams work across industries and jurisdictions to help navigate complex legal and business challenges.
Administrative, Regulatory & Government Relations, Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Appellate, Automotive & Automotive Litigation, Banking & Financial Services, Bankruptcy & Restructuring, Business Technology, Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, Cross-Border (U.S.-Canada) Litigation, Construction, Corporate & Corporate Finance, Emerging Businesses, Employee Benefits, Labor & Employment, Energy, Sustainability & Environmental, Estate Planning & Administration, Family Law, Gaming, Healthcare, Hospitality, Immigration, Native American Law, Insurance, Intellectual Property, Media, Sports & Entertainment, Mergers & Acquisitions, Public Law & Finance, Patent Litigation, Private Equity, Products Liability, Real Estate, Schools & Education, Securities, and Taxation.
Our lawyers collaborate across offices and disciplines to provide clear, practical guidance tailored to each client’s needs. [10]
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