Alston & Bird is the dynamic, prominent firm it is today as the result of the leadership of individual, outstanding attorneys and thoughtful mergers that strengthened our practice areas, culture and philosophies.
The firm’s history dates back to 1893 through the long roots of the Alston, Miller & Gaines’ predecessor firms. The merger with Jones, Bird and Howell formed Alston & Bird on December 1, 1982. Expansion beyond Georgia began with the establishment of an office in Washington, DC, followed by the 1997 merger with Bell Seltzer Park & Gibson (Charlotte and Raleigh, NC) and Walter, Conston, Alexander & Green in 2001 (New York, NY), and the opening of an office in Dallas, TX, in 2007. Alston & Bird's Silicon Valley office opened on August 1, 2008, and its Los Angeles office opened on September 2 following the acquisition of Weston Benshoof Rochefort Rubalcava and MacCuish LLP. In 2011, the firm established our first European office in Brussels, and in September 2015 continued our international expansion to China with the opening of the Beijing office. With the opening of a San Francisco office in 2017, we extended our presence in California to three locations. Our European footprint expanded in 2019 with the opening of our London office.
Today, the firm's attorneys provide a full range of services to domestic and international clients who conduct business all over the world. Counseling clients from what was initially a local context to regional, then national, and now a global economic environment, Alston & Bird has overlaid its broad range of legal skills and business knowledge with a commitment to innovation and technology.
We take pride in our rich history as the professional home to accomplished individuals who made important contributions to our firm’s culture and the service we provide to clients. Notably the legendary golfer Bobby Jones, winner of the Grand Slam in 1930 and founder of the Augusta National Golf Club, was a partner of the firm; we continue to represent the Bobby Jones name and monitor trademark issues for the family. Our history of great legacies continued in 2003 when the late former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole—one of the nation’s most respected statesmen and experts on government relations—joined our firm’s Legislative & Public Policy group.
One of the most significant engagements in the firm’s history began with the appointment of our Partner Neal Batson by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York as Examiner for Enron Corp. in 2002. This engagement was a unique opportunity to serve an objective role in examining one of the most visible and significant corporate failures in American history. Neal’s appointment recognizes both the highest level of excellence and his ethical reputation.
The firm is truly proud of its heritage and continues to write history every day.