Jones Day
Professional services
UnclaimedA global American law firm serving corporations, governments, institutions, and individuals across major commercial and public-law matters.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Jones Day is a major international law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C., and organized as a privately held legal partnership. It is one of the best-known American “white-shoe” firms, with a practice spanning corporate transactions, commercial litigation, restructuring, antitrust, intellectual property, employment, public law, regulatory matters, and appellate advocacy. The firm has represented large industrial companies, financial institutions, technology businesses, public bodies, political organizations, and nonprofit institutions. Its client list has included companies such as Goldman Sachs, General Motors, McDonald’s, Bridgestone, Chevron, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and Wikimedia Foundation, although client relationships and mandates vary over time. The firm traces its history to Cleveland, Ohio, where Edwin J. Blandin and William Lowe Rice established Blandin & Rice in 1893. After successive partner changes and name changes, the practice merged in 1938 with Day, Young, Veach & LeFever. The combination took effect on January 1, 1939, creating the organization that developed into Jones Day. Thomas H. Hogsett and Thomas Jones were among the important figures in the firm’s early development. In its formative decades, the firm advised major Cleveland-area industrial, railroad, utility, and energy interests, reflecting the commercial growth of the American Midwest. Jones Day began its geographic expansion beyond Ohio with the opening of a Washington, D.C., office in 1946. A 1967 merger with Pogue & Neal strengthened the Washington practice and produced the name Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. International growth accelerated in 1986 through the combination with Surrey & Morse, a boutique firm with offices in New York, Paris, London, and Washington. The firm subsequently established or expanded operations in other major legal and commercial centers, including Hong Kong, Brussels, Tokyo, Taipei, and Frankfurt. The firm’s work includes both conventional corporate legal services and high-profile constitutional, administrative, election, regulatory, bankruptcy, and appellate litigation. Jones Day lawyers have argued more than 40 matters before the United States Supreme Court, according to the firm’s Wikipedia profile. Notable mandates have included the restructuring of Detroit’s municipal bankruptcy, representation of clients in major voting-rights and administrative-law cases, defense and regulatory work for tobacco and energy companies, and appellate matters involving health care, intellectual property, environmental regulation, and international human-rights litigation. Jones Day has also become associated with Republican Party and conservative legal networks. During and after the first Donald Trump administration, numerous former Jones Day lawyers entered government, including Don McGahn and Noel Francisco. The firm represented Trump campaign entities in 2016 and 2020 and handled other politically sensitive matters. Its reported work for Trump-related clients and its role in litigation following the 2020 presidential election generated substantial criticism, while the firm disputed descriptions that it represented Trump or his campaign in litigation alleging voter fraud. In 2025, partner Brett Shumate was selected to lead the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice during Trump’s second administration. Alongside commercial work, Jones Day maintains a significant pro bono practice. Its activities have included representation of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, support for veterans through VetLex, assistance to victims of online child sexual exploitation, and development of a global compendium of laws concerning human trafficking. The firm remains active internationally and is generally recognized as one of the largest and highest-grossing law firms based in the United States.
History
Jones Day began in Cleveland in 1893 as Blandin & Rice, founded by Edwin J. Blandin and William Lowe Rice. Frank Ginn joined in 1899, creating Blandin, Rice & Ginn. After Rice was murdered in 1910, Thomas H. Hogsett joined the partnership in 1912. The firm subsequently became Blandin, Hogsett & Ginn and then Tolles, Hogsett, Ginn & Morley after changes in its partnership. Following further retirements, it operated as Tolles, Hogsett & Ginn from 1928. The early practice was closely tied to the industrial economy of Cleveland and northern Ohio. Its clients included Standard Oil and major railroad and utility enterprises. In November 1938, Thomas Jones led a merger between Tolles, Hogsett & Ginn and the litigation firm Day, Young, Veach & LeFever. The merger became effective on January 1, 1939, under the name Jones, Day, Cockley & Reavis. This combination joined a commercially oriented Cleveland practice with a litigation-focused organization and became the foundation of the modern firm. Jones Day opened its Washington, D.C., office in 1946, its first location outside Ohio. The office gave the firm access to federal agencies, national businesses, public-law matters, and the growing postwar regulatory economy. In 1967, a merger with Pogue & Neal expanded the Washington presence and produced the name Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. The firm’s international expansion began in 1986 through a merger with Surrey & Morse. Surrey & Morse had approximately 75 attorneys and offices in New York, Paris, London, and Washington. Jones Day later developed offices and practices in Hong Kong, Brussels, Tokyo, Taipei, Frankfurt, and other international centers. This expansion transformed the firm from a prominent Ohio-rooted practice into a global network serving multinational companies and cross-border transactions. During the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Jones Day broadened its full-service platform. Its work came to include mergers and acquisitions, finance, restructuring, antitrust, intellectual property, employment, international arbitration, environmental law, government regulation, and complex civil litigation. The firm also built a notable Supreme Court and appellate practice. Its lawyers have represented clients in more than 40 cases before the United States Supreme Court, including disputes involving health-care reform, biotechnology patents, environmental regulation, voting rules, and federal administrative authority. The firm’s political profile became more pronounced during the tenure of managing partner Stephen Brogan, which began in 2003. Jones Day represented conservative and Republican clients in challenges to the Affordable Care Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and later undertook work connected with the Trump presidential campaigns and administration. Don McGahn, a Jones Day partner and former Federal Election Commission member, served as counsel to Trump’s 2016 campaign and later became White House Counsel. Other Jones Day lawyers joined the administration, and former partners including McGahn and Noel Francisco returned to or joined the firm after government service. Jones Day’s work after the 2020 presidential election became a major source of public controversy. The firm worked on litigation concerning Pennsylvania mail ballots and was criticized for lending legal support to claims that the election had been affected by fraud. Jones Day publicly rejected descriptions that it represented Trump, his campaign, or an affiliated party in litigation alleging voter fraud, while reporting cited in the firm’s Wikipedia article described a continuing role in efforts to prevent certain votes from being counted. The firm has also represented clients on both sides of politically sensitive issues, including nonprofit, media, corporate, and public-interest matters. Pro bono work is an important part of the firm’s modern identity. Since 2014, Jones Day has represented migrants, particularly women and children, near the U.S.-Mexico border and has maintained a staffed office in Laredo, Texas. In collaboration with the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery, it developed a country-by-country compendium of human-trafficking laws. With the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, it helped prepare a free manual for lawyers representing children victimized by the online distribution of sexual-abuse material. With the American Bar Association, it also helped create VetLex, a network connecting veterans with volunteer legal assistance. By the 2020s, Jones Day ranked among the largest law firms in the United States and among the world’s highest-grossing firms. Its continuing development reflects the broader evolution of large American law partnerships: a regional origin, expansion into Washington and international markets, diversification into highly specialized practices, and increasing visibility in politically consequential litigation.
- 2020
Election-related litigation
[1]Jones Day lawyers worked on litigation concerning the counting of mail ballots after the U.S. presidential election.
- 2014
Border migrant pro bono work begins
[1]The firm began representing migrants, particularly women and children, near the U.S.-Mexico border.
- 1986
International expansion begins
[1]Jones Day merged with Surrey & Morse, accelerating its development in European and international markets.
- 1967
Merger with Pogue & Neal
[1]The combination strengthened the Washington practice and produced the name Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue.
- 1946
Washington, D.C., office opens
[1]The firm opened its first office outside Ohio.
- 1939
Merger creates Jones, Day, Cockley & Reavis
[1]A merger led by Thomas Jones with Day, Young, Veach & LeFever took effect on January 1.
- 1912
Thomas H. Hogsett joins
[1]Hogsett became a partner and the firm adopted the name Blandin, Hogsett & Ginn.
- 1899
Frank Ginn joins the partnership
[1]Frank Ginn joined the practice, which became Blandin, Rice & Ginn.
- 1893
Firm founded in Cleveland
[1]Edwin J. Blandin and William Lowe Rice established Blandin & Rice, the predecessor of Jones Day.
Products and positioning
A full-service, globally integrated corporate law firm known for complex litigation, restructuring, appellate advocacy, regulated industries, and politically significant public-law matters.
Legal services
Corporate and transactional law
Advice on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, securities, finance, private equity, corporate governance, and cross-border transactions. The practice serves public companies, private businesses, financial institutions, and other organizations operating across regulated and international markets.
Legal services
Litigation and dispute resolution
Representation in complex commercial disputes, product liability, class actions, investigations, arbitration, and appellate proceedings. Jones Day has handled major matters involving corporations, government bodies, media organizations, political groups, and regulated industries.
Legal services
Bankruptcy and restructuring
Counsel for debtors, creditors, financial institutions, municipalities, and other stakeholders in insolvency, restructuring, distressed transactions, and bankruptcy litigation. The firm served as lead restructuring counsel to the City of Detroit in its Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
Legal services
Appellate, constitutional, and public law
High-level advocacy before federal appellate courts and the United States Supreme Court, together with constitutional, administrative, election, and federal regulatory litigation. Matters have included challenges involving health care, voting rules, environmental regulation, and federal agencies.
Legal services · 2014
Pro bono legal services
Free legal work supporting migrants, veterans, children affected by online exploitation, and victims of human trafficking. Initiatives include border representation, VetLex, a child-victim representation manual, and a global human-trafficking law compendium.
Controversies
2021
Jones Day reports impact from Accellion vendor breach
Jones Day was affected by a breach of Accellion’s file-transfer platform, and a hacking group posted files it claimed came from the law firm. Jones Day said its own network had not been breached, denied that it was the subject of a ransomware attack, and said it was investigating the breach and communicating with affected clients and appropriate authorities.
2020
Controversy over post-election litigation
The firm faced criticism over work connected with efforts to challenge the counting of votes after the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Jones Day denied representing Trump or an affiliated party in litigation alleging voter fraud, while media reporting characterized the firm’s work as helping contest election results.
2019
Associate compensation complaints
Some associates alleged that they were paid less than peers at comparable firms and that recruiting discussions had overstated expected compensation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Border migrant representation
United States
Jones Day began a continuing pro bono initiative representing migrants, especially women and children, at the U.S.-Mexico border, including through a staffed Laredo office.
Outcome. Ongoing pro bono program
- Global Compendium of Laws on Human Trafficking
International
Working with the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery, the firm helped create a standardized country-by-country collection of laws relevant to human trafficking.
Outcome. Reference resource for legal and anti-trafficking work
- VetLex
United States
In collaboration with the American Bar Association, Jones Day helped create VetLex, a pro bono network connecting veterans with volunteer attorneys offering free or low-cost legal assistance.
Outcome. National pro bono referral network
Brand decisions
2022
Defense of Arizona voting lawsOtherBackground
The Democratic National Committee challenged Arizona voting provisions under the Voting Rights Act.
Action taken
Jones Day represented the Arizona Republican Party in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee.
Aftermath
The Supreme Court upheld the challenged provisions against the DNC’s claims.
2022
Chevron defense in Paraquat litigationOtherBackground
Chevron faced multidistrict and class-action litigation alleging that the herbicide Paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease.
Action taken
Jones Day represented Chevron and denied the alleged causal link.
Aftermath
The litigation remained contested, with no final outcome specified in the supplied reference.
2021
Challenge to the federal eviction moratoriumOtherBackground
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had imposed a nationwide eviction moratorium during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Action taken
Jones Day represented the Alabama Association of Realtors in litigation challenging the moratorium.
Aftermath
The challenge succeeded, and the Supreme Court blocked continuation of the moratorium.
2014
Detroit Chapter 9 restructuring mandateStrategyBackground
Detroit entered the largest municipal bankruptcy proceeding in U.S. history at the time.
Action taken
Jones Day served as lead restructuring counsel to the City of Detroit.
Aftermath
The proceeding produced a court-approved restructuring plan and the city’s eventual emergence from bankruptcy.
2013
Representation in Myriad Genetics patent caseOtherBackground
The Supreme Court considered whether isolated human genes could be patented.
Action taken
Jones Day represented Myriad Genetics in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics.
Aftermath
Myriad was the losing party, and the Supreme Court ruled that naturally occurring DNA is not patent-eligible merely because it has been isolated.
1986
Combination with Surrey & MorseM&ABackground
The firm sought to build an international platform beyond its established American offices.
Action taken
Jones Day merged with Surrey & Morse, bringing offices and lawyers in New York, Paris, London, and Washington.
Aftermath
The transaction accelerated expansion into international legal markets.
Recent events
Reported
Jones Day reports impact from Accellion vendor breach[2]
Jones Day was affected by a breach of Accellion’s file-transfer platform, and a hacking group posted files it claimed came from the law firm. Jones Day said its own network had not been breached, denied that it was the subject of a ransomware attack, and said it was investigating the breach and communicating with affected clients and appropriate authorities.
Reported
Jones Day appoints Sheila Shadmand to lead its Middle East region[3]
Jones Day appointed Sheila Shadmand partner-in-charge of its Middle East region. She had led the firm's Dubai office since 2013.
Sources3 sources
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