On Monday, January 13, 1978, the law firm first opened its doors in the 75 Public Square Building on public square in downtown Cleveland. January 13th was a cold snowy day. Most offices were closed due to the weather. A small group of lawyers and legal assistants aided by family members readied the new offices for business. Among them were business lawyer, Greg Seeley and litigator, Keith Savidge. Apart from the weather, the move had not been difficult. There were no computers to install as computers had not yet been invented. Nor had fax machines or anything but small cumbersome copiers. Typewriters were IBM correcting selectrics. Online legal research was in its infancy. What you needed to practice law back then was a good library and a good set of form books. However, Seeley, Savidge attorneys spent little time in their lavish new facilities. In those days all legal proceedings were live. Jury trials were frequent. Client meetings were mostly held outside the office.

Back then Cleveland was a thriving metropolis full of department stores, hotels, restaurants, and numerous watering holes with such names as Leather Bottle, Pewter Mug, and the Theatrical. Cleveland was still among the ten largest U.S. cities, twice the size it is today. Although a far cry from its heyday of the previous century, when there were more millionaires in Cleveland than New York, it still had a huge industrial base. The largest employers were not health care and government – they were steel mills and auto plants. The firm had its share of Cleveland’s major enterprises including General Motors Corporation and Sears Roebuck & Co.
A player from the outset, a player today.