The law offices of ... Brown, Hay & Stephens

Brown, Hay & Stephens in Springfield has two claims to fame that make it a pillar of the Illinois law community. The firm has roots dating back to 1828 and is recognized as the oldest law firm in Illinois. It was started by a young lawyer, John T. Stuart, shortly after his 21st birthday. The firm was also home to a young Abraham Lincoln, who practiced there from 1837-1841. Lincoln's picture is part of a collage of firm leaders in the main conference room. There is also an A. Lincoln conference room. Partner and longtime ISBA member Claire Manning has been with the firm for the past five years. "I think it's great to practice law here and it's a very stable place especially with the Lincoln heritage," said Manning, an environmental lawyer. "It's also great to be in Springfield. I'm sitting in my office looking out at the New State Capitol from one window and the Old State Capitol from another." Brown, Hay and Stephens currently has 28 attorneys at its office at 205 S. 5th Street in Springfield. "The coolest thing about the building is the view," Manning said. "Someone visiting here said that there's not another building in Springfield with views of both Capitols and when Barack Obama came we were able to sit in the conference room to watch and that was very historic." The firm also has a Chicago office. The firm's history has been choronicled in two books, One Hundred Years of Law, by Paul M. Angle in 1928 and an enlargement of that book, One Hundred Fifty Years of Law, by Robert P. Howard in 1978. Click here to view our Brown, Hay & Stephens photo gallery. "The law offices of ..." is a regular feature on Illinois Lawyer Now. Coming July 10: Illinois Lawyer Now visits the Springfield office of Feldman, Wasser, Draper & Benson. View past photo galleries from "The law offices of ..." Elmore & Reid Bellows and Bellows Kirkland & Ellis Send a note to cbonjean@isba.org if you would like to see your office appear in "The law offices of ..."