Jones Day

Jones Day
Company type	Private
Industry	Legal services
Founded	1 January 1893; 133 years ago in Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Founder	Edwin J. Blandin, William Lowe Rice
Headquarters	Washington, D.C., United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Stephen Brogan (managing partner)
Products	Legal services
Number of employees	2,302 lawyers (2023) (2023)
Website	www.jonesday.com

Jones Day is a prominent American multinational white-shoe law firm based in Washington, D.C.. As of 2023, it stands as one of the largest law firms in the United States, employing 2,302 lawyers and generating $2.5 billion in revenue.

Established in 1893 in Cleveland, Ohio, the firm has provided legal services to more than half of the Fortune 500, counting major corporations such as Goldman Sachs, General Motors, McDonald's, and Bridgestone among its clients. Additionally, it has offered legal representation to former president Donald Trump's campaign.

Jones Day's team features a number of distinguished former federal officials and judges, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, ex-White House Counsel Don McGahn, former U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco, former Federal Trade Commission chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras, and several judges from the U.S. courts of appeals like Jeffrey Sutton and Gregory G. Katsas.

History

The origins of Jones Day trace back to 1893 in Cleveland when it was founded as Blandin & Rice by Edwin J. Blandin and William Lowe Rice. Frank Ginn joined in 1899, prompting a name change to Blandin, Rice & Ginn. After Rice was tragically killed in 1910, Thomas H. Hogsett became a partner in 1912, leading to the firm being renamed Blandin, Hogsett & Ginn. Subsequent retirements and new partnerships resulted in the name Tolles, Hogsett & Ginn by 1928.

In its early years, the firm represented significant Cleveland-based industries such as Standard Oil along with various railroad and utility companies.

In November 1938, under managing partner Thomas Jones's leadership, the firm merged with the litigation-oriented Day, Young, Veach & LeFever, creating Jones, Day, Cockley & Reavis effective January 1, 1939. The firm's first office outside Ohio opened in Washington, D.C., in 1946. A merger in 1967 with D.C.-based Pogue & Neal led to the formation of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue.

Jones Day has built a reputation for defending corporations against labor unions, strengthening its expertise in complex labor and corporate legal affairs.

International expansion

Jones Day began extending its global footprint in 1986 through a merger with boutique firm Surrey & Morse, which added 75 attorneys and established offices in New York City, Paris, London, and Washington, D.C. The firm later broadened its presence into major international markets including Hong Kong, Brussels, Tokyo, Taipei, and Frankfurt.

Republican Party and conservative politics

Since Stephen Brogan assumed the role of managing partner in 2003, Jones Day has increasingly engaged with Republican Party interests and conservative political causes by taking on cases with ideological significance. During the Obama administration, the firm contested the Affordable Care Act and opposed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Throughout the Trump administration, Jones Day played a pivotal role in efforts to reduce regulatory agencies' influence, supported litigation related to voting issues, and provided legal counsel for Trump’s personal affairs and campaigns. The firm coordinated document management and interviews during probes into Russian election interference in 2016. Numerous attorneys from Jones Day joined the Trump administration; partner Don McGahn served as counsel for Trump's 2016 campaign before becoming White House Counsel. By March 2017, at least fourteen Jones Day lawyers held government positions.

Jones Day acted as outside counsel for both Trump’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, receiving over $20 million between 2015 and November 2020—including more than $4.5 million from January 2019 through August 2020. In 2020, while retained by Trump to challenge election results, the firm publicly denied representing him or his campaign in voter fraud lawsuits. Nonetheless, Jones Day supported legal efforts contesting mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania.

After Trump's presidency ended, Jones Day recruited several former Trump administration attorneys such as Don McGahn and Noel Francisco. With Trump's anticipated return to office in January 2025, Jones Day partner Brett Shumate was appointed head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. Notably, amid efforts during Trump’s second term to target law firms representing political adversaries, Jones Day was not among those targeted.

Operations

By 2018, Jones Day was recognized as the fifth largest law firm in the United States and ranked 13th in global revenue. The firm's main office is located in Washington, D.C..

Some associates have indicated that their pay falls short of comparable firms, occasionally by several tens of thousands of dollars, and at times lower than what was initially promised during hiring.

Notable clients and cases

Jones Day lawyers have presented arguments in over 40 cases before the United States Supreme Court. Significant clients and landmark cases include:

Acting as legal counsel for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company since 1985; at one stage, R.J. Reynolds contributed to 19% of the firm’s yearly income. The firm remains involved in major litigation across the country.
Represented Access Industries during debt restructuring negotiations as of 2009.
In 2012, contested the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
Advocated for Myriad Genetics, Inc. in the Supreme Court case Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. in 2013.
Led restructuring efforts as primary counsel for Detroit’s chapter 9 bankruptcy filing in 2013.
Defended National Public Radio in a 2017 lawsuit against FEMA concerning withheld information.
Filed an amicus brief supporting Chevron Corporation in the 2020 Nestlé USA, Inc. v. Doe case related to pleading standards under the Alien Tort Statute.
Provided representation to the National Rifle Association of America as of 2021.
Successfully challenged the CDC’s nationwide eviction moratorium on behalf of the Alabama Association of Realtors in 2021, impacting an estimated 30-40 million renters.
Represented Chevron in a multidistrict litigation class action in 2022, disputing claims that its herbicide product Paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease.
Defended the Arizona Republican Party in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee (2022), upholding Arizona’s voting laws against allegations of racial discrimination.
Served as external counsel for Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020, receiving payments exceeding $19 million since 2020.
Represented North American Coal Corporation in a legal challenge regarding EPA’s regulatory authority under the Clean Air Act (West Virginia v. EPA).
As of 2023, acted on behalf of Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation.

Notable attorneys and alumni

Carson Block (b. 1977), investor and short-seller
Marvin Bower, prominent consultant at McKinsey & Co.
Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, former U.S. congresswoman and Los Angeles office partner
James Brokenshire, former Northern Ireland Secretary under PM Theresa May
Yvette McGee Brown, first African-American female justice on the Supreme Court of Ohio and Jones Day partner
David L. Carden, ex-U.S. ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Alex Chalk KC, former Lord Chancellor and Cheltenham MP
Timothy Dyk, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Noel Francisco, former United States Solicitor General under Donald Trump
Benjamin Ginsberg (lawyer), leading political attorney
Erwin Griswold, past U.S. Solicitor General and Harvard Law School Dean
Jane Harman, former U.S. congresswoman
Justin Herdman, U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Ohio
Sundaresh Menon, Chief Justice of Singapore and former Jones Day attorney
Gregory Katsas, judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
Megyn Kelly, journalist and ex-attorney
Deborah Platt Majoras, former Procter & Gamble Chief Legal Officer, FTC chair, and ex-Jones Day partner
Donald McGahn, former White House Counsel under Donald Trump
Carmen Guerricagoitia McLean, associate judge on D.C. Superior Court
Eric E. Murphy, judge on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Morgan E. O'Brien, co-founder and chairman of Nextel Communications; previously Jones Day telecommunications partner-in-charge
Kevyn Orr, former emergency financial manager for Detroit; Jones Day restructuring partner
Chaka Patterson, fundraiser and former Chief at Cook County State's Attorney's Office Civil Division
L. Welch Pogue, past chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board
Chad Readler, judge on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
Antonin Scalia, former associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court
Jeffrey Sutton, judge on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals

Pro bono work

Since 2014, the firm has provided legal representation to migrants—mainly women and children—at the U.S.-Mexico border, operating a dedicated office in Laredo, Texas.
In collaboration with the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery (RAGAS), it introduced the Global Compendium of Laws on human trafficking, the first uniform legal database organized by country.
Together with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the firm co-developed The Attorney Manual: Guide to Representation of Children Victimized by the Online Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material, an extensive guide designed for pro bono attorneys.
The firm joined forces with the American Bar Association to establish VetLex, a nationwide pro bono legal network that links veterans with volunteer lawyers who provide free or affordable legal assistance.

External links