Graham & James LLP was founded as a maritime law firm in 1934, but in the succeeding decades the San Francisco firm expanded beyond its nautical heritage to specialize in more than 30 practice areas. It grew to become a leading full-service international law firm offering all principal corporate, financial, litigation and intellectual property practice capabilities. With European operations in Milan, London, Brussels, Bucharest and Düsseldorf, and major U.S. offices in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. At its height, Graham & James and its affiliates comprised over 1,200 attorneys in 30 offices worldwide.
With the bulk of its practice focused on the Pacific Rim, Graham & James was severely affected by the Asian economic crisis of the 1990s. It ultimately merged out of existence when, in July 2000, it effected two strategic transactions to save itself from collapse. Reflecting internal divisions among its partners and affiliates, one half of the firm merged with Squire, Sanders & Dempsey while the other half merged with Greenberg Traurig.