Graydon at 150 | Celebrating 150 Years in 2021

Graydon at 150

While we all eagerly welcome 2021 (and say goodbye to 2020), we at Graydon have a special interest. 2021 is our 150th anniversary. It is fitting that we trace our roots to the firm of Matthews & Ramsey. That firm was the result of two lawyers – Stanley Matthews and William Ramsey – meeting as adversaries. In the case of John D. Minor et al. v. The Board of Education of the City of Cincinnati et al. Matthews served as counsel for the Board of Education, which had passed a resolution prohibiting religious instruction in the public schools, while Ramsey represented citizens who supported the traditional reading of Scripture in the schools.

The two found common interests and formed the partnership that continues to this day.  There are themes that emerge from that origin story that continue to be part of our DNA.  Professionalism – the ability to find common ground with an adversary – is a value to which we continue to endeavor.  Civic involvement – whether on behalf of an institution or a group of concerned citizens – has been and will continue to be a hallmark of our culture.  And dedication to our clients, embodied by Matthews and Ramsey, guides our mission every day.

Our firm has seen 28 Presidents, two World Wars, and two pandemics. Through it all, we have remained committed to our clients, our communities and our colleagues. We cherish the deep relationships we have established with our clients and we look forward to building on each one of them. We remain proud of our tradition of community involvement, whether reflected in our attorneys who ascended to the bench (including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stanley Matthews and 4 United States District Court Judges), legislative service (including Senator Rob Portman and Cincinnati City Council member Steve Goodin) or our attorneys who have taken on leading roles on civic and charitable boards. And we continue to support our colleagues, recognizing that by maintaining strong connections with one another, we will be able to strengthen our connections with our clients and our community.

As we kick off our 150th anniversary celebration, we look forward to taking on challenges that our founders could never have envisioned. We continue to work hard to be Greater Cincinnati’s most innovative, vibrant and inclusive law firm. We also look forward to addressing the challenges of emerging from the Covid pandemic. Our firm has overcome challenges time and again, and we’ll continue to move forward with the dedication and enthusiasm that has gotten us to this 150th anniversary.

We’ll be celebrating this anniversary throughout 2021 and we look forward to you being part of it.

Jack Greiner

Managing Partner, Graydon