The history of Honigman began when Jason Honigman, a Russian immigrant, and Milton (Jack) J. Miller, born in Baltimore, Maryland, decided to create the firm Honigman Miller in 1948 in Detroit’s First National Building. Alan E. Schwartz joined Honigman and Miller in 1952, and Irwin Cohn became the last of the founding partners to join the firm in 1961, thereby forming Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP. While they were known for their legal intellect, it was their understanding of their clients’ industries and business goals that made their advice more than simply an adherence to the law. In 2015, the firm combined with Schopff & Weiss, a Chicago-based litigation firm, establishing a Chicago office and in 2020 opened a Washington, DC office.
The basic tenets of the firm have not changed since 1948:
- Recruit top law school graduates and experienced lawyers
- Help new attorneys hone their skills by providing challenging work and the ability to develop relationships with clients
- Provide monetary reward for a high level of work, developing a culture of meritocracy
- Serve clients by providing the best legal advice based on the client's own business goals
- Provide the level of service needed by appropriately staffing the matter for resolution
Today, Honigman employs over 350 attorneys and 350 business professionals and operates a local, national, and international practice from its Michigan offices in Detroit, Bloomfield Hills, Lansing, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids, its Illinois office in Chicago and its office in Washington, DC. Honigman’s attorneys practice in more than 60 different areas of business law and consistently receive high ratings from their peers and clients.