The story
The firm handled more than half of the land claim cases in California immediately following the enaction of the Land Act of 1851. Although Halleck wrote the land title report that helped draft the Land Act of 1851, he did not support the Land Commission, and the firm of Halleck, Peachy & Billings defended many land titles against the Commission. It has been said that Halleck handled the preparation of the briefs for the cases, Peachy the oratory, and that Billings brought in the business. In 1853 Halleck built the Montgomery Block in San Francisco, and the partnership became permanently located there. The firm was dissolved in 1861.
From Wikipedia’s article on Halleck, Peachy & Billings, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3