The story
Founded by Adolf Kraus and Levy Mayer in 1881.1
The two firms that now form the core of Mayer Brown were both founded in the 19th century. The US portion of the firm was founded in 1881 in Chicago, by Adolf Kraus and Levy Mayer, and was shortly thereafter known as Kraus, Mayer & Brackett. Among its earliest clients was retail giant Sears Roebuck and Co. After several changes in name to reflect its growing membership, the firm eventually became known in the US as Mayer, Brown & Platt.
In 2002, the firm merged with British law firm Rowe & Maw, which was established in 1895 in London, and operated under that name until joining with Mayer, Brown & Platt in 2002 to form Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. In 2007, the amalgamated firm shortened its name to Mayer Brown.
In 2008, Mayer Brown combined with Johnson Stokes & Master (JSM), establishing an Asia office to be known as Mayer Brown JSM. In 2024, amid US-China tensions and subsequent to the Pillar of Shame incident, the firm reorganized its Asia presence to split from its mainland China operations, and saw JSM revert to its pre-merger partnership as an independent law firm headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in Shanghai and Beijing. It is unclear which partnership - JSM or Mayer Brown - tabled the separation, but the proposition to split was reported to have been tabled mere weeks before JSM's 160th anniversary in 2023.
In 2009, the firm formed an association with Brazil's Tauil & Chequer Advogados. In October 2022, the firm launched its own joint law venture with Singapore law firm PK Wong & Nair LLC, known as Mayer Brown PK Wong & Nair PTE. Ltd.
From Wikipedia’s article on Mayer Brown, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3