Choate, Hall & Stewart

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Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP
HeadquartersBoston
No. of offices2
No. of attorneys194
No. of employees460
Major practice areasFinance & Restructuring, Intellectual Property, Litigation & Investigations, Private Equity, Wealth Management
Revenue$393.1 million (2026)
Profit per equity partner$4.32 million (2026)
Date founded1899 (1899)
FounderCharles F. Choate Jr., John Hall, Ralph A. Stewart
Company typeLLP
Websitewww.choate.com

Choate Hall & Stewart LLP, commonly referred to as "Choate", is a Boston-based law firm.[1] The firm was considered unique in retaining a one-office approach for over 120 years from its founding.[2] As of 2026, the firm was expanding in New York.[3]

History

Choate, Hall & Stewart was founded in 1899 by Charles F. Choate Jr. and John L. Hall, later joined by Ralph A. Stewart.[4] Choate was the nephew of U.S. Ambassador Joseph Hodges Choate and William Gardner Choate, the founder of the Connecticut school Choate Rosemary Hall, and the grand-nephew of lawyer Rufus Choate, whose statue appears in the Suffolk County Courthouse in downtown Boston.[5] Poet and future Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish practiced at the firm for three years in the early 1920s.[6] The firm, and Charles F. Choate Jr., represented the United States Industrial Alcohol Company in its defense against litigation stemming from the Boston Molasses Disaster of 1919.[7] Mr. Choate presented the company's case that the disaster had been caused by sabotage by anarchists.[7]

The firm long held the reputation as one of the most genteel of the "Boston Brahmin" white shoe firms.[8] In 2005, the firm hired a number of attorneys fleeing the collapse of Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, a firm with many Jewish and Catholic members that focused on business and venture capital, giving Choate an immediate presence in the life sciences and technology fields.[9][10]

In 2018, Choate, Hall & Stewart joined other national law firms in raising salaries for first-year associates.[11] In 2019, The Vault named Choate one of the top ten law firms to work for in the United States. That same year, the Firm's summer associate program was ranked number seven in the country.[12] In 2025, Choate was ranked as the number 1 summer associate program by The American Lawyer.[13]

In 2019, Choate, Hall & Stewart represented Dennis Publishing in their acquisition of Kiplinger Washington Editors Inc.[14] During the same year, the firm acted as legal counsel for Phoenix Tower International during its purchase of telecommunication assets in the Dominican Republic.[15]

Choate, Hall & Stewart has long engaged in the practice, common only among Boston law firms, of serving as an investment broker, particularly in the 21st century.[16] The firm’s money management affiliate goes by the name of Choate Investment Advisors.[17] In 2023, several wealth management partners joined Choate Investment Advisors from Boston-based law firm Ropes and Gray, bringing trusts controlling more than $2 billion to Choate.[18] Six months later, it acquired the 8 person investment firm Lowell Blake & Associates.[19]

References

  1. Ryan, Greg (February 3, 2016). "Three more partners leave Locke Lord, this time for Choate Hall & Stewart". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  2. "Can Choate Keep Living Large by Thinking Small?". The American Lawyer. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  3. "Danziger joins Choate as partner". nyrej.com. New York Real Estate Journal. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  4. "Choate Celebrates 125th Anniversary". Choate. Choate Hall & Stewart LLP. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  5. Bresler, Ken (June 6, 2019). "Rufus Choate a familiar face in Adams Courthouse". Mass Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  6. Kahlenberg, Richard (1999). Broken Contract: A Memoir of Harvard Law School. University of Massachusetts Press. p. 109. ISBN 1558492348. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  7. Puleo, Stephen (2003). Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. Boston: Beacon Press. p. 237.
  8. Margolick, David (December 1, 1989). "In Which Boston Brahmin Law Firms Slug it Out. Genteelly, Of Course". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  9. Ryan, Greg (May 19, 2017). "A decade after firm's demise, the Testa Hurwitz diaspora is thriving". Boston Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  10. Levin, Michael. "How A Catholic Attorney on Rosh Hashanah Became 'King of the Jews'". Jewish Link. Retrieved September 21, 2026.
  11. "Choate, WilmerHale join parade of law firms raising associate pay to $190K". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  12. "Best companies to work for|Vault.com". Vault. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  13. "The Summer Associates Survey: Sentiments Sail Or Sink Based on Approach to 2025's Biggest Challenges". Law.com. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  14. "Longtime D.C. publisher acquired by UK media company". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  15. "Phoenix Tower International enters agreement to purchase 1,049 telecommunication assets in the Dominican Republic". Market Watch. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  16. Clifford M. Marks (July 15, 2010). "Watch Out Hedge Funds, Here Come the Law Firms". Law Blog, Wall Street Journal. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  17. "Five things you should know about Todd Millay". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  18. "Choate Adds Five Partners from Ropes". May 16, 2023.
  19. Cruz ·, Adrian. "Choate Acquires 8-Person Boston Investment Firm - Law360 Pulse". www.law360.com. Retrieved August 17, 2026.