Law Firm Overview

Morris James LLP was formed in 1931 when two Wilmington attorneys, George Hering, Jr. and John Morris, combined to form Hering & Morris. Mr. Hering had an office practice with a concentration on banks and the growing savings and loan business. Mr. Morris, who served two terms as United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, was a busy trial attorney. Albert James, later to become Mayor of Wilmington, and then W. Reese Hitchens soon joined the new firm as associates and then partners. The firm practiced in Wilmington throughout the 1930's and 1940's as Hering, Morris, James & Hitchens. In 1951, upon Mr. Hering's death, the firm became Morris, James, Hitchens & Williams, the latter being Howard L. Williams, the firm's fifth partner. It practiced under that name until November 2006 when the firm changed its name to Morris James LLP.

Throughout the 1950's, '60's and '70's, Morris James was a general practice firm. Since then, it has expanded its role in Delaware's hallmark practice area, corporate and fiduciary litigation. Its bankruptcy group has grown to become one of the largest creditor practices in Delaware. Since 1981, the firm has been a leader in school law in Delaware, and through this representation with its heavy emphasis on employment negotiation and counseling, the firm has developed a significant private sector labor law practice. In 1983, the firm merged with Flanzer & Isaacs, a firm with a busy trial practice and jury trial expertise; Morris James remains highly regarded for its trial expertise. In the mid-1990's, the firm began an active representation of injured parties in personal injury matters. Morris James opened its Dover office in 1969 and has maintained a continuous presence in the State capital ever since. On the transactional side, while Morris James still represents many local businesses in a broad range of matters, including major real estate development and traditional bond financings, it also regularly represents national entities in complex financings, involving aircraft and other transportation equipment, utilities and power generating facilities. In addition to individual estate and tax planning, the firm does tax planning for medical and other professional practices and businesses.

Morris James has grown to be a firm of more than fifty attorneys, but still shares much with its original incarnation, Hering & Morris. Its transactional side traces its roots directly to George Hering, the quintessential "office attorney;" its litigation side descends directly from John Morris, the quintessential "trial attorney."

Areas of Practice

• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Bankruptcy and Creditors Rights
• Business Litigation
• Corporate and Fiduciary Litigation
• Corporations and Other Business Organizations
• Education Law
• Employment Law
• Environmental Law
• Family Law
• Financial Institutions and Commercial Transactions
• Governmental Relations
• Intellectual Property Litigation
• Litigation Services
• Personal Injury Litigation
• Professional Liability Litigation
• Real Estate Law
• Tax and Pension/Benefits
• Tax, Estates and Trusts
• Technology Law

West Practice Categories

Alternative Dispute Resolution, Banking & Finance Law, Bankruptcy Law, Creditors' Rights, Business & Commercial Law, Transactions, Business Organizations, Education Law, Government Relations & Lobbying, Employment Law -- Employee, Pensions, Benefits & Compensations -- Employee, Employment Law -- Employer, Environmental Law, Estate Planning, Trusts, Family Law, Intellectual Property Law, Litigation & Appeals, Natural Resources Law, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Estate Administration, Professional Malpractice Law, Real Estate Law, Science & Technology Law, Taxation Law