Law Firm Overview

Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley Co. was founded in 1860 in Cincinnati as Cleveland & Borer. Soon after its founding, new partners were added to the firm and the name was changed to Waite, Schindel, Bayless & Schneider. Morrison R. Waite, one of the founding partners of the law firm, came from a distinguished legal family. Mr. Waite's grandfather was Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Through the late 1970s,Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley Co. was founded in 1860 in Cincinnati as Cleveland & Borer. Soon after its founding, new partners were added to the firm and the name was changed to Waite, Schindel, Bayless & Schneider. Morrison R. Waite, one of the founding partners of the law firm, came from a distinguished legal family. Mr. Waite's grandfather was Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

In 1960, Stanley M. Chesley had come to work for the law firm. Mr. Chesley was the son of a sales representative-inventor. He put himself through law school by working as a shoe salesman at Shillito's Department store in Cincinnati.

On May 28, 1977, the Beverly Hills Supper Club in suburban Southgate, adjacent to Cincinnati, burned to the ground killing 165 people and injuring many more. The nightclub was underinsured and the ownership was poorly financed, factors which struck Stan Chesley as being tragically unfair. Chesley went to work to represent the victims of the fire, and in so doing, completely transformed the new law firm of Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley Co., L.P.A. into a powerhouse in plaintiffs' mass litigation. Stan Chesley and Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley went to work against the more than 1,000 defendants involved in the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire. This innovative approach to mass litigation resulted in recovery in excess of $40 million through trial and settlement against all defendants. Since that time, WSB&C and Stan Chesley have stepped into the national forefront of mass and disaster litigation.

Stanley M. Chesley and the attorneys of Waite, Schneider, Bayless & Chesley have succeeded by combining innovative techniques and legal theories with old fashioned hard work and a heartfelt concern for their clients. Please continue to read through the pages of this site relating to areas of litigation, current litigation updates and firm members. We are sure that you will agree that the best may be yet to come!

Areas of Practice

• Administrative Law
• Antitrust & Trade Regulation
• Business & Commercial Law
• Contracts
• Business Organizations
• Constitutional Law
• Election Campaign & Political Law
• Government Agencies & Programs
• Government Contracts
• Litigation & Appeals
• Securities Law
• State, Local & Municipal Law

West Practice Categories

Administrative Law, Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Business & Commercial Law, Contracts, Business Organizations, Constitutional Law, Election Campaign & Political Law, Government Agencies & Programs, Government Contracts, Litigation & Appeals, Securities Law, State, Local & Municipal Law