Akron Law Firm Roots Go Back 90 Years… Continues to Grow in NE Ohio

Akron, Ohio - When Edwin W. Brouse and C. Blake McDowell shook hands on a Downtown Akron sidewalk in 1918, little did they know that their business venture would grow into a 70-attorney Legal Professional Association with offices in three cities. But they cultivated the business in the hope that it would flourish.

The Brouse McDowell partnership began on a November day at the end of World War I. As people flocked to downtown Akron to live, work and play, thanks to the rubber industry and related businesses, four men determined to make their own contribution to commerce in the City. The firm’s founding partners had one thing in common besides practicing law – each was an Akron or Summit County native and proud of his growing community. Alexander H. Commins, Jr., and Edwin W. Brouse were established lawyers of considerable reputation, with an established clientele. Amos H. "Tiny" Englebeck was a trial lawyer and leader in the local Republican Party. Although McDowell was the youngest of the group, he drove the development of the partnership.

In 1919, the firm formally organized as Commins, Brouse, Englebeck & McDowell and set up shop on the fourth floor of the Central Savings and Trust building, also known as the Hamilton Building, at the southwest corner of Main and Mill Streets. This building was razed in 1929, making way for what is now known as First National Tower.

New partners joined over the years and the firm took on various monikers, including Brouse McDowell, May and Bierce; Brouse, McDowell, May, Bierce and Wortman; Brouse, McDowell, Bierce, Roetzel & Hunsicker, Brouse & McDowell and finally, it’s current name since 1998 – Brouse McDowell.

Brouse McDowell has remained a downtown business ever since, with offices in the city continuously since 1919. Eventually, the firm grew to occupy four floors of the First National Tower. In the fall of 2004, the firm moved four blocks south, to the corner of South Main and Cedar, where it occupies more than 60,000 square feet on the fifth floor of a former Goodrich manufacturing plant. A restored Brownfield building, the firm’s new space gives it quarters for more people, enhanced inter-office communication and state of the art infrastructure and technology.

Early in 1998, the firm responded to needs of a growing legal market by opening an office in Cleveland. More than 20 of the firm’s 70 attorneys practice in the Cleveland office, located in the North Point Building on the corner of Lakeside and East 9th in downtown Cleveland. In 2007, the firm opened an office in Lorain County.

Brouse McDowell’s client roster includes many of Northeast Ohio’s most respected businesses and institutions. From the beginning, the firm has remained focused principally on business law, while evolving to meet the changing needs of its clients. Today, Brouse McDowell practices in the areas of Business, Corporate and Securities; Commercial and Bankruptcy; Environmental; Estate, Succession Planning and Probate Administration; Health Care; Insurance Recovery; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Litigation; Real Estate and Tax.

A fundamental principal that helped form the Brouse and McDowell partnership 90 years ago is still present today – a strong commitment to service and community in the Greater Akron area. This “giving” culture thrived over the years; today, Brouse McDowell attorneys participate in over 120 civic, professional and non-profit organizations – through volunteerism, board positions, teaching and mentoring.

The firm’s energy and passion for community involvement prompted it to develop an internal employee recognition program called the Karl S. Hay Community Service Award. Hay, who joined the firm in 1955, was inspired by Akronites who were legendary for their roles in the community: Ben Maidenberg, former Beacon Journal Publisher; Harry P. Schrank, a Seiberling Rubber Company executive; Blake McDowell, Sr.; and William Zekan, a former

For more information, please contact jshankleton@brouse.com