Kerr, Russell and Weber, PLC

Kerr, Russell and Weber prides itself on a singular continuous heritage since 1874. Known for representing diverse clients despite its historically moderate size, the firm is not the product of the mergers and law firm consolidations so common to the profession in recent years. “In nearly every sense we have grown from within,” comments Dick Weber. “Historically, the men and women in our firm have come to us directly from law school or from corporations or other firms as lateral hires. Most have grown up in the firm and become part of its existing culture. We truly believe that much of our strength and the continuity of our client relationships can be attributed to several decades of not having the firm’s professional and institutional energies diverted by the pressures of merging or overzealous expansion. And we know that such continuity builds all around lawyers well prepared to serve clients for the long haul.”

Young James T. Keena, an 1873 graduate of the University of Michigan’s law program, is credited with founding the firm. Prior to legal studies he had served in the US Navy, undoubtedly during the Civil War. Like his father, he had worked for the Detroit and Cleveland ferries as a ticket agent. Recent research by the firm indicates that he may have in fact joined an existing practice in 1874 with Messrs. Atkinson, Atkinson & Trowbridge. If so, the present firm’s roots may run deeper into Detroit history than previously thought. But the details are sketchy and because the Keena legacy is the most verifiable, it has become the recognized point of origin.

Keena’s hard work and connections led to a steadily growing practice. By 1906, partners Clarence Lightner and Walter E. Oxtoby placed their names on the front door. Lightner was heavily involved in banking matters and became President of Peoples State Bank. For years he virtually ran the State Board of Bar Examiners overseeing admissions to the Michigan bar. Oxtoby likewise became a community notable. He eventually involved the firm with the city’s then longstanding commercial tanning industry through his marriage to Emma W. Schmidt, whose family had founded the fur market in what is today Greektown’s Trappers Alley. The tanning concern, Carl E. Schmidt & Co., eventually included Mr. Oxtoby, who served as vice president while maintaining an active law practice. During this time, the firm was known as Keena, Lightner and Oxtoby. Oxtoby’s brother became a partner in 1913.

Real estate developed into a mainstay of the firm’s continuing practice, with beginnings traceable to the firm’s early years. Around 1914, the firm assisted a client in the acquisition and consolidation of various parcels in Dearborn which became Henry Ford’s Rouge complex. Donald N. Sweeny’s addition to the firm in the early 30's resulted in significant expansion of the firm’s involvement in real estate matters. By the 50's the firm played a key role in many developments around the area. Later, the firm was involved in the survival of the Fox Theater and David Whitney buildings. Today, the real estate practice serves diverse clients such as municipalities, investors and developers pursuing projects around Michigan and nationwide.

The banking connections Keena and Lightner initiated have lasted for many years. Sweeny, a longstanding senior partner of the firm, served Detroit’s largest bank, First Wayne National Bank, as its president in the 1930's just before joining the firm. He was a natural talent. The firm still possesses a sheet of uncut US five dollar bills carrying Sweeny’s signature as bank president, a practice common before enactment of the banking reforms of the Depression era. Building on Keena’s, Lightner’s and later Sweeny’s base, the firm continued to represent aspects of the savings and loan industry until the 1980's. It still serves a variety of lending institutions in financial and real estate concerns.

The firm first began its relationship with the medical and dental professions in the 1940's when Lester Dodd, who joined Keena’s firm around 1918, began representing organized medical associations affiliated locally and statewide with the American Medical Association. This led to a growing expertise within the firm involving medical, dental and other health care interests. Continuing into the 1970's and 80's, the firm became an early leader in related insurance matters, managed care issues, and the multifaceted group of legal disciplines which ultimately were recognized as the field of health law. In the 70's, the firm also incorporated (and still serves) what is today one of the largest insurers of professional liability risks in the country. At that time, no one had formed a mutual insurance company in Michigan in twenty years. The chosen format became a pattern followed in other states as solutions were sought nationwide for the then current shortage of certain professional liability coverages. KRW now proudly represents medical and dental professionals locally and statewide. Consequently, key Michigan health legislation and appellate matters vital to the health care field often directly reflect input from the firm’s attorneys.

Stewart Kerr joined the firm in 1947 after being head of the US Justice Department’s Antitrust Division office for Detroit, where he had successfully prosecuted key antitrust and War Price Act cases during World War II. Kerr was among the founders of the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Law Section in the early 1950's and the State Bar of Michigan’s corresponding group later that decade. He went on to establish an important place for the firm in the complex field of antitrust practice. He served on the prestigious U.S. Attorney General’s Antitrust Commission in the mid-1950's. His involvement in antitrust law continued until retirement in 1985. Other firm attorneys have followed Kerr to become members of the ABA Section’s national governing council and committees, and chairs of the State Bar’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section.

The firm’s outstanding tradition of trial practice includes Bob Russell, who among his many achievements was one of the adjunct faculty founders of the Wayne Law Review after graduating with honors from the University of Michigan Law School. There was scarcely a major case in federal or state court in the Detroit area during Russell’s forty plus years in the courtroom that did not find him listed among the counsel of record. Russell also served as President of the Detroit Bar Association in the early 1970's.

There is a lot that James Keena might not recognize in the law firm he founded. KRW’s clients now include businesses headquartered in Europe with manufacturing facilities in South America and offshore captive insurance companies located in countries that did not exist in his time. However, the firm’s values remain the same. Its culture is strong and proud -- some would say traditional in tone -- but undoubtedly contemporary in professional practice and standards. “We would like to think,“ says Weber, “that the attitude, focus on client service, and challenges Keena must have experienced building our firm remain with us. More than a century of experience gives us great perspective as an institution. More importantly, it gives us cause for optimism that we can provide a path to the next century of continued excellence for the firm and its service to Detroit, the State of Michigan and to our clients worldwide.”

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