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After a run of making milestones in business law throughout the 1900s, Porter, Stanley, Platt & Arthur and Wright, Harlor, Morris & Arnold made one of their own in 1977. The two firms merged into Porter, Wright, Morris and Arthur. It was the largest merger of two law firms in Ohio and one of the most prominent of such mergers nationally. The new firm combined the strengths of each of its predecessors: corporate/commercial and utilities practice; and strength in banking, insurance and litigation.
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The merger that launched Porter, Wright, Morris and Arthur was due largely to the vision of William E. Arthur and Thomas E. Cavendish. Cavendish, a law school classmate of Arthur and Porter, had joined Wright, Harlor, Morris & Arnold after a distinguished academic career at The Ohio State University.
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William E. Arthur
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Thomas E. Cavendish
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A major player in Columbus jurisprudence, Cavendish served as president of the Columbus Bar Association. He shared the belief with Arthur that a bigger firm was not only necessary for continued success, but for survival itself.
The size and scope of the merger had great impact on the legal community. Yet it came as no surprise because the two firms had shared the same office building, as well as a close working relationship, for many years.
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