Company Profile
Downey Brand
Company Overview
Founded in California’s capital city of Sacramento, Downey Brand is strategically positioned to serve clients in business, natural resources and litigation matters throughout California, Northern Nevada and beyond. As a preeminent full-service law firm, we offer counsel in more than 30 areas of civil practice including water, agriculture, corporate, civil litigation, business planning, intellectual property, bankruptcy, employment, construction, real estate, trusts and estates and family law. We focus on providing these services to public corporations, governmental entities, privately held companies, family-owned businesses and individuals. Our clients’ industries are as diverse as our region and include financial institutions, agricultural producers and processors, retail, construction, real estate, public agencies and non-profit organizations.
Company History
Combining a storied history with some big leaps of growth, Downey Brand has transformed itself into Sacramento’s preeminent law firm and reached down the Central Valley, over to Nevada and into San Francisco to advance our clients’ interests. The firm traces its roots back to 1926 when three notable Sacramento attorneys, Stephen Downey, Clyde Brand and Arthur Seymour, formed the partnership of Downey Brand & Seymour. Otto Rohwer joined the firm upon graduating from law school, but was not named a partner for another decade and not until 1943 was his name added to the partnership -- Downey, Brand, Seymour & Rohwer.
Twenty years after the firm was founded, the number of lawyers had increased only to five. Nevertheless, those five lawyers made it the second largest firm in Sacramento. Growth continued over the years and in 1973 the firm relocated to larger office space to accommodate more than 15 attorneys and staff. Since that time, the firm has continued its reach beyond Sacramento. During the year 2000, the firm expanded by opening a regional office in Stockton, which has long been a business hub in the Central Valley, as well as, a thriving agricultural base. In 2003, Downey Brand expanded to Reno, Nevada and in 2010 our growth spread west with the opening of a Downey Brand San Francisco office, making us the only Sacramento-based law firm with a San Francisco presence. With our clients' interests in mind, our growth continued with the opening of a Silicon Valley office in 2015. Located in the hub of the world's innovation capital, our Silicon Valley office focuses on intellectual property law.
Today, Downey Brand has more than 90 attorneys, serving clients in California, Northern Nevada and beyond. Throughout the years, the firm has served as counsel for many of the region’s leading businesses and continues to do so today. Our attorneys work in business, litigation and natural resources with over 30 specialized practice areas, all with the singular focus – to advance our clients’ interests.