Benesch

Founded in 1938, Benesch is one of Cleveland's most notable law firms. The firm has been recognized for its litigation, corporate, healthcare, and real estate work.

Midwest Roots and Worldwide Growth

Cleveland attorneys Alfred Benesch, Jerome Friedlander, and I. Robert Morris founded the firm at the tail end of the Depression. Benesch, a prominent player in Cleveland politics, had served as a judge in Cleveland's police court, a city council member, and State Director of Commerce. He was also heavily involved in area schools as a member of Cleveland's Board of Education, and a local elementary school was eventually named after him. Robert Coplan joined the firm after serving as a naval aviator during World War II and built up the firm's tax practice. In 1958, George Aronoff joined the firm, taking over the practice from Coplan in the 1970s.

Recently, Benesch has pursued a strategy of steady growth from its Midwest base. In 2007, the firm expanded to the East Coast, establishing an office in Delaware. In 2015, after Gregg Eisenberg, now Managing Partner, took over leadership, Benesch opened a Chicago office with hires from Ulmer & Berne’s litigation practice. In 2019, the firm opened its San Francisco office, followed by its newest office, in New York City, in 2023.

From Corporate to Real Estate

Benesch has established corporate & securities, commercial finance and banking, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, real estate, restructuring and bankruptcy, tax, and executive compensation and benefits practices. The firm counsels clients in more than 20 industries.

In the firm’s corporate and securities practice, Benesch attorneys counsel clients on corporate governance, fund formation, joint ventures, M&A, private equity, securities, and other matters.

The firm’s real estate attorneys work on construction-related issues, environmental law, leasing, mortgage financing, purchases and sales, tax matters, and zoning. The firm’s clients include buyers, sellers, developers, landlords, tenants, lenders, and borrowers. Firm lawyers not only step up when clients need assistance with transactional matters or litigation but also provide counsel on regulatory and compliance matters.

Got Your Back

Benesch attorneys don’t go it alone when it comes to navigating their professional development. New attorneys are provided benchmarks to help them understand firm expectations. They also participate in a first-year training and mentoring program that supports a successful transition from law student to legal practitioner. The signature portion of this program is Benesch Basecamp, a four-day in-person program that provides foundational training on the professional skills critical for success in private practice. In addition to attending this program, new lawyers have opportunities for training through tailored department programs and through BeneschCORE, which helps lawyers develop their leadership, client service, technology, DEI-related, and business development skills.

• Benesch represents Smartmatic in the case of Smartmatic USA Corp. et al. v. Fox Corporation et al. With the settlement of US Dominion v. Fox News Network, LLC, the nation’s attention has turned to Smartmatic’s suits against various defamers, which will have a significant impact on the development of defamation law in the United States.
• Represented a prominent real estate investment trust with a significant national footprint in a transformational financing transaction, enabling the spin-off of a newly created public company. This included negotiating a $1.1 billion binding lending commitment, followed by a $530 million portfolio loan secured by 23 shopping centers across the United States.
• Benesch represented bourbon distillery, Wilderness Trail Distillery, LLC, in its $600 million sale to Campari Group based out of Italy. The transaction included a 30% retained interest in Wilderness Trail by the equity holders.
• Benesch represented JX Nippon and Gould Electronics in the matter of California Department of Toxic Substances Control and the Toxic Substances Control Account v. JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation, Gould Electronics, et al., which has been characterized as the largest contamination clean-up effort in California history. The trial outcome was an unprecedented victory for defendants in a large environmental case. Moreover, the court articulated new standards for causation that will impact environmental litigation going forward.

• Ranked No. 127 in the Am Law 200, 2025—The American Lawyer
• Mansfield 6.0 Certification, 2022–2025—Diversity Lab
• Leading Law Firm, 2025—Bloomberg Law
• Best Companies to Work For, 2024–2025—U.S. News & World Report
• Most Loved Workplace, 2023–2024—Newsweek