Firm Profile

At Ulmer & Berne, our goal is exceptional service and value for every single client. We understand that each client represents an important relationship to us, whether that client is an individual, a small business or Fortune 500 company. Ever since our Firm was founded in 1908, we have grown steadily into a leading statewide and regional presence. Ulmer & Berne represents publicly traded and privately held companies, financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, family businesses, international joint ventures and affiliations, investor groups, start-ups and emerging businesses, local and regional governments, and nonprofit organizations. At Ulmer & Berne, growth has been driven by client needs and can be attributed to our excellence in client services on a local, regional and national level.

HISTORY
In a small Cleveland office 100 years ago, business lawyers Jacob Ulmer and Joseph Berne entered into practice as Ulmer & Berne. Since our founding, the remarkable growth in attorney numbers, offices and practice group areas has reflected Ulmer & Berne’s continued commitment to not only meet our clients’ changing needs, but exceed their expectations. In 1948, Ulmer & Berne grew to seven attorneys and changed its name to Ulmer, Berne, Gordon & Glickman. A merger with the law firm of Laronge & Curtis in 1953 brought the total to 10 attorneys. In 1988 the firm decided to honor its founding partners by returning to its original name of Ulmer & Berne LLP. After three more decades of significant growth and success in Cleveland, the Columbus office of Ulmer & Berne opened in 1989, extending the firm’s reach into new markets and business communities, most notably with its highly regarded environmental law practice. By 1998, Ulmer & Berne attorneys numbered nearly 100.

OHIO EXPANSION
More expansion was needed to respond to an increasingly sophisticated state, regional and national clientele, and therefore the Cincinnati office was opened in 2000. Formerly the Cincinnati firm of Walker Chatfield & Doan and originally founded in the mid-1960s, the Cincinnati office enjoys national success with its leading pharmaceutical and mass tort litigation practice. In our continuing efforts to broaden our reach and better service our clients' needs, Ulmer & Berne's Chicago office opened in 2001, further enhancing the firm’s substantial financial services industry practice.

What began a century ago as a law firm with two attorneys, one desk and one phone has grown into a firm with more than 180 attorneys practicing in four offices across the Midwest. In celebration of Ulmer & Berne’s 100th Anniversary, the Firm will be participating in various community and civic activities throughout the year to give back to the cities in which its attorneys and staff live and work. Ulmer & Berne kicked off the celebration with a $100,000 donation to the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, which will be used to further the efforts of the Volunteer Lawyers Program and other Legal Aid programs in Cincinnati and Columbus, where the Firm also has offices.

Ulmer & Berne is proud to be affiliated with these fine organizations:  Business Counsel Lawyers Associated Worldwide (LAW) World Services Group (WSG)

Diversity

Our Commitment to Diversity At Ulmer & Berne LLP, we consider diversity to be  fundamental to our success.

It promotes a broader, richer work environment. It replaces tired, conventional solutions with creative ideas. It enriches individual assets and strengthens our collective value.

We believe our diverse workforce -- and by "diverse," we mean a workforce made up of people of different races, religions, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and genders -- makes Ulmer & Berne a more resourceful, perceptive and ultimately more capable law firm.

To ensure that our commitment to a diverse workplace remains a reality, Ulmer & Berne has created a Diversity Committee comprised of attorneys who share the same goal of continued firm diversity. This group assists in recruiting and promoting attorneys with varied and unique backgrounds. 

Our efforts include active participation in the following programs and organizations:

Law Firm Matchmaker Event
The annual Law Firm Matchmaker Event is coordinated by the Cleveland Bar Association and the Cleveland Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators with the assistance of the Northern Ohio Minority Business Council.  
 
Greater Cincinnati Minority Counsel Program Member
An organization of business members that encourages the hiring of minority attorneys to do corporate legal work.
 
Just the Beginning Foundation
An organization to foster diversity in the federal and state judiciary.

Midwest Region Minority Recruitment Conference
Coordinated by the Black Law Students Association including students and schools from across the midwest.

Tri-State Diversity Recruiting Program
A two-day recruiting event for minority law students from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

Minority Clerkship Program
Coordinated by the Cleveland Bar Association, the MCP is a competitive program placing 1L law students in firms, companies and the public sector. Partner Inajo Davis Chappell is the chair of the Minority Clerkship Committee.

BLAC Roundtable - Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati
An organization of attorneys, judges, law firms and law students whose mission is to further diversify the legal community of Cincinnati.

Minority Corporate Counsel Association
U&B sponsored the MCCA's 6th Annual Creating Pathways to Diversity® Conference in 2005.

Our Commitment to Women

At Ulmer & Berne, we believe the strength and prosperity of our Firm is fundamentally dependent on our ability to attract, retain and advance women attorneys. But the mere successful recruitment, retention and advancement of women attorneys is not the ultimate goal. We strive to offer our women attorneys a full opportunity to develop themselves professionally to the highest possible level, to generate and sustain important client relationships, and to take leadership roles in the Firm.

In recognition of this goal, we have developed the Women’s Professional Development Committee. This committee is comprised of female partners and associates whose primary objectives are to develop recruitment, retention and career advancement programs and policies geared towards helping our women attorneys excel in the legal profession. 

Through events, networking, mentoring and training programs, the Women’s Professional Development Committee helps women attorneys accomplish their goals and reach their fullest potential at work, in the community and at home.

Timeline of Firm

Positioning Statement

Pro Bono/Community

Ulmer & Berne is proud of the commitment that our Firm and its attorneys make to local, national and worldwide communities through nonprofit involvement, pro bono work, and various other activities. Our attorneys give their time, passion, and resources to well over 200 nonprofit organizations, including the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Clubs, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Alzheimer's Association, Human Rights Campaign, and Center for Families and Children.

In 2007, the offices of Ulmer & Berne dedicated over 5,100 hours through pro bono work and community outreach. The Cleveland office works closely with the Cleveland Bar Association's "Our Commitment to Our Community Campaign," while the Cincinnati and Columbus offices of Ulmer & Berne are very involved with the Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Legal Aid Society. Constantly striving to make the cities in which we work and live more viable, Ulmer & Berne's dedication to its communities is of paramount importance to the Firm.