Tillinghast Licht

LLP A limited liability partnership (LLP) is a partnership in which some or all partners (depending on the jurisdiction) have limited liabilities. It therefore can exhibit aspects of both partnerships and corporations. In an LLP, each partner is n ...

was a

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

–based

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

, from 1818 to 2008. Established in 1818 by Charles Foster Tillinghast, Sr., a scion of one of the oldest families in Rhode Island, it was one of the oldest law firms in

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. In 1816, Tillinghast was admitted to the

Rhode Island bar The Rhode Island Bar Association (RIBAR or RIBA) is the Bar association#Mandatory, integrated or unified bar associations, unified (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Organization Founded in 1898, the Rhode Island Bar ...

and opened his first office, in the village of Chepachet. The following year, he returned to Providence and partnered with

Samuel W. Bridgham Samuel Willard Bridgham (May 4, 1774 – December 28, 1840) was the first mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. Early life Bridgham was born on May 4, 1774, in Seekonk, Massachusetts. He graduated from Brown University with the class of 1794, a ...

, under whom he had studied at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

. Six years later, Tillinghast opened his own office. In 1842, Tillinghast partnered with Charles S. Bradley, who would later become Rhode Island's chief justice. In 1843, Tillinghast represented Providence for a single term in the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...

. Tillinghast & Bradley was well known in Rhode Island until the firm dissolved in 1858. At that time, Tillinghast and his son James, who had joined the firm in 1851, continued as Tillinghast & Tillinghast. That name would continue after Charles died in 1864 and James continued to practice with his sons, William Richmond and Theodore Foster Tillinghast. In the early 20th century, with William Tillinghast still a member of the firm, Tillinghast & Tillinghast merged with another firm to form Tillinghast & Collins. It was the first of several mergers in the last century, all that saw the Tillinghast name remain preeminent. Between 1913 and 1916, later famous

civil liberties Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...

advocate Zechariah Chafee practiced for Tillinghast & Collins. In the 1970s, Tillinghast, Collins & Tanner joined with Graham, Reid, Ewing & Stapleton. In the 1990s, Tillinghast Collins & Graham merged with Licht & Semonoff to form Tillinghast Licht & Semonoff. The name was later shortened to Tillinghast Licht. In 2000, it merged with the Boston firm of Perkins Smith & Cohen and called its Rhode Island office Tillinghast Licht Perkins Smith & Cohen, but the firms split only a few years later, and Tillinghast Licht returned to its former name. In May 2008, Tillinghast Licht announced that it will wind down business in the next few months, with six key lawyers joining Adler Pollock & Sheehan.

Notable attorneys

* Charles S. Bradley, former Rhode Island chief justice * Zechariah Chafee, influential legal scholar * Joseph DeAngelis, former House Speaker * Richard A. Licht, former

Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gov ...

Patrick C. Lynch Patrick C. Lynch (born February 4, 1965, Providence, Rhode Island) is an American lawyer who served as Rhode Island's 72nd Attorney General. He oversaw the investigation and prosecution of the second-deadliest fire in Rhode Island history, the ...

, attorney general of Rhode Island * Joseph W. Walsh, former mayor of

Warwick, Rhode Island Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...

External links

{{Defunct law firms of the United States Defunct law firms of the United States Law firms established in 1818 Law firms based in Providence, Rhode Island Law firms disestablished in 2008 Defunct companies based in Rhode Island 1818 establishments in Rhode Island 2008 disestablishments in Rhode Island