History of a law firm—

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

May 6, 2026

You don’t get to be 158 years old without having a good story or two. A law firm is no exception.

Here from dusty archives and up-to-date research are some of the tales of the lawyers, clients, cases, and deals in the colorful history of the firm now known as Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. A Nobel Peace Prize winner, Cabinet secretaries, even pro football players have crossed our doors. Landmark events in many industries and countries have seen Pillsbury attorneys at the helm.

It hasn’t always gone by that name, of course. Here is the watershed supplied by the Pillsbury River and its distinguished tributaries!

Here are links to the materials compiled firm by firm, predecessor by predecessor. More will be added both from research into the past and from Pillsbury achievements of the present and future.

PILLSBURY WINTHROP SHAW PITTMAN

Past, Present, Pillsbury—the overall firm history (2018)

PILLSBURY, MADISON & SUTRO

Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro—The History of a Law Firm (1961)

The Early Pillsbury Partners, by Francis Marshall

Address by John A. Sutro, Sr.

Address in Honor of John A. Sutro, Sr.

Oral histories of Pillsbury partners (UC Berkeley Regional Oral History Project)

Six Bits or Bust (Pillsbury’s role in securing insurance proceeds after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire)

PILLSBURY & SUTRO (Manila, Philippines)

Pillsbury in Manila after the Spanish-American War

WINTHROP, STIMSON, PUTNAM & ROBERTS