

In 1879 the Couderts established a law practice in Paris. Although the family lost this case, it remained a client of the law firm. Mora, Coudert Brothers represented the Mora family that tried to ship goods to the Confederacy. They worked on criminal extradition cases that provided little income but built their reputation as French-speaking attorneys.ĭuring the Civil War, the firm worked on cases involving the Union ’s blockading of neutral shipping from entering the port of New Orleans. Building on their father ’s ties to French leaders, the three brothers gained the French consulate in New York City as their most important early client.

” For example, their first known client was a French physician accused of assault.īy the 1860s the firm represented the Mora family, prominent Cubans in shipping and warehousing who also started their own bank. from the start Coudert Brothers ’ clientele was heavily composed of foreign nationals. “Since Papa Coudert ’s connections lay largely in New York City ’s French and Spanish populations, ” wrote Virginia Veenswijk in her history of the law firm, “. Then in 1857 Louis came aboard and for the first time the term Coudert Brothers was listed in the city directory. In 1853 Frederic Rene began his law practice and two years later Charles, Jr., joined him. The three brothers, Frederic Rene Coudert, Charles Coudert, Jr., and Louis Leonce Coudert, were born in New York City in 1832, 1833, and 1836, respectively. He settled in New York City, where he raised his family.

Born in 1795, their father sailed from his homeland of France in 1824. Three sons of Charles Coudert started the law firm of Coudert Brothers. Unlike some other large law firms, Coudert Brothers receives no more than five percent of its annual revenue from any single client. Coudert Brothers ’ attorneys deal with virtually all areas of modern business and commercial law. Coudert Brothers was also the first foreign law firm to open offices in London (1960), Hong Kong (1972), Singapore (1972), Beijing (1979), and Moscow (1988), although several law firms have larger international practices. law firm to open an overseas office -in Paris. With 25 offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, Coudert Brothers is an important international law firm that represents multinational corporations, foreign governments, and individual clients.
