Brown & Brune, the first of four law firms which were the progenitors of the present firm of Niles, Barton & Wilmer, was formed by George William Brown and Frederick W. Brune in 1838 in Baltimore City. George William Brown served as Mayor of the City of Baltimore at the outbreak of the Civil War and later took an active part in the Constitutional Convention of 1867. In 1873 he was elected to the post of Chief Judge of the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City. He later served as president of the Bar Association of Baltimore City and died in 1890. Although Frederick W. Brune took no active part in politics, it has been said that his legal career was "characterized by unwearied industry." This dedication and devotion was passed on to his offspring, including his grandson, the late Frederick W. Brune, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals from 1954-1964.
In 1867, two years after the end of the Civil War, Randolph Barton and Skipwith Wilmer, two veterans of the Confederate Army from Virginia, came to Baltimore and established a law practice under the firm name of Barton & Wilmer, another predecessor of the present firm. Two of Mr. Barton's seven sons, Randolph and Carlyle, followed them into the firm, with Randolph Barton staying with the firm the balance of his life. In 1915, Carlyle Barton left the firm and joined Judge Alfred Niles who had retired from the Bench to form the firm of Niles & Barton, which later became Niles & Barton, Wolff & Morrow.
In 1899, when the Brown & Brune, Niles & Barton and Barton & Wilmer firms were all well established in Baltimore City, the firm of Gans & Haman was formed. Gans and Haman merged with the firm of Brown & Brune in 1948. This firm, which in 1961 was known as Markell, Veazey & Gans merged with Niles, Barton, Yost & Dankmeyer and assumed the name of Niles, Barton, Gans & Markell. In 1968, the Niles, Barton firm merged with the firm then known as Barton, Wilmer, Bramble, Addison & Seamans and adopted the name under which it presently conducts its practice - Niles, Barton & Wilmer.
Throughout its history, Niles, Barton & Wilmer and its predecessors have maintained a tradition of service to the Bench, the Bar and the larger community. W. Calvin Chestnut, Charles Markell and Emory H. Niles all served with distinction on the Federal and State Benches. Judge Niles, along with Arnold W. Knauth helped found the American Maritime Cases in 1923, which ever since has been the premier maritime case reporting service in the United States. The Honorable Paul W. Grimm was a partner in the firm until his appointment as a United States Magistrate in 1997. For years, the firm's partners have served on the boards of educational, charitable and corporate organizations such as Johns Hopkins University, the Peabody Institute, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Maryland Institute, the John F. Kennedy Institute, and the Maryland Historical Society.
Niles, Barton & Wilmer has consistently retained its identity as a firm with a strong commitment in four general practices areas. The firm has historically maintained, and continues to maintain a strong regional presence in the areas of litigation, corporate law, estate law and real estate law.
All sections of the firm do substantial work for corporations and other organizations with national and international bases. Although the roots of Niles, Barton & Wilmer have been in the economy and legal structure of the Baltimore region and the State of Maryland, the Firm now practices throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region.
