n 1944, during World War II, Chicagoan Arthur Goldberg was deployed on a mission to North Africa for the Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the CIA. He knew that his old friend, Carl Devoe, was stationed in Cairo also doing intelligence work. Goldberg contacted Devoe, and the two men agreed to meet in Casablanca during Goldberg’s layover there. Soon after they met, there was a blackout in the city. Undeterred, Devoe and Goldberg went to the roof of a nearby building, sat down near the edge of a parapet and stared out into the darkness. They began to talk about their future-if they managed to live through the war. Before the night was over, the two men had agreed to start a law firm.

The partnership envisioned on that Casablanca rooftop opened its doors in the Chicago Loop in 1946, and over the next half-century has become one of the most highly regarded small law firms in the country. Now known as Miller Shakman & Beem, the firm concentrates its practice on complex litigation matters. By assembling some of the brightest lawyers from the best law schools, and by maintaining a manageable size and structure, we are able to provide our clients personalized attention and top-level legal representation. Perhaps the most telling characteristic of the firm is the frequency with which it is chosen by the best-informed and most selective consumers of legal services - other lawyers. Top firms from Chicago and throughout the country regularly refer their clients to us when unable to handle the case themselves, and law firms of all sizes select us to represent them directly in legal malpractice and other matters.