Hunton & Williams (formerly Munford, Hunton, Williams and Anderson) was founded on November 1, 1901, in
Richmond, Virginia, by
Henry W. Anderson,
Eppa Hunton Jr.,
Beverley B. Munford, and
E. Randolph Williams. The firm is focused on litigation, business, and finance law. The firm changed names many times over the years: • Munford, Hunton, Williams and Anderson from 1901 to 1927 • Hunton, Williams, Anderson and Gay from 1927 to 1932 as Munford dropped out and
Thomas B. Gay joined • Hunton, Williams, Anderson, Gay and Moore from 1932 to 1954 as Thomas Justin Moore Sr. joined • Hunton, Williams, Gay, Moore and Powell from 1954 to 1960 as Anderson dropped out and
Lewis F. Powell Jr. joined • Hunton, Williams, Gay, Powell and Gibson from 1960 to 1972 as Moore dropped out and George Dandridge Gibson joined • Hunton, Williams, Gay and Gibson from 1972 to 1976 as Powell dropped out • Hunton and Williams in from 1976 to 2003 • Hunton and Williams LLP from 2003 to 2018 The firm's most notable member, a name partner from 1954 until 1972, was Lewis F. Powell Jr., who focused on corporate law and representing clients such as the
Tobacco Institute until he became a member of the
U.S. Supreme Court in 1971. The firm's initial hire of a woman was Elizabeth Tompkins, the first woman graduate of the
University of Virginia Law School, who worked as a summer clerk at Hunton & Williams in 1921 and 1922. In 1943, during the Second World War, two women lawyers were hired to work at Hunton & Williams: Sarah Geer Dale and Nan Ross McConnell. Dale's first case involved a labor-law issue for
Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock. She left the firm in 1945 to get married and retired from the practice of law. McConnell stayed on until 1948, when she married. Hunton & Williams was the first law firm in the United States to open an office solely for the practice of law
pro bono. The firm has a Centre for Information Policy Leadership, which focuses on
privacy and
data protection work. The managing partner, Samuel A. Danon, has held that position since April 2023. ==Reputation==