Roots
in railroads and higher education
The firm known today as Stuart & Branigin LLP traces its roots to 1878, when a young attorney named Thomas A. Stuart formed the law partnership of Coffroth and Stuart in Lafayette, Indiana. In his practice, Thomas assisted his brother Charles B. Stuart, who had recently succeeded their father, former Indiana Supreme Court Judge William Z. Stuart, as Indiana counsel for the Toledo and Wabash Railroad Company (known today as Norfolk Southern Railway Company).
The two brothers joined with a third, William V. Stuart, in 1890 to form the firm of Stuart Brothers.
The Stuart family's connection with Toledo and Wabash Railroad marked the beginning of our firm's long history of service to railroad clients, which today include Amtrak, Canadian Pacific Railway, CSX, Norfolk Southern and others.
Another early focus for the firm was Purdue University and its foundations,
which Stuart & Branigin has represented for over a century in
a full range of legal matters. Over the years, five of our attorneys
have also served as Purdue trustees.
One of these, Roger D. Branigin (1902-1975), became
a partner in 1938, after serving as general counsel for the Federal
Land Bank of Louisville. In World War II, he served as Lieutenant
Colonel in the Judge Advocate General’s Department and as
chief of the Legal Division of the Transportation Corps. From 1965-1969,
he served as the forty-second governor of Indiana.
Broad corporate
practice
In its first decades, Stuart & Branigin
played a key role in the formation and development of the Lafayette
business community. The firm helped organize and launch several
key companies, including The Lafayette Life Insurance Company in
1905, Rostone Corporation in 1928, Lafayette National Bank in 1933,
and National Homes Corporation in 1940.
As the city expanded, so did the firm, developing a broad corporate
practice with many practice areas. Over the years, Stuart &
Branigin has represented:
• Global manufacturers such as Anheuser-Busch,
Inc., Caterpillar Tractor Company, Great Lakes Chemical Corporation,
and Subaru-Isuzu Automotive Inc.
• National corporate pioneers such as Aluminum Company of America,
American Surety Company, General Telephone Company,
and Western Union Telegraph Company.
• Local organizations like Home Hospital, St. Elizabeth Medical
Center, and many others.
Clients like these form the heart of our
practice, which today excels in business,
education, health care, insurance,
railroad, and
technology law.
Lafayette and
Indianapolis
Since 1918, the firm has occupied
space in the former Lafayette Life Insurance Company building on
Lafayette's courthouse square - a building we purchased in 1982
and renovated in 2002. The firm opened an Indianapolis office in
2000.
Our consistent performance for more than 125 years gives clients
confidence in our ability to do a quality job today... and well
into the future. |
