Craftsmanship and character

This work by one of the country's leading legal historians is perhaps the most complete history ever written of a major American multinational law firm. Granted unprecedented access to the private files of the Vinson & Elkins firm in Houston, Texas, Harold M. Hyman has crafted a unique and detailed history and analysis of the founding, growth, and operation of a prototypical multinational firm.

The history of Vinson & Elkins both mirrors and contrasts that of many other large American law firms. The firm was founded in 1917 by two partners, who pooled a handful of clients and ten thousand dollars. By the 1990s the firm retained more than five hundred lawyers, represented more than eight thousand clients on several continents, and posted multi-million dollar annual earnings.