In 1897, Kemper K. Knapp founded a law firm in Chicago. More than a century later, Rooks Pitts was one of the city’s most storied independent firms. So was Schwartz Cooper, a commercial powerhouse that already had Dykema on its radar.

For Dykema, building our presence in the Chicago market meant finding partners who shared our values, aligned with our culture, and understood what it felt like to build upon a long legacy of excellent service. Here’s how we did it, one combination at a time.