Williams & Mullen was founded in 1909 by two Richmond, Virginia attorneys, Lewis C. Williams and James Mullen, who recognized that changes in laws affecting the finances of businesses and individuals would require people to retain knowledgeable legal counsel. With the adoption of the federal income tax in 1913, their instincts proved correct. Williams & Mullen prospered and over the next fifty years greatly expanded its services to businesses. In 1961, a merger brought Stuart G. Christian to the firm, creating Williams, Mullen & Christian.

Virgil R. Goode and Morton L. Wallerstein became partners in their own Richmond law firm in 1919. Howard W. Dobbins joined them in 1947 and helped turn Wallerstein, Goode & Dobbins into a major statewide provider of services in the banking, finance, commercial, securities, and regulatory fields. Its 1986 merger with Williams, Mullen & Christian, P.C., created Williams, Mullen, Christian & Dobbins, P.C. In 1999, the firm merged with Clark & Stant, a Virginia Beach-based law firm, becoming the firm of Williams, Mullen, Clark & Dobbins, P.C. In 2004, Williams Mullen merged with the Norfolk firm, Hofheimer Nusbaum. Williams Mullen merged with North Carolina firm, Maupin Taylor, P.A. in 2007, acquiring offices in Raleigh, Research Triangle Park and Wilmington, N.C.

Today Williams Mullen continues to grow by hiring highly qualified attorneys, opening new offices and joining with similarly focused and experienced firms in locations in the U.S. and abroad to better serve our clients.