The law firm currently practicing as Trowbridge, Planert & Schaefer is the direct descendant, through at least fourteen name changes (reflecting changing partners), of the firm of Greene and Vroman which operated in Green Bay in the early 1890s. The latter firm can be traced, with less certainty, to the law practice of Timothy O. Howe in the 1840s.
Since the 1880s the firm has had a general law practice serving individual clients, a variety of small businesses, and a few major corporate clients. Throughout its history the firm's practice generally has been confined to civil practice and to work in the northeastern region of Wisconsin, particularly Brown, Oconto, and Marinette counties, although the firm occasionally argued cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
During the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries the firm consisted of from four to six individuals. The corporate clients included Holt Lumber Company, Menominee Bay Shore Lumber Company, Green Bay and Western Railway Company, and Chicago and Northwestern Railway Company. The firm handled a variety of legal matters for these firms and other clients including simple land transfer actions (generally clearing title to land), debt collections, insurance litigation, and personal injury suits. The firm also represented and carried out a wide range of legal work for several county and town governments in the region and was involved in the settlement of several bankruptcies.
Many of the firm's members achieved considerable prominence in local social, civic, business, and legal circles. For example, attorney Charles E. Vroman served on the Green Bay Board of Education and the University of Wisconsin Board of Visitors and attorney James McGillan left the firm to become Mayor of Green Bay. Attorneys H.O. Fairchild and George Greene were closely involved in Republican party politics on the Stalwart side. In addition to legal practice, Greene managed several business enterprises and attorney B.L. Parker was an officer in several firms and business associations.
From the 1930s to the 1960s, the firm continued principally to serve business clients. At least one-fourth of its cases involved automobile accidents in which the firm usually represented out-of-state insurance companies in disputes over the nature and extent of their liability. Collection of debts for small local firms, for larger corporate clients (e.g. the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, a public utility operating a bus company and an electricity generating and distributing business), and for out-of-state firms was a smaller but important aspect of the firm's practice, especially in the 1930s.
In addition to undertaking litigation on behalf of clients, the firm provided a number of other services, including preparation of legal documents and income tax returns, advice on corporate governance and other business matters, and assistance in labor negotiations. The firm did virtually no criminal work, very few divorces, and only a limited number of probate, guardianship, and trust cases.
Series 1 of this collection contains additional historical information about the firm and, especially, about the member attorneys.
