Rawle & Henderson is a Mid-Atlantic regional law firm of over 100 attorneys engaged in the defense of civil trial litigation. The hallmark of the firm’s success has been its ability to adapt to the changing legal landscape. The American Bar Association has recognized Rawle & Henderson as the oldest law firm in continuous practice in the United States.

The firm’s founder, William Rawle, established the Rawle Law Offices in Philadelphia in 1783 and quickly took his place among Philadelphia’s legal elite. Rawle was a member of the American Philosophical Society, a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, founder and president of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, and counsel for the First Bank of the United States. His reputation as a lawyer vaulted him into the position of delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Assembly of 1789. His public service continued when he accepted President George Washington’s request to become the first U.S. Attorney for the District of Pennsylvania in 1791. Rawle became the first chancellor of the newly founded Philadelphia Bar Association in 1822, and remained in that position until his death. In 1913, the firm became known as Rawle & Henderson with the addition of Joseph Henderson. In the 1920s, Henderson expanded the maritime practice of the firm, a practice that Rawle & Henderson continues to this day. Henderson became the president of the American Bar Association in 1943 and served on the Board of Philadelphia City Trusts.