Franklin T. Dewey III
Senior Partner, Litigation
Mr. Dewey has not lost a case since 1987, the year he stopped taking them to trial. He is admitted to practice in New York, Connecticut and, briefly, Nevada.
Ninety-five years of getting our clients exactly what they deserve.1
A full-service law firm advising corporations, families and the occasional head of state since 1931. We take on the difficult matters, the complicated ones and, wherever possible, the billable ones.
- As determined by the firm, at its sole discretion, and billed at partner rates. ↩︎
The firm library. Visits are welcome and billed at the standard hourly rate.
Caveat cliens. Let the client beware. The firm motto since 1931.
Built on trust. Specifically, yours.
For nearly a century, Dewey, Cheatem & Howe has stood beside its clients through mergers, disputes, inheritances and investigations. We have argued before every federal circuit, most state supreme courts, and one parole board rather more often than we would like.
Today the firm has 412 lawyers2 in four offices, organized around a single conviction: every client deserves to be heard, and every hour deserves to be billed.
We don’t promise outcomes. We promise attention: to your matter, to your documents, and to the precise moment you stop reading them.
- Founded
- 1931, New York
- Attorneys
- 412
- Offices
- 4, one of them a mailbox
- Billing committee
- 1 member
- Includes summer associates, two retired partners who still come in for lunch, and Mr. Dewey’s nephew. ↩︎
Practice areas
Eight practices. One invoice.
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Corporate and M&A
We structure mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures so that everyone at the table walks away with something. Usually it’s us.
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Litigation and trial
Seasoned trial lawyers who know that every case can be won, settled, or billed in perpetuity.
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White-collar defense
Our partners bring unmatched personal experience to every investigation.
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Estates and trusts
We make sure your wishes are honored and your estate reaches its rightful heirs. Eventually.
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Tax controversy
Disputes with revenue authorities, handled from offices conveniently located in the Cayman Islands.
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Real estate
Closings, leases and title disputes. We have read every word of your lease, and added several.
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Appellate
If at first you don’t succeed, we’ll bill, bill again.
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Personal injury
If you’ve been hurt, we’ll make sure someone pays. Ideally someone other than you.
The name partners
Three founding families, one shared philosophy, and a partnership agreement no court has yet managed to interpret.
Margaret Cheatem
Managing Partner, Chair of the Billing Committee
Ms. Cheatem introduced the six-minute billing increment, the four-minute phone call, and the invoice for reading the invoice. She is the committee’s only member.
Howard Howe
Partner, Client Relations
Mr. Howe answers the questions clients ask after receiving their first invoice, most of which begin with his name.
Representative matters
Recent outcomes. Client names are withheld at their request and, in two cases, by court order.
| Matter | Outcome | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Represented a regional transit authority in a contract dispute with its rolling-stock supplier. | $48 million settlement secured for the client. Firm fee: $47.9 million. | 2025 |
| Advised on the $2.1 billion merger of two competing manufacturers. | Closed on schedule. We represented both sides, which kept negotiations unusually cordial. | 2024 |
| Defended a hedge fund principal against twelve counts of securities fraud. | Acquitted on all counts. The firm is now suing the client for its fee. | 2024 |
| Administered a contested estate across three generations of heirs. | Resolved in just under eleven years. Remaining estate: one ottoman, reupholstered. | 2023 |
| Brought a class action against a national airline over lost luggage. | Each class member received a $4 travel voucher. Counsel’s fee was paid in aircraft. | 2022 |
In our clients’ words
Many of our clients prefer to keep a low profile, so their portraits appear in silhouette.
I’ve been drafting binding contracts since the dawn of time. Theirs is the first one I couldn’t find my way out of.
I find their hourly rates disturbing. But in twenty years, not one of their contracts has had a thermal exhaust port.
I wanted my estate divided seven ways and hidden where no one would think to look. They didn’t ask a single question.
They won my insanity plea, then billed me as if I were perfectly sane. Funniest thing I’ve seen in years.
- Portrait taken at school, around 1943. Mr. Riddle has since changed his name and has asked that we not mention it. ↩︎
Our fees
We believe in complete transparency, provided the schedule is read in full.
- Initial consultation
- Complimentary4
- Partner time
- $1,450 per hour
- Associate time
- $890 per hour
- Paralegal time
- $425 per hour
- Thinking about your matter in the shower
- Partner rate
- Photocopying
- $12 per page
- Photocopying, double-sided
- $26 per page
- Reading this schedule
- 0.2 hours
All time is recorded in six-minute increments and rounded to the nearest hour.
- The consultation itself is free. The walk from reception to the conference room is billed at the partner rate, with a one-hour minimum. ↩︎
Offices
Four locations, chosen for their proximity to our clients and their distance from regulators.
New York
Two Retainer Plaza, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10005
Headquarters since 1931.
London
14 Billings Gate
London EC3R 6DX
Our oldest overseas office, and our most expensive.
Grand Cayman
Offshore House
George Town, KY1-1931
Visits by appointment
Appointments are not currently available.
Wilmington, Delaware
Mailbox 1931
Wilmington, DE 19801
No telephone
Registered home of 4,212 of our clients’ subsidiaries.
Frequently asked questions
The only straight answers on this website.
What does the name Dewey, Cheatem & Howe mean?
It’s the surnames of our three founding partners. Any resemblance to the phrase “Do we cheat ’em? And how!” is a coincidence the firm is prepared to argue at length, and at partner rates.
How does Dewey, Cheatem & Howe bill its time?
In six-minute increments, rounded to the nearest hour. Partner time is $1,450 an hour, the initial consultation is complimentary, and the walk from reception to the conference room is billed at the partner rate.
Who are the firm’s name partners?
Franklin T. Dewey III leads litigation, Margaret Cheatem is managing partner and the only member of the Billing Committee, and Howard Howe handles client relations, including most questions that begin with his name.
Which clients has the firm represented?
Clients who have spoken about us include The Devil, Darth Vader, Tom Marvolo Riddle and J. Oswald White, alongside corporations, families and the occasional head of state. Most prefer to keep a low profile.
Where are the firm’s offices?
New York, our headquarters since 1931, plus London, Grand Cayman and Wilmington, Delaware. The Delaware office is a mailbox, and the Grand Cayman office is not currently taking appointments.
Who made this website?
This website was designed and built by utku.space.
Request a consultation
Tell us about your matter. An attorney will review it and reply within one business day5.
Prefer to talk? Call New York on +1 212 555 0131. The call is free; the hold music is not.
- A business day is defined in Schedule F of the engagement letter as any day on which the firm does business. ↩︎