What Dinsmore & Shohl does

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is a national, full-service law firm established in 1908 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm operates as a privately-held limited liability partnership with 22+ offices across the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Rocky Mountain, and West Coast regions, employing between 501 and 1,000 people, including 250+ attorneys recognized in the 2025 Best Lawyers in America. The firm is led by Managing Partner and Chairman Josh Lorentz.

The firm delivers legal services across a broad practice and industry matrix. Practice areas include Corporate & M&A, Intellectual Property (with over 100 IP attorneys), Transportation, Sports Law, Public Utilities, Life Sciences, Health Care, Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, False Claims Act, Construction, Labor & Employment, and Government Investigations. Industry verticals span Construction, Education, Financial Services, Franchise & Distribution, Gaming, Health Care, Insurance, Life Sciences, Public Utilities, Sports, and Transportation. Several attorneys hold technical backgrounds in mechanical, software, electrical, and computer science engineering, enabling sophisticated patent prosecution and IP litigation. The firm is recognized as one of the most experienced railroad litigation practices in the country, having handled thousands of matters including dozens of cases tried to verdict.

Dinsmore generates revenue through traditional professional services fee structures—hourly billing, flat fees, contingency where appropriate, and project-based engagements for corporate transactions. The go-to-market model is relationship-driven: direct attorney business development, RFP responses for enterprise legal departments, professional referrals, and earned-media credibility via Best Lawyers, Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, WTR 1000, and NetDiligence rankings. The client base is diversified across Fortune 500 enterprises (Hyundai, Toyota Material Handling, Sysco, Forward Air), emerging ventures, and mission-driven organizations. Recent strategic activity includes the January 2025 acquisition of Shankman Leone, lateral partner additions from Middleton Reutlinger's IP practice, and an active M&A advisory practice (Land Air Express/Forward Air; GreenGas USA/IFM Investors in 2023). The firm has no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or public market investment structure.

Name

Dinsmore & Shohl

Legal name

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Website

https://dinsmore.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is a privately-held national full-service law firm founded in 1908 and headquartered in Cincinnati, with 22+ US offices and 250+ attorneys. It serves Fortune 500 enterprises, emerging ventures, and mission-driven organizations across transportation, life sciences, public utilities, healthcare, and IP.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

Keywords

• Legal advisory services
• Corporate litigation counsel
• Intellectual property law
• Transportation law firm
• Mergers and acquisitions law

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices22 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Full-service law firm providing comprehensive legal counsel across multiple practice areas and industries. Revenue generated through traditional legal fee arrangements including hourly billing, flat fees for specific services, contingency fees where appropriate, and project-based engagements for corporate transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is a national, full-service law firm providing comprehensive legal counsel to public and private companies, Fortune 500 enterprises, emerging ventures, and mission-driven organizations. The firm delivers representation across corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, employment, tax, real estate, and public finance, organized into specialized industry practices including transportation, sports, public utilities, life sciences, health care, and construction. Revenue is generated through traditional legal fee arrangements including hourly billing, flat fees, contingency fees, and project-based engagements.

Product overview

Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is a national full-service law firm offering comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas and industries. The firm operates as a unified platform with specialized practice groups including Transportation Law, Sports Law, Public Utilities, Life Sciences, Intellectual Property, Health Care, Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, False Claims Act, Construction Law, Corporate & M&A, Labor & Employment, and Government Investigations. These services are delivered through attorneys across multiple offices in the United States, serving clients from Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging ventures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transportation Law Services Comprehensive legal counsel for transportation businesses including railroad operators, motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors, trucking and logistics companies, and aviation companies. Covers regulatory compliance, corporate matters, fleet maintenance, accident defense, and litigation including product liability defense.
• Sports Law Services Full-service sports law representation across the collegiate and professional landscape, including NCAA regulatory matters, NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) agreements, professional athlete representation, and sports agent services.
• Public Utilities Services Full-service public utilities practice advising cooperative, investor-owned, and municipal utilities in electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and wastewater industries. Coverage includes regulatory compliance, rate cases, eminent domain, utility transactions, cybersecurity, and municipal financing (ranked among the Top 10 Bond Counsel Firms in the Midwest in 2024).
• Life Sciences Services Cross-disciplinary legal services for life sciences companies covering IP, corporate, litigation, and regulatory matters including FDA, clinical studies, corporate compliance, FCA defense, and privacy & cybersecurity. Served clients include MedEvolve, Inc. (HIPAA breach defense - $350,000 settlement).
• Intellectual Property Services Patent prosecution, portfolio management, licensing, trademark services, and IP litigation with over 100 IP attorneys across multiple offices. Includes attorneys with technical engineering backgrounds (mechanical, software, electrical, computer science) enabling technical patent prosecution.
• Health Care Services Health care industry representation including HIPAA compliance, Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, False Claims Act matters, health care transactions, and health care litigation for hospitals, physician groups, ambulatory surgery centers, and health care providers.
• Cybersecurity & Data Privacy Services Incident response, privacy compliance, breach management, and cybersecurity governance for clients across industries. Recognized as a NetDiligence Breach Coach Law Firm for cybersecurity and data breach response.
• False Claims Act Services Representation of government contractors and health care providers in False Claims Act investigations and litigation, including internal investigations and DOJ negotiations.
• Construction Law Services Construction tort defense, professional liability defense for architects and engineering professionals, construction-related litigation, project financing, and environmental matters for construction companies, developers, architects, and engineering professionals.
• Corporate & M&A Services Corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, financing matters, and business counseling across various industries. M&A advisory includes seller-side and buyer-side representation for transactions of varying sizes.
• Labor & Employment Services Employment law counsel, labor relations, workplace litigation, and immigration services for corporate clients.
• Government Investigations Services White collar defense, internal investigations, and regulatory enforcement response for corporate clients, including DOJ and other government agency matters.

Named customers9 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Frost Brown Todd: Similar mid-market national law firm headquartered in Cincinnati with comparable attorney count and overlapping practice areas in litigation, corporate, and regulated industries. Most directly comparable peer given shared regional roots and practice mix.
• BakerHostetler: Full-service national law firm of comparable size with strong healthcare, litigation, and IP practices. Competes for similar Fortune 500 enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Thompson Hine: Mid-market full-service firm with Ohio headquarters and similar practice mix including transportation, healthcare, and corporate work. Direct competitor for clients in the Midwest corridor.
• Vorys: Ohio-based full-service firm of similar size with comparable practice depth in litigation, corporate, and regulated industries. Direct competitor in Midwest legal market.
• Benesch: Cleveland-headquartered full-service firm with comparable size and overlapping healthcare, corporate, and litigation practices. Competes for many of the same Ohio-based enterprise clients.
• Taft Stettinius & Hollister: Indianapolis-based full-service firm with similar attorney count, regional Midwest focus, and comparable industry practices in healthcare, life sciences, and corporate.
• Steptoe & Johnson: Regional full-service firm with deep West Virginia and energy industry presence, directly overlapping with Dinsmore's West Virginia offices and transportation/energy regulatory work.
• Jackson Kelly: West Virginia-headquartered firm with strong energy, mining, and transportation practices. Direct regional peer competing in the Appalachian and Ohio Valley markets Dinsmore serves.
• McDonald Hopkins: Cleveland-based full-service firm of comparable size with strong healthcare, M&A, and business restructuring practices. Direct competitor for Ohio enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Squire Patton Boggs: Larger full-service national and international law firm with strong regulated-industries and public-sector practices. Competes for the same Fortune 500 and government-adjacent clients but at a different scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dinsmorelaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dinsmore-&-shohl-llp
• Xx.com/dinsmore_shohl

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles29 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dinsmore & Shohl