ONE Connection | 8 Fascinating Facts About Allen Holmes

Perseverance Through Adversity: 8 Fascinating Facts About Allen C. Holmes
Read the full issue of ONE Connection.

Brilliant. Tough. Persistent. Courageous. Visionary. Those are just a few of the adjectives used to describe Allen C. Holmes, Jones Day's fourth Managing Partner, who led the Firm from 1975 until a serious and recurring illness led to his retirement in 1985. During his four decades with the Firm, Holmes oversaw tremendous growth in pursuit of his vision of what he called a "truly national firm."

"Allen was one of the most intelligent and intellectual people I've ever known," said Dick Pogue, who succeeded Holmes as Managing Partner. "He had so much ambition and accomplished so much."

Holmes joined the Firm, then known as Jones, Day, Cockley & Reavis, shortly after graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 1944. That same year, he married Louise Quirk. They had four sons.

Here are eight interesting facts about one of Jones Day's most forward-thinking lawyers.

1. Holmes's mantra was to transform Jones Day into a "truly national firm."

It was a catchphrase he repeated so often that Firm lawyers jokingly coined the abbreviation "TNF."

Making Jones Day a national law firm was Holmes's legacy, said Pogue. "In those days, most law firms were in one city, but Allen had a vision of the future. He could see the world was changing and that it would be desirable to have multiple offices."

Holmes's plans for the Firm to expand nationally were influenced by his perception that the city of Cleveland was in decline, with failing political leadership, insecure finances, racial unrest, and a troubled public school system. He also foresaw the impact of two trends—the growth of in-house legal departments and corporate geographic expansion—and he believed that Jones Day had to grow its geographic footprint as well to maintain close ties with clients. 

In 1971, four years before he became Managing Partner, Holmes persuasively made the case for a new office in Los Angeles, which opened just two years later in 1973. It marked the Firm's first expansion since the Washington Office opened in 1946. The Los Angeles Office took many years to be profitable, recalled Pogue. But its eventual success was followed by four more West Coast offices: Irvine in 1985, Silicon Valley in 2000, San Francisco in 2003, and San Diego in 2004.

Photo Courtesy of Jones Day Archives

In 1971, four years before he became Managing Partner, Holmes persuasively made the case for a new office in Los Angeles, which opened just two years later in 1973. It marked the Firm's first expansion since the Washington Office opened in 1946. The Los Angeles Office took many years to be profitable, recalled Pogue. But its eventual success was followed by four more West Coast offices: Irvine in 1985, Silicon Valley in 2000, San Francisco in 2003, and San Diego in 2004.

In 1981, Holmes made another bold move, persuading 15 Cleveland-based lawyers to move to Dallas and open a new office. It was a "remarkable personnel move," said Pogue.

By Holmes's retirement, the Firm had grown to more than 400 lawyers with offices in six cities including Columbus (1980) and Austin (1984).

2. He had a rare autoimmune disease that caused periods of weakness and even paralysis.

Throughout his adult life, Holmes battled the devastating symptoms of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks part of its peripheral nervous system—the network of nerves located outside the brain and spinal cord. It can range from a very mild case with brief weakness to nearly devastating paralysis, leaving the person unable to breathe independently.

Recurrences of the syndrome are exceedingly rare, but Holmes suffered five bouts of the illness, beginning in his late teens. Incredibly, Holmes continued to conduct Firm business despite symptoms that became progressively more severe with each new attack. When Holmes was hospitalized in 1972 and again in 1984, he had to use a breathing machine for months yet reportedly kept up with Firm business from his hospital bed.

Robert Daroff, MD, Holmes's neurologist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, said Holmes was the bravest patient he had ever encountered. "He was basically running the city of Cleveland from his hospital room. He had his secretary working there, and appointments were scheduled with corporate executives and the mayor and clients who needed his service."

Ultimately, the 1984 attack ended Holmes's ability to lead the Firm. Completely paralyzed for some time, Holmes designated Pogue as Acting Managing Partner in 1984 and Managing Partner in 1985.

3. Holmes was a nationally recognized authority on antitrust law.

Holmes chaired the antitrust law section of the American Bar Association from 1978 to 1979, and previously headed the section's committee on the Federal Trade Commission. The relationships he built through his national reputation in antitrust law helped attract new clients from outside of the region. By the late 1970s, the percentage of business coming from outside of northeast Ohio exceeded 50% for the first time, much of that due to Holmes's connections in antitrust law.

His interest in antitrust law eventually led him to Pogue, also a University of Michigan Law School alumnus.

As Pogue recalled, "I was at the Pentagon around 1952, writing an antitrust case book with a University of Michigan professor. Allen found out about me, and whenever he came to Washington on business, we'd go to lunch and discuss antitrust law."

Holmes wanted Pogue to join Jones Day, but initially, Pogue wasn't interested. "I had never been to Cleveland and I'd never even heard of the Firm until I met him. But he was so persistent. Finally, to appease him, I said, 'Okay, I'll go out there for a weekend. I'll meet your people.' My wife and I went there and had a great weekend." 

Pogue moved to Cleveland and joined Jones Day in 1957. "Allen was very persuasive and did not like to take 'no' for an answer," Pogue said.

Holmes's obituary ran in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on November 2, 1990. CLICK HERE OR ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

4. Holmes sealed "The Split" with the Washington Office.

Holmes firmly believed in a truly integrated Firm working on client matters together. His view was that clients are clients of the Firm and not of any one office. In the late 1970s, this philosophy was put to the test when a group of government contracts lawyers in the Washington Office appeared to have a different philosophy, one that focused more on the performance of the individual office and any resulting financial gains.

Complicating matters, a five-man executive committee in the Washington Office voted to replace its Managing Partner, Welch Pogue (Dick Pogue's father), who resigned on January 26, 1979.

A power struggle between Holmes and the new leadership of the Washington Office ensued. On February 14, 1979, as Holmes met with partners from the Washington Office at a breakfast meeting, an eight-page memorandum was dropped into their mail slots, letting them know that the government contracts partners were no longer welcome at the Firm.

In what Pogue calls the "Washington reorganization," lawyers from both sides of the dispute attempted to sway partners and associates to their side. In the end, 53 of the 79 Washington lawyers, including 27 partners, chose to leave Jones Day for a newly formed law firm. "Holmes made this very tough decision, but in the end, we kept a very strong group of lawyers," said Pogue.

Among those who stayed with Jones Day were young Washington associates Steve Brogan and Tim Cullen, as well as Erwin Griswold, better known as "the Dean."

5. Holmes was an internationally recognized wine connoisseur.

Holmes reportedly had an encyclopedic knowledge of wines and vineyards as well as a remarkable ability to recall the tastes of various wines and vintages he had sampled. He and his wife, Louise, belonged to the Wine & Food Society for more than 25 years, and Holmes served as the group's international president from 1984 to 1985, one of the first Americans to do so. He received several gold and silver medals from the society for his expertise. He also received honors from Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an organization that promotes the wines and cuisine of Burgundy.

6. He was passionate about the arts and culture.

In 1987, Holmes received a "Special Citation for Distinguished Service to the Arts" from the Cleveland Arts Prize, an organization that honors artists for their artistic excellence and recognizes community leaders, such as Holmes, who help regional arts flourish. In addition to patronizing art, music, and ballet events, Holmes gave generously of his time and leadership skills, serving on the boards of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Cleveland Institute of Art.

Holmes also chaired WVIZ Channel 25, Cleveland's public broadcasting station, and headed the Kulas Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing music education, institutions, and performances.

7. He was a leader in the community too.

Holmes lent his shrewd business acumen and creative problem-solving skills to numerous corporate boards, educational institutions, and civic organizations in northeast Ohio. In 1981, Town and Country magazine hailed him as the most powerful man in Cleveland; and in 1987, the National Conference of Christian and Jews honored him with the Humanitarian Award for his work in promoting understanding and cooperation among members of different racial, religious, and ethnic groups.

8. His legacy endures at Case Western Reserve University through a named professorship and a named fellowship.

Holmes was actively involved with Case Western Reserve University, holding the positions of vice-chair, chair, and honorary trustee.

In 1991, the university established an endowed fund, with gifts made in his honor, to be used for the School of Medicine's Department of Neurosciences and the study and research of neuro-immunologic disorders.

In 1999, the fund was combined with several additional, substantial gifts to establish the Allen C. Holmes Professorship in Neurology. Lin Mei, MD, PhD, the current holder of the Holmes Professorship, is chair of the Department of Neurosciences at the School of Medicine. He is also inaugural director of the Cleveland Brain Health Initiative, a citywide initiative housed at the School of Medicine that aims to bring together clinical experts at Cleveland's world-class hospital systems and use collaboration over competition in pursuit of breakthroughs in brain health.

"The School of Medicine remains grateful for the opportunity to carry forward this life-changing work in honor of Mr. Holmes, and grateful to the generous supporters who established this important endowed fund," said Ernest Timbs, senior director of proposal development in the School of Medicine's Office of Development and Alumni Relations.

Holmes's name also lives on at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University through the Allen C. Holmes Fellowship. Established in 1992 with a gift from the Firm, the award provides an annual opportunity for a talented second-year MBA student enrolled at the school to become involved in regional economic policy issues at the highest level within the Cleveland community.

-Written by Julie A. Evans