Our founders had a vision for a law firm unlike any other: a well-educated, hardworking group of attorneys free from internal competition and jealousies. From day one, Robinson Bradshaw has been structured to higher standards, operating without origination credits or billable hour quotas to allow our lawyers to focus solely on excellent client service. It is still how we do things today.
Since our beginnings as a two-attorney firm, we have expanded to more than 170 attorneys across four offices. Many of our lawyers have real-world experience – as teachers and police officers, accountants and newspaper reporters – that gives them a unique perspective on the issues facing our clients.
- 1960 — Carlton Fleming and Russell Robinson open Fleming & Robinson.
- 1961 — Bob Bradshaw joins the firm. The firm changes its name to Fleming, Robinson & Bradshaw.
- 1964 — Russell Robinson’s “North Carolina Corporation Law and Practice” is published. It quickly becomes the premier treatise on North Carolina corporation law. Today, the book is titled “Robinson on North Carolina Corporation Law” and continues to be updated by the firm.
- 1970 — The firm becomes one of the first professional services firms in North Carolina to incorporate, allowing for the creation of a qualified profit-sharing plan for all employees. The firm name changes to Fleming, Robinson & Bradshaw, P.A.
- 1978 — Robin Hinson joins the firm. The firm name changes to Fleming, Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.
- 1984 — The firm receives one of the American Bar Association’s inaugural Pro Bono Publico Awards for its work in Hyatt v. Heckler, a class action which ultimately continued for 18 years and resulted in new Social Security disability hearings under new standards for approximately 150,000 North Carolinians.
- 1984 — Carlton Fleming leaves the firm. The firm changes its name to Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.
- 1991 — The firm opens an office in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
- 2008 — The firm’s Chapel Hill office opens to serve clients in the Research Triangle area.
- 2008 — Robin Hinson passes away at age 77.
- 2012 — Bob Bradshaw passes away at age 78.
- 2019 — Forbes names Robinson Bradshaw to its inaugural list of top U.S. corporate law firms.
- 2020 — The firm opens its fourth office in Raleigh, North Carolina, the seat of the state’s government.
- 2021 — The firm co-founds CLIMB (Charlotte Legal Initiative to Mobilize Businesses) to provide pro bono legal services to low-income entrepreneurs and small businesses in the Charlotte area.
- 2025 — The firm moves its headquarters to the brand-new Legacy Union 6Hundred building in uptown Charlotte.
- 2025 — Russell Robinson passes away at age 93.
- 2025 — The firm celebrates its 65th anniversary. With more than 170 attorneys collaborating across 40+ practice areas, Robinson Bradshaw continues to deliver sophisticated legal services at an exceptional value.
