Founded in 1972, Lewis & Munday, P.C. is a trailblazer as one of the oldest and largest firms founded by African Americans, especially in Detroit. The firm is very intentional about building upon its legacy particularly while celebrating its 49th anniversary.
Reginald G. Dozier, its president & CEO and former chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, said that the company has more than four decades of experience providing efficient, creative and comprehensive legal services in the areas of public/municipal, corporate, real estate law and litigation to the metro Detroit area.
“The company started off small 49 years ago,” Dozier said, adding that there were about five attorneys at the beginning. “They had a vision to work to represent corporations and governments in civil matters as opposed to representing individuals and criminals [in] defense matters. And over time, it grew… I think that there were at least 40 attorneys at one point.”
Early on, the firm became known for changing the face of the “mainstream” practice of law under the leadership of David Baker Lewis, Richard T. White and the Honorable Eric Lee Clay. Reuben A. Munday became a partner in 1977.
Dozier, 63, said the firm now has a mixture of experience and historical knowledge of Detroit and the surrounding areas, along with new and vibrant emerging talent.
“We’ve done a lot with the city of Detroit,” he said, “We want to expand around the state and do more work nationwide and with Fortune 500 companies.” The firm also has offices in Washington, D.C., Connecticut, and New York, NY.
Now with about 15 attorneys and headquartered in Detroit, Lewis & Munday, P.C. continues to commit to its clients, the communities it serves, and diversity in the city and beyond.
The firm’s practice is national in scope and includes matters in both the public and private sectors. For a firm of its size, Lewis & Munday offers expertise in a wide variety of legal disciplines.
“Lewis & Munday, P.C. has represented the City of Detroit … we represented basically all the major corporations [Ford Motor Company, Pepsi, DTE, AT&T] those are just naming a few,” Dozier said, adding that the law firm has extensive experience in handling major bankruptcy dealings and real estate development work and more. “Over the last 45 years, we’ve been involved in some shape or form as counsel to the city or one of the authorities or something.”
Dozier said the company celebrated its anniversary during a recent virtual event.
“We enjoy [our] rich history — we look forward to a great future where we can do even greater things over the next 50 years,” Dozier, who joined the law firm 21 years ago, said despite low nationwide statistics of fellow Black law firms.
According to the American Bar Association (ABA) National Lawyer Population Survey, as of January 1, 2020, there were over 1.3 million active lawyers in the United States, up roughly 10 percent in the past 10 years. The statistics add that only five percent of all lawyers are Black, the same percentage as 10 years ago, while 13.4 percent of the U.S. population is Black.
Dozier said that Lewis & Munday, P.C. is continually striving to stand in the gap and represent where needed — whatever it takes.
“What keeps us going is the desire to provide quality legal services in an area that is not overly saturated by Black lawyers, that is primarily it,” he said, adding that their legal footprint is still making a significant local, and national, impact. “The need for representation … has not really changed over the course of years.”
Dozier added that he is encouraged and inspired to continue in helping bring along those next in line.
“[We] give advice and pointers … we want to help groom the next generation,” he said. “It is encouraging to help groom the next generation of attorneys to go out and make their own.”
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