Firm History
In 1937, renowned trial lawyer John J. "Jack" Sheehan joined forces with a 28-year-old FBI attorney, William L. Phinney, to start a firm in Manchester, New Hampshire. Although both Sheehan and Phinney saw active duty in World War II, the office continued to serve clients, and, after the war, added Perkins Bass, a military intelligence officer and former law clerk. In 1951, a young attorney named William S. Green joined the firm, and together, these four founding partners began to establish Sheehan Phinney's sterling reputation.
Since that time, the firm has undertaken some of New Hampshire's most complex and well-known business matters, and has strategically added top legal talent from across the United States to reach its current size in four regional offices across New England.
Throughout its more than 70 years, the firm has become a steward of our communities, as reflected by the wide-ranging public service of our members. One of the most famous Sheehan Phinney alumni, Warren Rudman, served as NH Attorney General and was elected to the United States Senate. Sheehan Phinney partners have been tapped as White House Fellows, have served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the New Hampshire Senate, in the Attorney General's office, as counsel to the Governor, and are frequently nominated to top Administrative Chairmanships, Commissions and Blue Ribbon Panels. Many of our attorneys have served prestigious judicial clerkships in the Federal Courts and at the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
Firm Founders
John J. Sheehan - John Sheehan, a Georgetown Law School graduate and former sports reporter for the Manchester Union Leader, was admitted to the New Hampshire Bar in 1923. He developed a considerable reputation as a trial lawyer, and was also active in Democratic politics, first as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, then as a State Senator. He subsequently served as Hillsborough County Solicitor for two terms and finally as a candidate for the United States Congress in 1936, a highly-disputed election in which Sheehan narrowly missed winning the Democratic nomination and a likely seat in Congress. With World War II on the horizon, Sheehan, at the age of forty-three, volunteered for service in the Army Air Corps in 1942. Following a distinguished career in the service, Sheehan returned to Manchester and the active practice of law in 1946. Sheehan was appointed by President Harry S. Truman the United States District Attorney for New Hampshire, serving from 1949 to 1953. This position was then part-time and Sheehan continued in active private practice at the same time.
William L. Phinney - William Phinney, a Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School graduate, was admitted to practice in 1934. Llike many young lawyers of the day, Phinney joined J. Edgar Hoover's FBI in its campaign against major criminals. Phinney spent two exciting years with the Bureau and was actively involved in the search for such notorious crime figures as "Baby Face" Nelson and John Dillinger. With World War II looming, Phinney, a reserve Naval officer, was called to duty in 1939. Following a distinguished career in the service, Phinney returned to Manchester and the active practice of law in 1946. Phinney served as Attorney General of New Hampshire from 1949 to 1951. This position was then part-time and Phinney continued in active private practice at the same time.
Perkins Bass - Perkins Bass, a Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School graduate, served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. The third member of the firm, Bass joined Sheehan and Phinney in 1946. He led an active political life, serving four terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. He was elected to the State Senate in 1949, eventually being elected Senate President. In 1954 he was elected to US Congress, serving four terms. After his eight years in Congress, Bass returned to active practice with the firm in 1963.
William S. Green - William Green, a Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School graduate, served in World War II as a Major in the Marine Corps. He was appointed to the Attorney General's office in 1949, where he worked closely with William Phinney on several high profile cases. In 1951, Green decided to accept an offer to leave the Attorney General's office and go into private practice with Jack Sheehan, William Phinney, and Perkins Bass in his hometown of Manchester. In 1960 he was named by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce as its Citizen of the Year, and in 1998 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Business and Industry Association of NH.