Johnston Allison Hord has served North Carolina businesses since 1912.
We trace our roots to Claude Cochran who began practicing in Charlotte in 1912 (in the old Law Building). He was joined by Frank McCleneghan in 1924. Together they built a thriving practice and contributed to our community.
With the addition of Bob Lassiter and Tommy Miller, the firm grew to four lawyers – the perfect size, in the opinion of the founding partners. After the deaths of Claude Cochran and Frank McCleneghan and the arrival of Morry Johnston (1966) and Jim Allison (1971), the partners continued their “no more than four” policy.
In the 1980s John Morrice, Bob Burchette, Greg Ahlum, Bob Hord and Pat Kelly joined the firm and we broadened our practice through a policy of controlled growth. By the end of the decade, we had grown to 15 attorneys. In 1993 we bought a building at 610 East Morehead to provide room for expansion and easy client access.
In 1997, we officially became known as Johnston, Allison & Hord, P.A. We continued to grow, reaching about 25 attorneys by 1999, consistent with the concept of controlled growth.
After invitation, we joined the Meritas international network of law firms in 2001, to better serve clients on a regional, national and international basis. During the 2000s, the country and the Charlotte area saw much change, starting with aggressive growth and ending with an economic downturn. During the recession, some firms closed their doors and others experienced layoffs; our philosophy of controlled growth proved successful and we thrived. We had not grown for growth’s sake, but primarily out of necessity for our clients. We were right all along.
In 2006, we moved to our current location at 1065 East Morehead Street to allow for additional growth. We have grown to approximately 50 attorneys, and we are privileged to serve clients that have been with us for many decades.
We have seen many things over the past 100 years – wars, economic growth and economic uncertainty, as well as welcome and long overdue changes with regard to civil and women’s rights. Charlotte has grown from 34,000 people in 1910 to a metro region of over 2.5 million people: it has been a great ride for us and we are excited about the future.