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1917:

William A. Vinson and James A. Elkins form the firm in Houston. The firm’s first office opens in the ‘original’ Gulf Building.

1918:

Andrew Cox Wood joins V&E as the firm’s first lateral hire from Baker, Botts, Parker & Garwood. The firm changes its name to Vinson, Elkins & Wood.

1920:

Wildcatter A.E. Humphreys strikes oil near Mexia, Texas. He later hires V&E to handle a fee dispute and becomes V&E’s first major oil industry client.

1924:

Judge Elkins forms the Guaranty Trust Company, which eventually comes to be known as the First City National Bank. Judge Elkins’ bank connections helped V&E through the Great Depression and many bank customers became clients of the firm throughout the decades.

1927:

J. Vincent Martin, V&E’s first patent lawyer, joins the firm.

1930:

David Searls joins the firm. He raises the firm’s national reputation in antitrust litigation through the Madison cases, and paves the way for future key recruits from law schools.

1941:

The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and the U.S. enters World War II. The 52-lawyer firm gets reduced by 17 attorneys as some are drafted or volunteer to serve.

1949:

Named partner Charles Francis leaves V&E to become the general counsel of TETCO, one of V&E’s clients. The firm is renamed to Vinson, Elkins & Weems.

1951:

Vinson dies on October 26 at age 77.

1956:

Judge Elkins’ City National Bank merges with the First National Bank to become the First City National Bank in Houston. At this point, Judge Elkins is the leader of both the largest law firm and the largest bank in Houston. He begins to devote most of his attention to the bank rather than the firm.

1959:

The law firm grows to 99 lawyers.

1962:

Lewis N. White is named managing partner. He works with David Searls to bolster the firm’s recruiting efforts and modernizes the firm’s management. He also initiates the practice of crediting attorneys’ pro bono work against their billable hour requirements.

1969:

Former Texas Governer John B. Connally joins the firm. He leaves in 1971 to serve as President Nixon’s Secretary of Treasury, but returns to V&E after his term expires.

1972:

Judge Elkins dies on May 7 at age 93.

1974:

Sherman Stimley joins V&E as the firm’s first black associate.

1979:

V&E opens its Austin office.

1980:

Carol Dinkins is elected as V&E’s first female partner. She remains at the firm until her retirement in 2015, but leaves twice for appointments by President Reagan. In 1981, she became the first woman Assistant Attorney General to head the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division. In 1984, she become the Deputy Attorney General of the United States.

1981:

The firm moves to its current Houston home at the First City Tower. Firm headcount over the next 10 years grows to more than 500 lawyers.

1983:

V&E represents Transco Exploration Partners, Ltd. in the first underwritten IPO of a master limited partnership. Since 1987, V&E has advised on 80 percent of all completed natural resource or real estate MLP IPOs.

1986:

V&E opens its Dallas office, which now houses more than 120 lawyers.

1990:

The firm begins its V&E Scholars Program, which awards $10,000 college scholarships each year to Texas minority high school students who have an interest in practicing law. To date, V&E has provided 147 scholarships totaling nearly $1.5 million.

1991:

Alberto R. Gonzales becomes V&E’s first Hispanic male partner. He later serves as Gov. George W. Bush’s general counsel, Texas Secretary of State, a Texas Supreme Court Justice, Counsel to President Bush and ultimately becomes the 80th U.S. Attorney General.

1992:

Harry Reasoner becomes managing partner.

2002:

Joseph C. Dilg becomes managing partner who, along with Reasoner, steers the firm through the Enron scandal. The firm ultimately settles all claims arising out of its representation with Enron in 2006.

2012:

V&E’s current managing partner, Scott Wulfe, and chairman, Mark Kelly, are elected. During their tenure, the firm sees steady expansion, with office openings in San Francisco, Richmond and Taipei.

2017: