Celebrating 100 Years

Stradley Then: Two years after opening our doors, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP helped pioneer a new era in investment management, with its involvement in the creation of one of the first mutual funds in the United States. Andy Young, who drafted the registration statement for the Wellington Fund, also participated in the Senate hearings on the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act). He was also involved in drafting the 1954 Internal Revenue Code.

Stradley Now: As counsel to the Dimensional funds, Stradley Ronon successfully prepared the application for exemptive relief granted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to Dimensional Fund Advisors in 2025 to offer exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as a share class within a multiple share class structure (ETF share class). The Dimensional application served as the model for dozens of other fund industry filings. The firm continues to be on the frontline of the legal work necessary to bring to market the first U.S. registered exchange-traded products (ETPs) with direct exposure to digital assets.

Also in 2025, the SEC voluntarily dismissed with prejudice charges against two mutual fund independent trustees represented by Stradley Ronon in the agency’s first enforcement action brought pursuant to the Liquidity Rule (Rule 22e-4) promulgated under the 1940 Act.

Expansion from Coast to Coast

In the early 1990s, Stradley Ronon opened a series of offices in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, capping off the decade by launching in Washington, D.C. The firm expanded to New York in 2012 and, four years later, opened its first Midwest office in Chicago.

In 2024, the firm established a West Coast presence with a location in Southern California, cementing a national footprint following decades of serving a national client base.

Building for Tomorrow

Today, Stradley Ronon continues to build upon its strong Philadelphia foundation and national presence, with more than 220 lawyers serving public and private companies, financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies across a wide array of sophisticated corporate, investment management and litigation matters.  

In 2025, our firm partnered with global legal intelligence pioneer vLex (now Clio) to create an industry-leading training certification program for generative artificial intelligence (gen AI), Stradley Labs Legal Gen AI Drivers Certification. The firm continues to embrace a journey of technological innovation to enhance client services and firm operations.