SEMMES, BOWEN & SEMMES

Founded in 1887, Semmes, Bowen & Semmes, P.C. is one of the oldest and largest full-service law firms in Maryland. Under the leadership of Firm Chair Julie Murray, the firm employs 150 people and operates from five offices across the Mid-Atlantic region, with locations in Baltimore, Hagerstown, Washington, D.C., McLean and Martinsburg.

The firm traces its origins to John E. Semmes, a former Baltimore City Solicitor whose interests in commercial and maritime law were encouraged by two Civil War-veteran uncles, Admiral Raphael Semmes and Commodore John Guest. In 1887, John E. Semmes joined attorneys Francis K. Carey and John N. Steele to form the partnership of Steele, Semmes and Carey. By the turn of the century, the firm had become one of the most predominant law firms in the city, and on Aug. 1, 1909, it acquired its professional name with the association of John E. Semmes, his son John E. Semmes Jr. and Jesse N. Bowen.

Four of its attorneys have served as president of the Maryland State Bar Association, and firm members have also held the presidencies of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, the Defense Research Institute and the Maritime Law Association of the United States.

Semmes offers a full-service platform across Corporate and Business, Estate Planning, Labor and Employment and Litigation, with particular depth in maritime law, insurance defense and one of the largest private Workers’ Compensation and Employers’ Liability defense practices in the Mid-Atlantic region. The firm has been named a Best Company to Work For by U.S. News & World Reports, and its attorneys have earned placement among Top Lawyers by Baltimore Magazine, Best Lawyers in America, Best Law Firms and Super Lawyers.

Semmes attorneys serve on the boards of organizations including Kids Chance, the College Bound Foundation, the Maryland Zoo and the Ronald McDonald House. Through membership in the Association of Legal Administrators, the firm also actively contributes to programs supporting local charities and nonprofit agencies.

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This profile is part of The Daily Record's In the Lead: Best Legacy Businesses list for 2026. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com.