We’ve Been Around Awhile…
And we’re here to stay.
As members of one of California’s oldest law firms, FAB partners continue the tradition of holding important positions in local, state and national organizations and helping to shape the landscape of the California legal community.
Celebrating our 125th Anniversary
Two-Room Office in 1883
FAB’s origins date to the Spring of 1883, when Robert M. Fitzgerald opened his legal practice in a two-room office on Broadway in Oakland - only blocks from our current location. Over the next 30 years, Fitzgerald formed a partnership with colleagues Carl H. Abbott and Charles A. Beardsley.
Quake in S.F., Return to Oakland
In 1900, Fitzgerald and Abbott moved the practice to San Francisco. However, the 1906 earthquake and fire shortened their stay in San Francisco and ultimately precipitated Fitzgerald and Abbott's return to Oakland.
In 1913, Beardsley joined the firm, creating Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley. Like his partners, Beardsley was active in civic and professional affairs including years-long stints as Assistant Oakland City Attorney and Oakland Port Commission Attorney. The partners were a dynamic trio and helped the fledgling community of Oakland with its many growing pains, spearheading the development and control of the waterfront (which would later become the Port of Oakland), establishing public transit in the area and creating an adequate water supply for Oakland’s residents. Notably, the firm continues to provide legal services for the Port of Oakland to this day.
FAB Continues to Make History
While the three founding partners have long since passed away, the firm founded by R.M. Fitzgerald in 1883 has continued to grow and thrive. Today, Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley continues to practice in traditional areas of law including business and corporate transactions, estates and trusts, labor and employment, litigation, real estate, and tax and as the law has become more sophisticated, we have added franchise, intellectual property, land use, environment and natural resources and nonprofit practices. While the firm's practice has grown and evolved, one thing has remained constant at Fitzgerald Abbott & Beardsley: the firm's commitment to providing the finest legal services to its clients.