[2] In 1935, after losing his bid for Governor of Pennsylvania, William A. Schnader decided to start his own law firm.

Earl G. Harrison, the former Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and former Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, joined the firm in 1948, becoming the fourth name partner.

The Schnader firm expanded over the years, opening offices in Washington, D.C., Wilmington, Delaware, New York City, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh.

In 2013, the firm entered into a non-exclusive association with the Jakarta-based law firm Yang & Co to provide representation to Indonesian companies and individuals requiring legal counsel in the U.S., and to U.S. companies and individuals requiring legal counsel in Indonesia.

In addition to the firm’s traditional strengths in complex litigation, commercial transactions, and wealth management, the firm had significant experience and depth in intellectual property, international commerce, labor and employment, financial services, construction law, real estate development, corporate governance, appellate services, technology-based companies, media and communications, government relations and regulatory affairs, energy and environmental issues, nonprofit, education, aviation issues, business reorganization, and securities and shareholder litigation [4][5] On August 3, 2023, the firm announced a dissolution of the firm, following a decline in attorney headcount.