History

The firm was founded in 1937 when Sidney A. Moss (1893-1963) opened his law office in Los Angeles. Some years later, he joined forces with a labor and probate lawyer, George C. Lyon (1906-1990), and formed the firm of Moss & Lyon. In 1948, Gerold C. Dunn (1911-1980) joined the firm, which then practiced as Moss, Lyon & Dunn until 1967, when Gerold Dunn was appointed by then Governor Reagan to the California Court of Appeal. Under the management of Fulton "Bill" Haight (1923-1997) the firm practiced as Haight, Lyon, Smith & Nye and eventually Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP.

Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, HB&B experienced rapid growth in all areas of litigation and built its reputation for excellence through its successful representation of corporate and insurance clients in trial and appellate matters. In 1987, both Mr. Smith and Mr. Lyon retired from the firm after more than 40 years of service. A year later, after nearly 20 years of management and leadership, Mr. Haight stepped down. Dennis K. Wheeler, a Senior Partner who has been with HB&B for over 30 years, is the current Managing Partner.