 The firm traces its founding back to 1848, when Benjamin Franklin Butler opened a legal practice with his son, William Allen Butler, at 29 Wall Street in New York City.The firm was headquartered in downtown Manhattan from 1848 until 2001, eventually occupying floors 38 through 40 of the 2 World Trade Center building prior to the building's destruction in the September 11 attacks.All of the firm's employees survived the attacks, and the firm temporarily relocated to midtown Manhattan before moving to 2 World Financial Center in September 2003.