HBN can be traced back to the height of New York City’s rise as an internationally recognized sea port. In an effort to take advantage of the ever expanding seaport of New York, lawyers, Leavitt Hunt, Charles Hill, and George W. Betts developed a law firm specializing in maritime and general corporate and business law, officially establishing Hunt, Hill, & Betts in 1898. Through a series of mergers acquisitions, HBN, was officially formed in 1956 and continues to represent the maritime community from the heart of the financial district in New York City.