Chadbourne's clients included Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, James Joyce and the Wright brothers. In 1924, Tom Chadbourne orchestrated the consolidation of New York City's subway system. The firm's success in two landmark cases before the United States Supreme Court in the 1980s created the legal framework for development of the cogeneration and independent power production industries. In its successful representation of French and U.S. clients in the DeLorean sports car fiasco in Northern Ireland, the disclosure of Cabinet minutes was compelled for the first time in British history. The first ever approval for entry of a foreign law firm in India was obtained for Chadbourne and Parke.