History
Long recognized as one of Arizona's premier law firms, Jennings Strouss is one of the oldest, largest and most distinguished law firms in Arizona. Since the Firm was founded in 1942, Jennings Strouss has been deeply rooted in Arizona's legal and business community, and its lawyers have been instrumental in helping shape the dynamic growth of Arizona and many of its institutions.
The Firm's founders--Irving A. Jennings, Sr., Charles L. Strouss, Sr., Riney B. Salmon, Sr., and Ozell M. Trask--started practicing law in the 1920's when Arizona's economy was largely driven by agriculture and the mining industry.
In 1942, the partnership began on the sixth floor of the Phoenix Title & Trust Building at First Avenue and Adams. Some of the first attorneys who came to the firm were: Richard Kleindienst, who helped build and energize the Republican Party in Arizona before becoming U.S. Attorney General under President Nixon; Rex Lee, former Solicitor General of the U.S.; Nicholas Udall, a former Phoenix Mayor who later became a Superior Court Judge; and Clarence Duncan, who was renowned for his precise legal mind and his teaching and mentoring of young lawyers.
As Phoenix grew, so too did the client base, and the firm continued to recruit outstanding young legal talent, including Jon Kyl, who went on to serve four terms as a United States congressman in Arizona before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994 where he continues to serve; Charles Jones, the retired Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court; and Frederick Martone, currently a United States District Judge (former Arizona Supreme Court Justice). Other alumni who have gone on to become leaders in their political, judicial, civic and business careers include Jack Pfister, the former general manager at Salt River Project and Thomas Trimble, the former General Counsel of Southwest Gas, as well as Irv Jennings who was active politically and ran for the U.S. Senate on the Wendell Wilke Republican ticket in 1940, losing to Ernest McFarland. Mr. Jennings was also a behind-the-scenes power in Phoenix city politics until charter government came in the late 40's. It is fairly well-known that Riney Salmon's younger brother, "Button" Salmon, is the origin of U of A's "Bear-Down" motto, but Riney was also interested in sports and was Commissioner of the Arizona-Texas pro-baseball league in the late 40's.
Jennings Strouss has built its reputation for its litigation, real estate, finance and utility law attorneys. With the development of new technologies, Jennings Strouss has emerged as a leader in the rapidly expanding fields of technology law, e-commerce and biotechnology.
Building upon its client base, Jennings Strouss has expanded its reach regionally and now represents clients across the country, through its offices in Washington, D.C., Las Vegas, Nevada, and Phoenix and at Arrowhead, Arizona. Our lawyers are admitted to practice in 25 states and the District of Columbia and we maintain affiliations with national and international law firms around the world.
Jennings Strouss expanded its Washington D.C. office with the addition of experienced energy regulatory lawyers. Now the Jennings Strouss Electric, Natural Gas and Utilities Law Group, based in our Phoenix and Washington D.C. offices, brings over 100 years of combined experience to the development and implementation of effective business solutions to our electric power and natural gas clients across the nation.
In 2006, Jennings Strouss merged with Robbins & Green adding 14 talented lawyers including Wayne Smith, Jack Rudel, and the distinguished trial lawyer, Phil Robbins, to our Phoenix office, as well as the highly regarded Harriet (Hattie) Babbitt, the former U.S. Ambassador to the organization of American States (and wife of former Arizona governor and the U.S. interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt), to our Washington, D.C. office.
Jennings Strouss expanded their presence in the Southwest in 2008 with the opening of their Las Vegas, Nevada office. A move made through its merger with the three-lawyer firm of Berkley, Gordon & Goldstein. Establishing a foothold in the rapidly expanding city of Las Vegas was important in meeting the needs of the firm's growing client base.