Lewis and Roca, a Southwest law firm with offices in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson, has a long and distinguished history of providing quality legal work and top-notch service to its clients. But Lewis and Roca has a unique characteristic that few, if any, law firms can claim – a very direct connection to the art and architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.
In the late 1940s, Phoenix was still a very new town. Orme Lewis, however, was old Arizona – his family having been in the state since the 1870s. A graduate of George Washington University College of Law, Lewis opened his Phoenix law office in 1947. Paul Roca and Harold Scoville, a former county attorney and superior court judge, soon joined him and founded the full-service, Phoenix-based partnership in 1950. Over 50 years later, that partnership flourishes with more than 130 attorneys in the firm.
Dating back to their first meeting in the 1940s, Frank Lloyd Wright was a friend and client of Orme Lewis. Their relationship continued until Wright’s death in 1959. Wright’s disciples at Taliesin Associated Architects designed the firm’s present offices in Phoenix, in which several reproductions of Wright’s designs adorn the walls. The distinctive architectural characteristics of Lewis and Roca’s offices certainly do not suggest “old, stodgy law firm.”
If you walk into the Las Vegas office of Lewis and Roca, you will see the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin architects throughout the offices. “We wanted to incorporate the Wright design features into the Las Vegas office because they are so central to the history and culture of the firm,” commented Marti Ashcraft, the senior and supervising partner of the Las Vegas office.
The Las Vegas office of Lewis and Roca has been in operation for nearly three years. “We opened our Las Vegas office to meet the growing needs of our clients and to further our firm’s presence throughout the Southwest,” stated Managing Partner Jose Cardenas. “The firm recognized early on the importance of having a presence in this rapidly growing city.”
Lewis and Roca’s Las Vegas office began with two partners, Marti Ashcraft and Von Heinz, both of whom have substantial experience in a wide range of transactional and litigation matters. Five lawyers have been added to meet client demands. The office handles a wide range of matters, including corporate and business law, administrative law, commercial litigation, securities litigation, telecommunications and utility law, bankruptcy, labor and employment, tort litigation and insurance coverage. The seven Las Vegas attorneys collectively have over 50 years’ experience. They have successfully represented major international, national and local companies in a variety of matters, including hostile takeover actions, development projects, financing transactions, public utilities dockets and other regulatory matters. They have also represented insurance companies in complex litigation and employers dealing with discrimination matters.
The lawyers in the Las Vegas office of Lewis and Roca are also actively involved in community and bar activities. Ashcraft, for example, has served as president of the Clark County Bar Association, Clark County Law Foundation and the Southern Nevada Association of Women Attorneys. She has been recognized by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce for outstanding achievement in the legal profession, and recently was named one of the 21 Most Influential Business Women in Southern Nevada. Heinz has held numerous positions with the American Bar Association and the Nevada Inns of Court.
“As Las Vegas continues to expand, our law firm will do the same. Lewis and Roca focuses on building not only breadth but also depth in its practice areas,” Cardenas observed. Ashcraft added, “Although over 50 years, the names and faces may have changed at Lewis and Roca, the firm has not wavered in its commitment to its clients, fellow lawyers and the community.”
