The law firm of Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer, L.L. P. is proud of its more than 125 years in business in the Topeka community. The original firm was organized in 1881 when Bennett R. Wheeler came to Topeka after graduating from Boston University. In 1882 Wheeler's association with the mortgage loan company of Eli Chandler grew by four lawyers, Eugene Hagan, W.H. Rossington, J.G. Slonecker, and Joseph Waters.

The names of Rossington and Slonecker can be found in what appears to be the earliest discussion of organizing a bar association for Topeka. In a January 29, 1882, letter written by C.G. Spencer, he references the involvement of Rossington and Slonecker as officers in the new organization. Spencer also notes in the letter that "A good Bar Association is much needed here and there is a vast amount of work to be done by it….The bar is organizing all over the state (Kansas), with reference to the formation of a State Bar Association."

Throughout the city's history, the names of prominent lawyers associated with Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer have influenced the news of the day.

Sardius M. Brewster, a member of the firm, served as a Kansas Attorney General (1915-19), and a U.S. District Attorney (1930-34). His claim to fame came when he informed Kansas Governor Alf Landon of the famous Finney Bond Scandal of 1933-34.

The notorious case involved $1.25 million in forged bonds and warrants discovered in the state treasury and in bond brokerage houses. The fraud was perpetuated by the father and son of one of the state's leading families, and the list of the guilty encompassed several of the state's constitutional officers, including the state treasurer, the attorney general, and the state auditor. During the debacle, Governor Landon placed the treasury under martial law, and the payment on all public-body bonds was suspended for months. In all, four criminal convictions were made including the three longest sentences in the state's penal history, and two state officers were impeached. Governor Landon relied upon Brewster to prosecute those involved in the scandal.

Also participating in the prosecution of these "scoundrels" as Governor Landon dubbed them, was Lester Goodell, Shawnee County Attorney at the time. A few years later, Lester Goodell would gain national attention as the lead trial attorney for the school board in the famous Brown V. Board of Education lawsuit.

In 1902, Margaret McGurnaghan joined the firm (then known as Wheeler, Hunt, & Brewster) as a secretary and stenographer. She worked 23 years at the firm before enrolling in Washburn School of Law and graduating in 1927 at 51 years of age. She later became a partner in the firm, practicing for 33 years before retiring at age 84. In addition to becoming the first female partner in a large law firm in Topeka, she became one of the first women admitted to practice law in Kansas and one of the first women to join the Kansas Bar Association. She later served as chairman of the first Title Standards Committee for the Kansas Bar Association and became an active member in the American Bar Association.

Other recognizable names that have been associated with Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer, include: John L. Hunt, an Assistant U.S. District Attorney; and Marla Luckert, a District Judge in Shawnee County, a Chief Judge of the 3rd Judicial District, and the second woman to be appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court in 2002. In addition, former Kansas Secretary of Agriculture, and U.S. Senator Sam Brownback became associated with the firm for a few years in the early1990s. The firm has also become a permanent home for several assistant attorneys general for the State of Kansas.

The firm's committment to downtown and the community have never wavered. When downtown businesses were moving west to the Wanamaker corridor, the firm maintained its downtown presence. GSEP's offices today at 515 South Kansas, are just a few steps away from the firm's original (1881) offices at 525 Kansas. For most of the 20th Century the firm called the Columbian Building at 112 SW Sixth, home, moving in 1970 to 215 East Eighth. The move to 515 South Kansas occurred after the 1987 merger with Colmery, McClure, Letourneau, Merriam, & Stauffer, P.A.

Over the years, the firm has represented major businesses of Topeka: Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the Menninger Clinic, Kansas Hospital Association, Stormont-Vail, Santa Fe Hospitals, and Payless Shoes. Now deceased partner Robert "Bob" Edmonds took Payless Shoes public; and partner Phil Elwood crafted the monumental merger of Stormont Vail and Cotton-O'Neil.

Current partners demonstrate their commitment to the Topeka community every day by serving on community boards and in their neighborhoods they serve as coaches and role models through various youth programs.

Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer remains dedicated to the legal profession and its positive influence on the community and state. Scholarships and awards at Washburn University and the University of Kansas Law schools carry the names of past partners.  The Lester Goodell Award at Washburn Law School was established in 1969. This is an award of approximately $500 made annually for participation in Moot Court. The John Ensley Memorial Award was established by Elizabeth Ensley in 1999 for a Washburn Law School student who demonstrates outstanding legal writing. (John Ensley became a partner of the firm in 1993.) The Robert Edmonds Endowed Award at the University of Kansas Law School was started in 2002 with a $10,000 gift from Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer. It will be permanently endowed through the estate of Robert (Bob) Edmond's widow (Oreen).

Law students have an opportunity to feed on the rich learning ground of Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer through employment as law clerks.

Today, our attorneys and knowledegable staff, paralegals, and law clerks serve hundreds of clients across Kansas and the Midwest. It is a law firm steeped in Topeka history, and a rich tradition in the legal profession.

With hundreds of years of legal experience by our partners, Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer is renowned for its work in the areas of health care, real estate, environmental law, taxation, corporate law, commercial litigation, personal injury law, and employment law.

It's a tradition that Goodell, Stratton, Edomonds & Palmer is proud of and one that serves Topeka well.