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History
The Law Firm of Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer culminates its 125th year in
business in the Topeka community in 2006. 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, LLP, 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 early1990's. The firm has also become a permanent home for several assistant attorneys
general for the State of Kansas.
The firm's committement 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 current managing 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 such
as: United Way of Topeka, the YWCA, the YMCA, the Topeka Community Foundation, and the Topeka Performing Arts
Center Board. In their neighborhoods they serve as coaches and role models through Sunflower Soccer, Boy Scouts,
Rotary Clubs, etc.
GSEP 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). Retired partner Gerald Goodell has made a commitment to the future of the
Washburn School of Law in that he also has named the school as owner and beneficiary of a life insurance
policy.
Law students have an opportunity to feed on the rich learning ground of GSEP through employment as law clerks.
Today, 20 full-time attorneys, plus our 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 a cumulative 442 years of legal practice by our partners, GSEP 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 GSEP is proud of and one that serves Topeka well.
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Contacts |
Home
515 South Kansas Avenue
Topeka, KS 66603-3999
Tel.: 785-233-0593
FAX.: 785-233-8870
gsep@goodellstrattonlaw.com
Copyright 2005 Goodell, Stratton, Edmonds & Palmer, L.L.P.
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