KIRTON McCONKIE

Kirton McConkie (KM) has been the legal bedrock of Utah businesses for sixty years and supports hundreds of local and international businesses, but its story begins with a much smaller footprint. Wilford W. Kirton opened the practice with a small team of attorneys that focused on serving a single religious non-profit. Not long after, Oscar McConkie Jr. joined the team and became the second namesake of the firm.

Fifteen years later, with a few more attorneys, they realized that to better serve the community, they needed a broader experience base and made an intentional decision to extend their operations beyond a single niche of law. 

“They wanted a law firm that had significant breadth and depth of legal expertise,” Ken Olson, KM director of administration, said. This extension allowed them to take on clients spanning local mom-and-pop shops to international corporations. By 2010, they employed 106 attorneys, expanding from their main office in Salt Lake City, to St. George in 2019, and to Boise, Idaho, in 2020.

Fast forwarding to the present, they now employ 200 attorneys. Rob Yates, a senior attorney at KM said, “Corporate law covers any type of contractual relationship that exists between businesses. From suppliers and vendors, relationships and security offerings, asset purchases, to intellectual property and business guidance.”

“We serve clients at all levels,” Yates continued. “From the start up with an idea, to the middle-market, family-run business, to more seasoned corporations.”

As the firm grew, so did the range of experience among its attorneys. Newer associates work alongside long-established partners, giving KM the ability to assign matters based on complexity and expertise. 

“We have people at all different experience levels,” Michelle James, second-year associate, said. “We can refer clients to different parts of the firm for different issues they may have.”

With attorneys at every level, a project can be allocated to attorneys with the needed expertise.

“Kirton McConkie hit a sweet spot,” Yates said. “We have a high level of service and sophistication with a super local touch. Many attorneys have grown up in the state and are connected to the community. The level of service exceeds the cost of what we provide. It sometimes surprises people that we are as large as we are and are not charging what they expect.”

As regulations have increased over the years, so has the need for legal guidance. “From a business law perspective, there are so many regulations and laws that federal and state governments have enacted that it would be difficult for any one person to know they are complying with all of them,” Yates explained.

After a business becomes firmly established, the role of KM will adapt to their specific needs. “A corporate lawyer becomes a guide,” Yates said. “Once the contract is drafted the corporate lawyer role changes. For example, spotting issues or land mines that the company steps into that explains potential risks: if ‘xyz’ happened, this is what would happen.”

Deep-rooted relationships naturally lead to ongoing work. “Yes, we need to make money because we’re a business, but we want to see our clients succeed,” Rob Walker, president of KM and 21-year real estate attorney for the firm, said. “As they succeed and grow, we become a trusted business partner, not just a legal team.”

Walker emphasizes that communication should feel approachable. He wants any client to feel comfortable reaching out, without hesitation or formality creating distance.

“A trusted legal partnership is one that is deeper than just calling up an attorney to get something done,” Walker continued. “A lot of people look at attorneys as their last resort. They don’t want to spend the time or effort to get them involved. When we’re involved early on we help people avoid problems.”

Yates said that relationships are key, and you build trust by not nickel-and-diming your clients every time they have a question.

“An ideal relationship between client and attorney is a free flow of information going back and forth but it doesn’t feel like every time they move they incur a charge.”

Over time, many of these partnerships take on a personal dimension.

“We treasure our client relationships,” Walker said. “Friendships develop. Some of those relationships have wonderful opportunities where no legal work is discussed. We are invited to important family events. It’s good for people to know that attorneys are people too and we enjoy those relationships. That’s what I enjoy the most about our profession.”

To sustain that culture, KM focuses heavily on the people they bring into the firm. “We make sure we have people that are not only experts in the area we’re looking for,” Walker explained, “but a cultural fit as well. As we focus on those ideals, integrity, collaboration and excellence, we not only produce an excellent work product but relationships develop internally and externally.”

KM continues to grow and build on the relationships that have defined its identity. Their long history reflects both their legal expertise and the trust they have built over decades.