Dentons Davis Brown

Culture of Inclusion

Dentons Davis Brown supports fostering the professional and civic growth of attorneys and staff of all backgrounds. Recognizing that a diverse team can better address client needs, the firm endeavors to hire and retain individuals with a strong work ethic, commitment to excellence, and diverse talents and experiences. As a progressive law firm, Dentons Davis Brown was the first Iowa law firm to elect a female president, elect an openly gay, female president and offer health benefits to same-sex domestic partners five years before it was mandated.

Dentons Davis Brown Legacy

Founded in 1929, Dentons Davis Brown grew despite the Great Depression and has continued its growth through other periods of significant economic disruption and social and generational change.

A full-service law firm from the beginning, the firm has always focused on providing quality legal services and exceptional client service, hiring the best people regardless of race, religion, or gender, and serving the communities in which we live and work. Founders Joseph Brody and former District Judge George Brammer were lawyers other law firms wouldn’t hire because they were Jewish. The two decided to create their own law firm and by the end of the 1930s, the firm expanded to eight lawyers - a large law firm for that time.

Over the next 40 years, the firm’s work expanded to the representation of major companies in the automobile, rail, manufacturing, communications, and healthcare industries. Clients knew they could rely on their Dentons Davis Brown lawyers for excellent quality legal work whether in the boardroom or the courtroom.

In the late 70s and early 80s, when the legal community was only beginning to hire women lawyers, and many firms hired only a single female lawyer, one of our named partners, A. Arthur Davis (1929-1997), believed in hiring the most talented person, regardless of gender. This commitment continues today as a cornerstone of who we are. Among major law firms in Iowa, Dentons Davis Brown ranks highest of female lawyers, with an almost 50-50 balance and similar representation in firm leadership and key firm committees.

In 2021, the firm combined with Dentons, a demonstration of our focus on clients and supporting them wherever they do business – in Iowa, the Midwest, the US, and beyond.