MERGING EXPERTISE | Stevens & Brand, LLP

By ERIC SMITH | Photos by JOHN BURNS

Topeka’s legal landscape recently witnessed a remarkable change when two long-respected northeast Kansas law firms joined hands as one.

Stevens & Brand, LLP, a Lawrence and Topeka firm in operation for nearly 100 years and Newbery, Ungerer & Hickert, LLP, a firm based in the capital city for almost 30 years, officially merged on Oct. 1, 2023.

The result is an expanded Topeka office for Stevens & Brand, LLP, located at 4848 SW 21st St., Suite 201.

STEVENS & BRAND ATTORNEYS AFTER THE MERGER:
John T. Bullock, Christopher F. Burger, Whitney L. Casement, Emily A. Donaldson, Amy L. Durkin, Bradley R. Finkeldei, Webster L. Golden, Patricia E. Hamilton, Thomas D. Haney, Stanton A. Hazlett, Jeffrey L. Heiman, Bernard J. Hickert, Matthew H. Hoy, Sherri E. Loveland, Denise L. McNabb, Jean B. Ménager, Leslie M. Miller, C. David Newbery, James Jay Newbery, Ann J. Premer, Kana R. Roller, Richard S. Schoenfeld, Kate Marples Simpson, Wesley F. Smith ,Scott E. Taddiken, Peyton Weatherbie, Rebecca J. Wempe, J. Eric Weslander, Winton A. Winter, Jr., and Molly M. Wood

FOOTPRINT EXPANSION

“Stevens & Brand is committed to increasing its footprint in Topeka and serving the Topeka market. Bringing on three great lawyers from the Newbery, Ungerer & Hickert firm helps cement that position,” said Brad Finkeldei, managing partner of Stevens & Brand, LLP. “We’re very proud of our Topeka office and our lawyers there. Obviously, the merger only made it better.”

The merger gives the combined firms a total of 30 attorneys. Ten are based in Topeka and 20 are in Lawrence, at 900 Massachusetts St., Suite 500.

“I think the joining of law firms has created the largest and strongest estate planning and tax practice in the Topeka legal community that exists today,” said B.J. Hickert, who, along with Dave Newbery and Jay Newbery, made up the Newbery law firm and stayed on for the merger. “And we’re not going anywhere. We’re expanding and continuing that focus on Topeka business clientele and their estate planning and tax legal services.”

Stevens & Brand initially expanded into the capital city when its office opened 16 years ago. Of the 30 attorneys at the firm, 11 graduated from Washburn University Law School.

“There were some challenges after practicing in the same office for nearly 30 years, but now, things are going great,” said Dave Newbery of the merger transition. “It’s worked out just like I thought it would. It’s a top firm.”

“There are a lot of unique individuals and good people,” Newbery said of his new colleagues. “It’s a great culture, and it’s a fun group, and that’s important. You can hide in an office and practice law, and that can kind of be a boring life. But it’s fun around here just because there’s a lot of interesting people.”

FROM ADOPTION TO ZONING

The award-winning Stevens & Brand firm has expertise in 40 different areas of practice, from adoption to zoning — literally from A to Z. It also offers services in tax law, estate planning, asset protection, Medicaid law, elder law, bankruptcy, litigation, personal injury and construction, among others.

Stevens & Brand was formed in Lawrence by Richard Stevens and John W. Brand in 1925, with the goal to provide practical legal solutions for people and businesses. It has remained the firm’s mantra to this day.

“We have a long history of representing corporations, banks and other large entities,” Finkeldei said. He noted Evergy and Kaw Valley Bank are among the clients they’ve represented, the latter of which shares a building with them in southwest Topeka. “With the additions of folks like Scott (Taddiken) and Rich (Schoenfeld) and the Newbery merger, we’re really focused on serving individuals and their estate planning and corporate needs.”

CONTINUING ON

Newbery, Ungerer & Hickert, an established Topeka tax and estate planning firm in its own right, had officed at 2231 SW Wanamaker Road since 1994. Started by Dave Newbery and Jeff Ungerer, Hickert joined in 1997. Newbery said Ungerer left the firm in the early 2000s to work for one of his clients, but the firm kept his name because he has a great reputation as a tax and estate planning attorney. Jay Newbery joined the Newbery firm about 10 years ago.

Over the years, the Newbery firm has been known for its legal expertise in trust and estate administration, probate, business law, real estate law and mediation.

“After we’ve invested 30 years in building what I believe is a very fine law firm, I’m thrilled that the law firm is continuing,” said Hickert, who called the merger an achievement. “Not only continuing but continuing with one of the finest law firms in this area of the state. I know our clients will be well taken care of.”

Both Newbery and Hickert said there are several attorneys at Stevens & Brand with whom they had a previous relationship. They include Web Golden, senior partner of the firm, who taught both at the University of Kansas School of Law in the 1970s.

“We go back a long way with him,” Newbery said of Golden, who has been with Stevens & Brand for 46 years. “He’s a really top-notch lawyer and person.”

Hickert indicated he’s previously referred client matters to several Stevens & Brand attorneys, having shared a mutual respect with many of them before the merger.

“I welcomed the opportunity to work with them because I knew them to be excellent attorneys and great individuals,” Hickert said. “And I’ve been thrilled with the reception I’ve received from the other attorneys and also with the quality of their legal knowledge and experience and welcoming personalities.”

FUTURE GROWTH

Finkeldei indicated Stevens & Brand has been growing steadily over the years, but that this was the first real merger in the firm’s history, and it took about one year to complete.

“The problem with these sorts of things is everyone’s very busy with client work that it’s hard to find the time to work on this kind of project. It just doesn’t happen overnight,” Newbery said.

The move was attractive to Newbery, Ungerer & Hickert because it doubled the depth of the practice in several areas. It has also provided more breadth and diversity in legal issues with which they were previously unable to help clients, Hickert said.

“I’ve already appreciated the opportunity to refer clients to the different attorneys within the Stevens & Brand law firm and have discovered that they have a lot of expertise and experience that’s helpful and valuable for our clients. It provides our clients much more legal resources. We’ve gone from three to 30.”

Looking to the future, expansion and growth are still a priority, Finkeldei said.

“This merger sets us up as a bigger player in the Topeka market, and one we hope to grow on,” he said. “We’ll continue to look for ways to expand our presence in Topeka through the addition of lawyers, and we’ll continue to look at other law firms to merge with.”