Kutak Rock LLP is a United States law firm, founded in 1965 in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

. it had more than 550 attorneys in 19 offices across the U.S. In 2024, Kutak Rock LLP was ranked as the 96th largest law firm in the U.S. based on number of attorneys and 186th based on revenue.

History

The firm was founded in Omaha in 1965 by Robert J. Kutak, Harold Rock, and William G. Campbell. After 1972 the firm pursued an aggressive expansion strategy, first by absorbing two other Omaha firms and then by adding offices in other cities, beginning in 1977 with offices in Denver and Washington, D.C. By 1978 the firm, with its main concentration in public finance law, was reported to be the fastest growing law firm in the United States. Federal legislation in 1968 required American industry and business to commit to massive expenditures over the next two decades to address water and air pollution abatement requirements of that legislation. In conjunction with its Wall Street investment banking clients, Kutak Rock pioneered the use of municipal debt backed solely by the relevant corporate credit (a form of transaction at that time known as industrial development revenue bond financing) to finance tens of billions of dollars of these requirements, thus establishing the foundation of the broad-ranging corporate and governmental finance practice that exists today in all of the firm's offices. The firm's national corporate, real estate and litigation practices also began during this period. Robert Kutak, a founder of the firm, chaired the American Bar Association commission which developed the new

Model Rules of Professional Conduct The American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct (MRPC) are a set of rules and commentaries on the ethical and professional responsibilities of members of the legal profession in the United States. Although the MRPC generally is ...

and rewrote ethical standards for lawyers; today, the ABA offers a legal education award named for him. He was also instrumental in purchasing and preserving the Omaha Bank Building for use as the firm's main office. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in 1983, at age 50. Today, the firm has more than 550 attorneys located in offices coast-to-coast.

Notable alumni

* Robert Kutak, founder of the firm and Chairman of the American Bar Association's Special Commission on Evaluation of Professional Standards *Harold Rock, founder of the firm, former president of the Omaha Bar Association and Nebraska State Bar Association *

David Karnes David Kemp Karnes (December 12, 1948 – October 25, 2020) was an American politician, businessman, and attorney. He was a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1987 to 1989, and was president and chief executive officer of The Fairmon ...

, former

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

for Nebraska, was

of counsel Of counsel is the title of an attorney in the legal profession of the United States who often has a relationship with a law firm or an organization but is neither an associate nor partner. Some firms use titles such as "counsel", "special couns ...

to the firm. *David Bracht, former Nebraska Director of Energy, is of counsel to the firm. * Bart McLeay, candidate for United States Senate for Nebraska in 2014. *

Lindsey Miller-Lerman Lindsey Gale Miller-Lerman (born July 30, 1947) is a justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, appointed by Governor Ben Nelson in 1998. She is the first woman to serve on the court. Miller-Lerman was retained in 2014 and 2020; her term expires in 2 ...

, Justice of the

Nebraska Supreme Court The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The court consists of a chief justice and six associate justices. Each justice is initially appointed by the governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each ...

. *

Steve Pedersen Steve Pederson is an American guitarist from Omaha, Nebraska. He left Cursive in 1998 to attend law school at Duke University in North Carolina, after graduating from Creighton University with a degree in political science. At Duke, he started t ...

, founding member of indie rock band

Cursive (band) Cursive is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. Stylistically described as emo and post-hardcore, Cursive came to prominence with 2000's ''Domestica'' and found commercial and critical success with 2003's ''The Ugly Organ''. The band ...

. * Brian C. Buescher, District Judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Nebraska United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

Recognition and rankings

Awards include: * The Bond Buyer's 2017 Deal of the Year for the Midwest Region - underwriter's counsel to the Great Lakes Water Authority * The Bond Buyer's 2017 Small Issuer Deal of the Year - bond counsel to the City of Missoula, Montana * Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index “Equality 100 Leader in LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion” (multiple years)

References

{{Reflist Law firms established in 1965 Lobbying firms Companies based in Omaha, Nebraska Law firms based in Nebraska 1965 establishments in Nebraska