Honors and Awards

Jennings Strouss is honored to be recognized as a “Most Admired Company” from 2017 – 2021 by Az Business magazine and BestCompaniesAZ. Selection of Az Business magazine’s “Most Admired Companies” is based on six pillars of excellence –  leadership, social responsibility, customer opinion, workplace culture, innovation, and healthy workplaces. A selection committee comprised of Az Business magazine’s editorial and management team, BestCompaniesAZ’s leadership team, and professionals from a wide range of industries rated and selected the most accomplished and prestigious companies in Arizona.

Award presented by the Phoenix Business Journal. The “Best Places to Work” program recognizes the Valley’s “best companies” in micro, small, midsize, large, and extra large businesses in the metro Phoenix market.

Jennings Strouss is honored to be listed as one of BestCompaniesAZ’s “100 Best Arizona Companies” in 2022 in the category of “Best Trailblazers.” Best Trailblazers is described as companies that have pioneered and sustained their exceptional performance by all metrics over twenty years, representing the best of the best. Jennings Strouss was also listed in the category of “Best of Stars” category in 2012.

BestCompaniesAZ celebrates twenty years of recognizing the “100 Best Arizona Companies” that have shaped Arizona’s workplaces for the past two decades and are well positioned to take Arizona into the future. The 100 Best are chosen by invitation only and based on research of local and national award-winning companies from prestigious lists and those with stellar best practices supporting diversity, LGBTQ, corporate giving, corporate equality, veterans, and more.

Az Business magazine‘s Az Business Angels Awards cast a spotlight on organizations and leaders that are making the greatest impact on Arizona communities. From hundreds of 2020 nominations, the Az Business Angels judging committee carefully narrowed them down to a select few finalists in eleven categories. Jennings Strouss was recognized for its Outstanding Corporate Responsibility. Since 1942, the Firm has been well-known for its rich heritage, commitment to community, and long-lasting relationships. The Firm has a long history of philanthropy, sponsoring numerous organizations and supporting personnel who volunteer and serve on boards of nonprofit organizations. The Firm’s culture has always encouraged and supported community involvement. In 2008, The Jennings Strouss Foundation was formed with the mission to promote the advancement of the arts, education, and community development.

Jennings Strouss was selected as one of three finalists for the Phoenix Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy Awards in the Corporate Volunteerism – Under 1,000 Employees category. The firm and the Jennings Strouss Foundation are honored to be recognized for the contributions they make to Arizona communities.

The Martindale-Hubbell^® Peer Review Ratings™ help in-house counsel and other sophisticated buyers of legal services identify, evaluate and select the most appropriate lawyer for a specific task at hand. Lawyer Ratings serve as an objective indicator that a lawyer has the highest ethical standards and professional ability and are used by buyers of legal services to justify their hiring decisions.

The U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process.

In the 2023 edition of “Best Law Firms,” Jennings Strouss received a Tier 1 National Ranking for Energy Law, a Tier 2 National Ranking for Litigation – Real Estate, and Tier 3 National Rankings for Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, and Securities Regulation. The firm also received multiple Metropolitan Rankings for 44 practice areas in Phoenix and Washington, D.C. Click here to see the full list.

“Best Law Firms” includes rankings in 75 national practice areas and 127 metropolitan-based practice areas. Firms included in the 2023 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise. Clients and peers were asked to evaluate firms based on the following criteria: responsiveness, understanding of a business and its needs, cost-effectiveness, integrity and civility, as well as whether they would refer a matter to the firm and/or consider the firm a worthy competitor.

Since the inception of The Best Lawyers in America^©, Jennings Strouss attorneys have been selected for inclusion in the publication. Best Lawyers^® has published their list for over three decades. Lawyers on The Best Lawyers in America^© list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. They are reviewed by their peers on the basis of professional expertise and undergo an authentication process to make sure they are in current practice and good standing. Attorneys featured in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch^© have been practicing for 5-9 years and are recognized for outstanding professional excellence in private practice. Once they have been practicing for 10+ years, they will be eligible for recognition in The Best Lawyers in America^©.

Most recently, 34 Jennings Strouss attorneys are listed in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^©.

Each year, only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making these accolades particularly significant. These lawyers are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the peer-review assessments. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.

Chambers USA is published by London-based Chambers & Partners, publishing legal directories for over 20 years. Chambers USA bases its selections on interviews with a range of lawyers and their clients around the country. It bases its rankings on qualities including technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial astuteness, diligence, commitment, and other categories most valued by clients.

Jennings Strouss’ Labor and Employment and Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation practice groups have been ranked in the 2022 edition of Chambers USA. Attorney John J. Balitis, Chair of the Firm’s Labor and Employment practice group, was also ranked as a top Labor and Employment lawyer in Arizona for his eighth year. In addition, Jennings Strouss attorney Albert “Bert” Acken was ranked in the Arizona practice area of Environmental Law for his ninth consecutive year, and attorney Keith F. Overholt was ranked in the Arizona practice area of Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation.

Super Lawyers^® is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of professional achievement. Super Lawyers^® magazine names attorneys in all 50 states who are chosen by their peers and through the independent research. Each year, no more than 5% of lawyers in the state are selected for inclusion on the Super Lawyers^® list and no more than 2.5% are selected for Super Lawyers Rising Stars^®.

Ranking Arizona, an AZ Big Media magazine, is one of the largest business opinion polls in Arizona. Each business category is selected by the staff of AZ Big Media based upon the business and leisure activities of Arizona’s business community. Ranking Arizona gives Arizona residents and business leaders the opportunity to vote for their favorite businesses in each category. Participants base their selections on the quality of service provided by the companies they vote for.

In 2021, Jennings Strouss received recognition in 9 law firm categories. Following are the Firm’s top rankings since 2014, when Ranking Arizona changed its model to include multiple areas of practice in addition to the three law firm categories designated by the number of attorneys:

Each year, azfoothills.com asks readers to vote on their favorite Valley people, places, and more. The contest draws hundreds of thousands of votes from across the Phoenix Metropolitan area and those selected as “best” of each category are featured in the publication’s annual April Collector’s Edition issue. Jennings Strouss and its attorneys are the proud recipients of the following awards:

Jennings Strouss was placed as “Reader Recommended” for “Best Attorney” in Peoria Times “The Best of Peoria” in 2022. In 2021, the Firm was voted “Best Attorney.” In 2020, the Firm was voted “Best Lawyer/Law Firm.” Peoria Times asks readers to vote on their favorite Peoria businesses, people, and places. The contest garners millions of votes from Valley residents.

Jennings Strouss was selected as “Law Firm of the Year” 2015 by NALS of Phoenix. We take great pride in supporting our staffs’ participation in the NALS through conferences and seminars, and participation on the local Board and its committees. In addition to the firm award, Jennings Strouss attorney Norma C. Izzo, Chair of the firm’s Family Law and Domestic Relations department, was honored with the “Boss of the Year” award.