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Inside Thorpe Shwer, the Phoenix litigation boutique two attorneys built after leaving one of the Southwest’s largest firms — betting that clients wanted big-firm trial talent without the big-firm overhead.
Thorpe Shwer — At a Glance
| FIRM | Thorpe Shwer, P.C. |
| FOUNDERS | William “Bill” Thorpe and Bradley “Brad” Shwer |
| BILL’S BACKGROUND | Stanford University (B.A.); Boston College Law School (J.D., 1978); former Director and Chair of the Litigation Department, Fennemore Craig |
| BRAD’S BACKGROUND | Former Director, Fennemore Craig |
| FOCUS | High-stakes civil litigation, including business/commercial disputes, product liability, insurance coverage and bad faith, franchise litigation, and business torts |
| OFFICE | 3200 N. Central Ave., Suite 1560, Phoenix, AZ 85012 |
| CONTACT | thorpeshwer.com |
Origin: Two Fennemore Craig Directors Go Boutique
Bill Thorpe earned his B.A. from Stanford University and his J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1978. Before co-founding Thorpe Shwer, he served for many years as a Director and Chair of the Litigation Department at Fennemore Craig, one of the largest law firms in the Southwest. Brad Shwer also served as a Director at Fennemore Craig before the two left to found Thorpe Shwer together, explicitly aiming to combine big-firm trial capability with boutique-firm attention and cost efficiency.
Practice Areas
The firm represents clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to individual entrepreneurs in complex commercial disputes, product liability claims, insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, franchise litigation, business torts, contractual disputes, and premises liability. Bill Thorpe in particular has represented manufacturers, financial institutions, trucking companies, railroads, employers, and governmental entities over his career, and is active with the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel’s Executive Committee.
Track Record
The firm’s attorneys have obtained summary judgment on behalf of a religious order in claims involving alleged sexual abuse, successfully defended a municipal employee against constitutional deprivation claims (resulting in dismissal of all claims), and won summary judgment for an executive of a medical billing company after more than a year of litigation, with the court awarding the client attorney fees after finding the plaintiff’s claims lacked merit entirely.
Past-Results Disclaimer: These are the firm’s own case summaries. Every case is different, and no past result guarantees a similar outcome in any future matter.
Client Voice
Awesome Attorneys did not locate individually attributable, quotable client reviews for Thorpe Shwer on major platforms as of the research date; the firm’s reputation is documented primarily through Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, and Super Lawyers peer recognition rather than a consumer-review footprint, consistent with a boutique serving corporate and institutional clients.
Community
Partner André Merrett serves on the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona, a nonprofit that builds and repairs affordable housing in Maricopa and Pinal counties. Brad Shwer periodically serves as an adjunct law professor at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and was named to Phoenix Business Journal’s 2011 “40 Under 40” list.
Recognition
Bill Thorpe has sustained Martindale-Hubbell’s AV Preeminent rating for more than 20 years, was named to Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants and Railroad Law (2005–2021), and is recognized in Chambers USA’s Leading Lawyers for Business for commercial litigation — three independent, peer-reviewed credentials. Brad Shwer has been named to Southwest Super Lawyers’ Top 50 Arizona list and AZ Business Magazine’s Top 100 list, and holds an AV Preeminent rating and Best Lawyers recognition of his own.
The Arizona Legal Backdrop
What follows is general legal information, not legal advice.
Arizona commercial disputes frequently run through the Uniform Commercial Code as adopted in A.R.S. Title 47. Business entities are governed by the Arizona Business Corporation Act, A.R.S. Title 10, and the Arizona Limited Liability Company Act, A.R.S. § 29-3101 et seq. Maricopa County Superior Court operates a specialized Commercial Court program for complex business disputes. Insurance bad faith claims — a specific area of the firm’s practice — are governed by Arizona common law imposing a duty of good faith and fair dealing on insurers, separate from the underlying policy contract itself.
The Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Thorpe Shwer’s genuine strength is exactly what its founders set out to build: two directors from one of the Southwest’s largest firms, bringing that trial-level firepower to a boutique that can move faster and charge less than a large-firm equivalent, backed by three independent peer-review credentials (Chambers, Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers) at the founder level.
The honest caveat: this firm’s client roster skews toward Fortune 500 companies and institutional defendants — individuals or small businesses with a modest-value dispute may find the firm’s rates and case-selection standards better suited to larger-scale matters.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was researched in August 2026 from thorpeshwer.com (firm site, attorney bios, news and awards pages), Super Lawyers, and LawCrossing’s firm profile. Thorpe Shwer, P.C. did not commission, review, or pay for this profile.
Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice
This profile is an independent editorial article published by Awesome Attorneys. Awesome Attorneys does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any lawyer or law firm profiled on this site, and inclusion in this series is not paid placement.