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Inside Coppersmith Brockelman, the Phoenix firm two friends started in a spare bedroom in 1995 — one a former U.S. Congressman, the other his chief of staff — and built into a Chambers-ranked commercial litigation boutique with a genuinely distinct, employer-side employment law practice, without ever losing the culture they set out to build.
Coppersmith Brockelman — At a Glance
| FIRM | Coppersmith Brockelman PLC |
| FOUNDED | 1995, Phoenix — Sam Coppersmith and Andy Gordon |
| FOUNDER BACKGROUND | Sam Coppersmith — former member of the U.S. House of Representatives; Andy Gordon — his former Chief of Staff |
| SIZE | Approximately 20–22 attorneys |
| FOCUS | Commercial litigation, health care law, employment law (employer-side), election and political law, real estate, antitrust |
| RECOGNITION | Chambers USA-ranked in commercial litigation and in labor & employment; more than half the firm’s attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers in America, several as “Lawyer of the Year” in Phoenix |
| OFFICE | Phoenix, AZ |
| CONTACT | cblawyers.com |
Origin: A Ranch Business Plan and a Spare Bedroom
In early 1995, longtime friends Sam Coppersmith and Andy Gordon — fresh off Coppersmith’s term in Congress, where Gordon had served as his chief of staff — drew up a business plan for a new firm during a stay at a ranch in southern Arizona, then launched it out of a spare bedroom in Coppersmith’s house before moving to a small office on East Indian School Road. Kent Brockelman later joined and became a name partner. By the end of its first decade, the firm had more than quadrupled in size.
Practice Areas
The firm advises on and litigates across eleven practice areas, with commercial litigation, health care law, employment law, and election and political law as its most nationally recognized. Its commercial litigation practice represents both plaintiffs and defendants — domestic and international clients including major banks, corporations, and emerging businesses — in single-plaintiff suits as well as class and collective actions, with particular depth representing retailers and investment firms. Separately, Chambers USA independently ranks the firm’s Arizona labor and employment practice, describing it as a specialist employment group focused on the local market but fully equipped to act regionally or nationally for Arizona-headquartered clients, most notably major healthcare providers. This employment practice represents employers, not employees — disclosed explicitly here for readers comparing it against employee-side firms elsewhere in this category. The firm’s own materials describe a deliberate strategy of avoiding disputes through sound workplace practices and judgment, alongside litigation when disputes do arise.
Track Record
The firm’s own materials don’t publish a specific settlement or verdict table; its public record instead runs through sustained Chambers USA rankings in two separate practice areas and a Best Lawyers recognition rate — more than half the firm’s attorneys — that’s unusually high for a firm of its size.
Past-Results Disclaimer: 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 Coppersmith Brockelman on major platforms as of the research date; the firm’s reputation is documented primarily through Chambers USA and Best Lawyers peer recognition rather than a large public consumer-review footprint, consistent with a boutique built around institutional and corporate clients.
Community
The firm frames “building community — with clients, with other lawyers, and with each other” as one of its stated operating principles. Several attorneys, including Austin Yost, have been named to Arizona Capitol Times’ Rising Stars list, and multiple partners appear annually in AZ Big Media’s Top 100 Lawyers in Arizona and AzBusiness Leaders publications.
Recognition
Coppersmith Brockelman is Chambers USA-ranked for both General Commercial Litigation and Labor & Employment in Arizona — independently researched, client- and peer-interview-based rankings, not submission-based awards. More than half the firm’s attorneys are recognized in Best Lawyers in America, several as “Lawyer of the Year” in Phoenix — an honor Best Lawyers reserves for only one attorney per city, per practice area, per year.
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, governing contracts for the sale of goods and secured transactions. Business entities themselves 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. Trade secret disputes run through the Arizona Uniform Trade Secrets Act, A.R.S. § 44-401 et seq. On the employment side, Arizona is an at-will employment state under the Arizona Employment Protection Act, A.R.S. § 23-1501, subject to federal and state anti-discrimination and wage-and-hour exceptions.
The Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Coppersmith Brockelman’s genuine strength is an unusual combination: real Chambers USA and Best Lawyers depth across a small, close-knit partnership, spanning both commercial litigation and a distinct, independently ranked employer-side employment practice — plus a practice mix (election and political law, health care law) that few pure commercial-litigation boutiques also carry.
The honest caveat: this is a boutique built for sophisticated, often high-stakes institutional and corporate matters, not a volume practice for small, straightforward disputes, and on the employment side the firm represents employers exclusively — individual employees seeking representation against an employer should look to the employee-side firms elsewhere in this category.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was researched in August 2026 from cblawyers.com (firm site, “Our Story” history page, attorney bios, employment law practice page), Chambers USA, LinkedIn, LawCrossing, and BCG Search’s firm profile. Coppersmith Brockelman PLC 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.