Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith Law Firm

What Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith Law Firm does

Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP is a private, full-service law firm organized as a limited liability partnership and headquartered in a single Sioux Falls, South Dakota office in the historic former Moe Hospital building. Founded in 1939 by Holton Davenport and Ellsworth Evans, the firm is one of South Dakota's oldest and largest, currently employing 32-35 attorneys practicing across more than 25 areas including commercial and complex litigation, corporate and business law, banking and financial services, estate planning and trust administration, labor and employment, real estate, agricultural law, e-commerce and technology, and personal injury matters. The firm serves a hybrid client base spanning local individuals and regional SMBs, national corporations on major transactions and complex litigation, and international clients requiring specialized legal expertise, with particular strength in trust-related work tied to South Dakota's favorable trust jurisdiction status.

The firm operates on a traditional professional services model, generating revenue primarily through hourly billing for legal services negotiated directly with clients; no alternative fee arrangements, subscription products, or technology platforms are disclosed. Its underlying technology stack is described as standard mid-sized law firm infrastructure — case management, legal research, and document management systems — with no proprietary technology products, APIs, or AI capabilities. Business development is relationship-driven, supported by thought leadership through legal blog content, an annual Employment Law Update seminar, email newsletters, and credentialing through external legal directories (Martindale-Hubbell, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, Benchmark Litigation). Distribution is exclusively direct client engagement through the single Sioux Falls office, though the firm claims service reach extending to national and international clients on specialized matters.

Ownership is held by partner attorneys under the traditional partnership model with no parent company or external institutional investment. The firm maintains a structured talent pipeline through a summer associate program and shows high employee retention, with many staff having celebrated 5, 15, and 25-year anniversaries. Recent leadership activity includes three partner promotions in January 2026, the December 2025 retirement of a 48-year partner, and a lateral hire from McDermott Will & Emery, indicating ongoing succession management rather than expansion.

Name

Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith Law Firm

Legal name

Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP

Website

https://dehs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith is a private, full-service Sioux Falls, South Dakota law firm founded in 1939, employing 32-35 attorneys across 25+ practice areas serving local, national, and international clients with particular strength in litigation, banking, and trust/estate law.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Full-Service Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE)

Keywords

• Commercial litigation services
• Estate planning services
• Corporate business law
• Banking financial services law
• Trust administration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: Traditional hourly billing for legal services across multiple practice areas including litigation, corporate/business law, estate planning, banking, labor and employment, and other specialized legal services. Clients include local, national, and international businesses as well as individuals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP is a full-service law firm providing legal representation to local, national, and international clients across more than 25 practice areas. Core offerings include corporate and business law, a broad litigation practice, banking and financial services, estate planning, trust administration, labor and employment, real estate, and family law. The firm operates on a fee-for-service basis and serves both individuals and organizations.

Product overview

Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP is a full-service South Dakota law firm offering legal services across multiple practice areas rather than a technology product. The firm provides Corporate and Business Law services (including Agricultural Law, e-Commerce/Technology, Environmental Law, Insurance Regulatory, Real Estate, and Trademark/Copyright), Litigation services (Commercial, Construction, Insurance, IP, Employment, Appellate, Personal Injury, Professional Liability, Trust Litigation, Zoning, and Mediation), Financial Services (Banking, Bankruptcy/Creditors' Rights, Public Finance), and Trusts and Estates (Estate Planning/Probate, Taxation, Trust Administration, Trust Companies, Employee Benefits, Labor and Employment, Workers' Compensation, and Family Law). The firm also hosts an annual Employment Law Update Seminar for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate and Business Law Business lawyers serve business, professional, and non-profit entities of all types and sizes, including publicly-traded and closely-held corporations, and general and limited partnerships. Services include entity selection and organization, operation, employment matters, and commercial transactions.
• Agricultural Law/Value-Added Ventures Agricultural lawyers serve family farmers, ranchers, and large commercial operations. Services include organization of agricultural enterprises such as cooperatives, joint ventures, international joint ventures, and livestock operations.
• e-Commerce, Internet and Technology Attorneys offer services pertaining to contracting online, data privacy, domain name disputes, electronic fund transfers, electronic signatures, software contracts and licensing.
• Environmental Law Environmental lawyers assist with environmental audits and due diligence reviews for real estate transactions, environmental remediation projects, and reimbursement from the South Dakota Petroleum Release Compensation Fund.
• Insurance Regulatory Law Insurance lawyers represent insurance companies on regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters, coverage issues, and producer matters including proceedings with the South Dakota Division of Insurance.
• Real Estate Real estate lawyers assist with structure and documentation of real estate purchases and sales, financing options, representation before governmental regulatory authorities, and transaction negotiation and documentation.
• Trademark and Copyright Protection Trademark and copyright protection lawyers provide legal services for registering trademarks and tradenames with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and South Dakota Secretary of State.
• Commercial and Complex Litigation Litigators handle the full spectrum of commercial litigation, representing a wide variety of businesses in disputes arising in complex commercial matters.
• Construction Litigation Lawyers handle construction litigation, performance and payment disputes, bond issues, code compliance, architectural, engineering and design issues, construction site injuries, and workers' compensation claims.
• Insurance Litigation Attorneys represent a wide variety of insurance clients and handle a broad diversity of claims in both state and federal courts.
• Intellectual Property Litigation Litigators handle cases involving trademarks, service marks, copyright, trade secrets, confidential information, non-disclosure agreements, non-competition agreements, non-solicitation agreements, and unfair competition.
• Employment Litigation Employment attorneys represent employees and employers in a wide variety of employment-related disputes and litigation.
• Appellate Law Attorneys handle appeals in cases tried by other law firms as well as their own in state and federal appellate courts.
• Plaintiff's and Personal Injury Litigation Attorneys have successfully recovered millions of dollars for victims of personal injury including wrongful death, motor vehicle and motorcycle accidents, semi truck accidents, aviation and train accidents, and defective products.
• Professional Liability Defense Attorneys defend physicians, lawyers, accountants, architects, insurance agents and other professionals in courtrooms and administrative proceedings.
• Trust Litigation Trust litigation attorneys protect and defend client rights in Sioux Falls or any other court in South Dakota.
• Zoning and Land Use Litigation Attorneys handle complex land use litigation concerning concentrated animal feeding operations, feed lots, dairy operations, drainage rights, wind farms, wind turbines and wind energy.
• Mediation Mediation services that help end problems while preserving relationships, looking to the future for solutions.
• Banking and Financial Services Banking lawyers handle all aspects of South Dakota banking law including acquisitions, branching, establishment of new banks, lending, creditors' rights, commercial litigation, and state and federal banking regulation.
• Bankruptcy and Creditors' Rights Attorneys limit practice to representation of creditors and non-debtor parties, practicing extensively in state court, federal courts and bankruptcy court.
• Public Finance Attorneys provide bond counsel and counsel to issuers, trustees, conduit borrowers, developers and bond purchasers including community banks financing local public projects.
• Estate Planning, Elder Law, and Probate Attorneys provide expertise in all aspects of estate planning, elder law, and probate matters.
• Taxation Tax attorneys assist clients with business and estate planning matters, and provide tax services to tax-exempt organizations and private foundations.
• Trust Administration Trust administration attorneys have expertise in all matters of trust administration including filing annual reports, modifying, reforming, and decanting trusts pursuant to South Dakota law.
• Trust Companies Attorneys offer comprehensive trust company and trust administration practice, with expertise in every aspect of trust company formation and operation.
• Employee Benefits Attorneys serve employers from small professional corporations to large educational and health care institutions, designing ERISA-qualified and non-qualified benefit plans and advising on compensation planning.
• Labor and Employment Attorneys represent public and private employers, counsel in all areas of labor and employment law, and advise on prevention of potential litigation.
• Workers' Compensation and Administrative Law Attorneys have extensive experience in defense of workers' compensation claims, representing nationally recognized and regional insurance companies, self-insured employers and third party administrators.
• Family Law Family law attorneys counsel clients in adoption, name changes, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, spousal support, mediation, and divorce and separation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18-19 attorneys recognized by Best Lawyers in 22+ practice areas (annual recognition)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boyce Law Firm, LLP: Boyce is one of South Dakota's oldest and largest full-service law firms, headquartered in Sioux Falls with a similar long-standing reputation and broad practice coverage. It is a direct competitor for both clients and lateral talent in the Sioux Falls legal market.
• Riter, Rogers, Wattier & Brown, LLP: Riter Rogers is a South Dakota-based law firm with offices in Pierre and Rapid City, providing full-service legal representation across the state. It competes with Davenport Evans for state-level and regional clients and serves as an alternative for South Dakota-based matters.
• Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith, P.C. Woods Fuller is a direct South Dakota peer and a major full-service law firm headquartered in Sioux Falls with comparable headcount and practice area breadth. Akkerman, a current Davenport Evans partner, previously worked at Woods Fuller, illustrating direct talent and market overlap.
• Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore, LLP: Gunderson Palmer is a leading South Dakota law firm based in Rapid City with a comparable full-service model and broad practice areas. It competes with Davenport Evans across the state and on regional matters, particularly in litigation and corporate work.

Broad incumbents

• Crowley Fleck PLLP: Crowley Fleck is a Montana/North Dakota-based regional full-service law firm that has hired several attorneys who previously worked at smaller firms. It competes with Davenport Evans on regional banking, corporate, and litigation matters in the Upper Midwest.
• Koley Jessen P.C., L.L.O. Koley Jessen is a Nebraska-based business law firm with corporate, banking, employment, and estates/trusts practices. It is a regional competitor for corporate and trust mandates and shares talent and client overlap with Sioux Falls-area firms.
• McGrath North Mullin & Kutz, P.C. McGrath North is an established Omaha-based full-service law firm with comparable corporate, banking, and estate planning practices. It is a regional competitor for Midwestern clients and shares talent overlap with Sioux Falls-based firms.
• Baird Holm LLP: Baird Holm is a larger, established Omaha-based full-service law firm with corporate, banking, and trusts practices that overlap with Davenport Evans' service offerings. It is a competitor for regional Midwest mandates and on banking and financial services matters.
• Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, LLP: Cline Williams is a Nebraska-based full-service law firm with regional offices and practices spanning corporate, banking, real estate, and litigation. It competes with Davenport Evans for regional Midwestern clients and on trust/banking matters.
• Lindquist & Vennum LLP (now part of Faegre Drinker): Lindquist & Vennum (now Faegre Drinker) is a Minneapolis-based full-service law firm with strong banking, corporate, and trusts practices. It is a broad incumbent in the Upper Midwest with overlapping service offerings and competes for the same regional clients as Davenport Evans.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DavenportEvansLawFirm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/davenport-evans-hurwitz-&-smith-law-firm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith Law Firm