More Than A Century of Service

The firm of Plant, Christensen & Kanell traces its roots back more than a century to the law firm of Stewart & Stewart, established in 1895 in the McCornick Building, Salt Lake City, Utah. Stewart & Stewart was founded on June 1, 1895 by Samuel W. Stewart and Charles B. Stewart. In 1900, at the age of 33, Samuel W. Stewart was appointed to the Third Judicial District Court for a four year term. Except for his service as a judge, he remained Senior Partner of the firm from June 1895 until his death in December of 1955.

Rex J. Hanson served as Senior Partner from December 1955 until his death in July of 1980. He served as President of the Utah State Bar in 1961 and 1962, and was recognized in 1979-80 by both the Utah State Bar and the American Board of Trial Advocates as Utah’s outstanding trial lawyer.

One of Rex’s sons, Timothy R. Hanson, worked with the firm until Judicial appointment in 1982 to the Third Judicial District Court. Two other former partners of the firm, Ernest F. Baldwin and Leonard H. Russon were also appointed to the Third Judicial District Court; Ernest F. Baldwin in 1971 and Leonard H. Russon in 1984. Leonard H. Russon subsequently was chosen to sit on the Court of Appeals for Utah and in 1994 received an appointment as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court.

The firm of Plant, Christensen & Kanell represents many of the largest insurance carriers doing business in the State of Utah. This specialty of the firm has historic precedent, for in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s the firm began concentrating on insurance defense cases, and has continued to serve insurance carriers and their insureds since that time.

Plant, Christensen & Kanell is proud of its long Utah heritage and of its AV rating (the highest available) from the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register, which reflects the firm’s competency and integrity. From its offices occupying the seventeenth floor of the University Club Building, the firm is dedicated to providing quality legal service to its clients and maintaining its long-standing reputation in the Utah legal community.

  • Stewart & Stewart – 1895
    (1901 – Samuel W. Stewart, Third District Court Judge)
  • Stewart, Stewart & Budge – 1906
  • Stewart, Stewart & Stewart – 1907
  • Stewart, Stewart & Alexander – 1911
  • Stewart, Alexander & Budge – 1923
  • Stewart, Stewart & Carter – 1934
  • Stewart, Stewart & Cannon – 1942
  • Stewart, Cannon & Hanson – 1947
  • Hanson & Baldwin – 1956
  • Hanson, Baldwin & Allen – 1958
  • Hanson & Baldwin – 1962
  • Hanson, Baldwin & Lybbert – 1970
  • Hanson, Baldwin, Brandt & Wadsworth – 1971
    (1971 – Ernest F. Baldwin, Third District Court Judge)
  • Hanson, Brandt & Wadsworth – 1972
  • Hanson, Wadsworth & Russon – 1974
  • Hanson, Russon, Hanson & Dunn – 1979
  • Hanson, Russon & Dunn – 1982
    (1982 – Timothy R. Hanson, Third District Court Judge)
  • Hanson, Dunn, Epperson & Smith – 1984
    (1984 – Leonard H. Russon, Third District Court Judge)
  • Hanson, Epperson & Smith – 1987
  • Plant, Christensen & Kanell - 1999