The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Arizona for 2025 includes James Goodnow, CEO and president, Fennemore. Meet him here.

James Goodnow, CEO and president, Fennemore

Background: Nearly two decades after starting his career at the firm as a file clerk, Goodnow became the youngest known CEO of a major law firm in U.S. history when he started in his current role in 2018. He earned his J.D. at Harvard Law School, a master’s degree in entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge Business School (U.K.) and a B.S. from Santa Clara University, where he graduated first in his class.

Qualities needed to succeed: “I think lawyers need to be entrepreneurial. They have to be forward-thinking, agile, and ready to adjust quickly. Interestingly, that’s the opposite of what you learn in law school, where the focus is on looking backward — what courts have done in the past to decide what to do in the future. That playbook works in the legal world, but not in the business world. At Fennemore, we spend a lot of time training our lawyers to retrain their thinking and adapt to today’s business realities.”

Differentiator for Fennemore: “At Fennemore, we’re fortunate to have a remarkable team of leaders across all of our offices. About seven years ago, we implemented a C-suite structure with dedicated business professionals focused on the business of law. Some have J.D.s, but most are not lawyers. They bring business fundamentals and entrepreneurial thinking to the table, which has transformed the firm.”

Trend to watch: “Law firms that embrace technology and new models will succeed; those that don’t will fall behind. We’re not just competing with other firms anymore — we’re competing with technology companies offering legal services.” 

Outlook for Fennemore: “Growth will continue, both in headcount and geographic footprint, particularly in the western U.S. and fast-growth states like Texas and Idaho. But the biggest change will come from technology — especially AI. We’ve developed our own AI platform, DOT, which allows us to work faster and more efficiently. This will fundamentally change pricing models in law and we’re even launching a subsidiary focused on flat-fee legal services.”