Age 38 | Senior shareholder, Davis Brown Law Firm

One of the things that Jason Stone likes about the Davis Brown Law Firm is that it gives attorneys the freedom to shape their careers the way they want to.

For Stone, that involved starting out specializing in tax law, then developing more of a focus on corporate law, working on mergers, acquisitions, general corporate legal advice and investments, among other things.

He graduated from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kan., in 2000 and received a master’s degree in law from New York University in 2001 before coming back to his hometown of Des Moines. Stone had anticipated using his legal education to move into the business world, but found he enjoyed practicing law. Doing corporate legal work allows him to have a foot in both worlds.

In the decade since starting at the firm, Stone said he has had the opportunity to leave but truly enjoys where he works.

“(Davis Brown) is a place that you can kind of very quickly get involved in important projects, you can get involved in firm management, you can drive your career the way you want to drive your career,” Stone said. “People work together well; people support each other well.”

Most recently, Stone has been the program coordinator of the firm’s Start-Up Launchpad, which allows start-up businesses to use a streamlined process to fill out legal documents and charges them a flat fee. Stone said the program has been successful so far, partly because the start-up community has embraced it.

Beyond his work at Davis Brown, Stone has been involved in a number of professional law organizations, such as the American Bar Association and the Iowa State Bar Association.

Outside of law, he spent six years on the board of the Wellness Council of Iowa, is currently serving on the board of a statewide organization called Smart Growth Development and is on the board of directors of the service organization Sertoma.

Five reasons he’s a 40:

• Served on the Wellness Council of Iowa board for six years.

• Actively involved in a number of professional associations.

• 2009 graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute.

• Serves as a member of the Education Leadership Initiative for United Way of Central Iowa.

• Shelly Jordan, director of development at the Iowa State University Foundation, called Stone “a quiet leader who activates his influence to produce results.”

Fun Fact:

Stone had to tear up large parts of his lawn a few years ago, and while re-landscaping it he discovered a love for gardening. “I think what I like about it is that the practice of law is very cerebral, and gardening is very hands-on,” he said.