Wood Smith Henning & Berman proudly announce that founding partner Stephen Henning has been recognized once again as one of the Los Angeles Business Journal's Top 100 Lawyers for 2025. This prestigious acknowledgment highlights his outstanding leadership, legal expertise, and significant contributions to the legal profession. Additionally, Henning was singled out for the prestigious Community Service Impact Award, underscoring his dedication to public service and community leadership.
This year, the Los Angeles Business Journal received an unprecedented number of nominations from the region's top legal talent, showcasing the competitiveness and prestige of this award. Honorees were selected based on their remarkable legal skills, leadership qualities, and their positive influence within and beyond the legal community.
Henning's receipt of the Community Service Impact Award reflects his unwavering commitment to volunteerism and community engagement. “This recognition resonates deeply with me, especially in light of the recent fires in Altadena and Pasadena,” Henning remarked. “While I recognize this particular award recognized my leadership for both national and local non-profit organizations, my immediate thoughts went to the communities that were lost in Los Angeles County,” said Henning. “While I lost the community where I lived, the community which remained was my professional community – my work family and the legal community. This is the community which I prize, which will be critical to the rebuilding of our City, and for which I am immensely thankful.”
In his regards, Henning called out his partners and others in the business sector who generously offered their assistance after the fires, and brainstormed ways to return families to their homes sooner as some of the largest residential building projects commence in the nation. “My background representing developers gives me an insight on the resources and what needs to be done, and truly, this groups collective expertise will be vital for our recovery efforts, and the impact on our community will be profound.”
"Steve embodies purposeful leadership," said firmwide managing partner Stewart Reid. "His back-to-back recognition and the Community Service Impact Award are testaments to his influence both in the courtroom and in the community. We are incredibly proud of his accomplishments."
The Top 100 Lawyers cocktail reception took place on April 17, 2025, at the LABJ Office Campus, where honorees were celebrated for their invaluable contributions to the legal field and the greater Los Angeles community.
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