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Firm founder Joseph Rawlins formed his first of many law partnerships with Ben Sheeks in 1875. In 1891, he partnered with Edward B. Critchlow, while splitting his time between the firm and his duties as a delegate from the Utah Territory to the U.S. Congress. He was instrumental in Utah's bid for statehood, introducing the initial statehood resolution for Utah in 1894 which ended in statehood two years later. Afterwards, Rawlins was elected as Utah's first full-term senator, serving from 1897 to 1903.

In 1907, Rawlins formed a new partnership, this time with his son, Athol Rawlins, and son-in law, William W. Ray. He remained with this firm until the time of his death in 1926, at the age of 76.

When Will Ray and Athol Rawlins formed a partnership in 1929 with James Ingebretsen, under the name of Ingebretsen Ray & Rawlins, there were a mere 250 lawyers listed in the Salt Lake City telephone directory. E.R. Christensen, father of prominent Salt Lake City lawyer, Ray Christensen, joined the firm ten years later.

Time passed, and Ingebretsen left the firm while attorney Joseph Severen Jones joined. In 1956, a former Stanford classmate of William Rehnquist and Sandra Day O'Conner by the name of Harold R. Waldo joined the firm. He was followed by Don Holbrook, who would go on to become a champion of higher education in the state of Utah, and a seasoned antitrust lawyer, handling as many as 10 cases at once. In 1959, Roger J. McDonough joined the firm, the same year he was admitted to the Bar.

The firm was known as Ray, Rawlins, Jones & Henderson, until 1966 when the firm changed its name to the more familiar Jones, Waldo, Holbrook & McDonough.

Jones Waldo evolved with skilled lawyers coming into the firm to meet the needs of a vibrant, growing practice. Through the years Jones Waldo forged trusting relationships with many prestigious clients both locally and regionally. Since its inception in 1875, Jones Waldo has been associated with Walker Bank, and has been a loyal partner as the bank has grown, from the organization of Western Bancorp to the Wells Fargo merger.

Jones Waldo has proudly represented the Salt Lake Tribune for many years. The firm headed up the national lobbying effort for passage of the Newspaper Preservation Act in the early 1960s, which eventually gave rise to the Newspaper Agency Corporation, allowing both the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News to function more profitably.

Lawyers of the firm were instrumental in the formation and growth of Mountain Fuel Supply, now known as Questar Gas.

The firm even boasted a Utah icon, three-term Utah governor Cal Rampton, who joined the firm after leaving office in 1976, serving of counsel at Jones Waldo in the years preceding his death.

Jones Waldo is a firm with a long past and proud heritage of excellence. With the combined experience and expertise of more than 130 years, we at Jones Waldo can't help but get excited about what the future holds.