Brad Vynalek

brad-vynalek

Name: Brad Vynalek

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Age: 43

Title: Quarles & Brady Equity Partner, Member of National Executive Committee, Chair of Innovation Committee

Married/Single: Married

Kids: Three kids. Two daughters and one son.

City you live in: Historic Neighborhood in Downtown Phoenix

A typical day in my life includes…

making breakfast for my kids, trying to get some sort of workout in, and trying to have a fun (and sometimes deep) conversation with my wife.

I was born…

in a time when there was a ton of change in the world. The country was coming out of the Vietnam War and my parents decided to leave their long-term family roots in Chicago behind to move to the Wild, Wild West of Arizona. I was born in a time when there was pretty dramatic change, and I think that gave me an ability and appreciation to deal with a lot of chaos all at once.

My favorite thing about Arizona…

the amazing group of friends we’ve developed throughout Arizona. And the people who LOVE it here. The Arizona connection is a bond you share with anyone and everyone who is from this state. If I sit next to someone from Phoenix on a flight, we can’t stop talking. It’s so cool to have a connection like that with everyone that’s from this state.

I’m listening to…

my dog barking to go outside, my son asking me to pitch to him, my daughter asking me to do gymnastics with her, and my other daughter asking me to scooter with her.

My family…

makes my world go round. It’s neat because we don’t have any immediate family in Phoenix, which makes us a very tightknit unit. But our entire family, immediate and distant, is also always up for an adventure. I remember one Thanksgiving we rented a beach house out in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland with nothing around us except water.

If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…

one of my relatives who led my families move to the United States from the Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia then) to the U.S. to create a better life for her family, and I would really love to hear her story and her experience with that.

One thing I cannot live without…

I’ve got to have an annual, if not more often, ski trip and surfing trip with my family.

When I was younger, I wanted to be…

my career aspirations honestly changed day to day. If I was watching the NBA, I wanted to be a pro basketball player. If I was watching Magnum P.I., I wanted to be a private investigator rocking a 308.

I’m inspired by…

people who keep it deeply real. My wife and I are friends with some really amazing successful people and it’s neat to see them using their talents to truly make the world a better place.

The one person who motivates me is…

definitely my wife. And she motivates me in different ways; sometimes it’s her saying, “What the heck are you thinking?” Sometimes she’s saying “C’mon, you’ve got this,” and other times it’s the silent support.

If I could change anything in the world, it would be…

I think without question, access to education. I think education puts people on an even playing field, and it helps stabilize economies and democracies

The perfect day would be…

my family getting up on a chilly fall Saturday, having a great breakfast at Matt’s Big Breakfast, shuttling the kids off to their sports and other activities, and then just ending the day with a movie night.

My first job was…

I was a yard boy for some elderly neighbors. I would go over once a week and they’d have a list of things for me to do, from mowing the lawn to cutting cactus. They eventually became my adoptive grandparents and we named our daughter Hazel after the woman.

My favorite escape…

jumping on one of the hiking trails in Phoenix and just getting out there and going for a hike. I’m a big believer that to be as checked in as possible, you have to checkout sometimes. My favorite trail is on 32nd and Lincoln near Piestewa Peak Preserve.

My life…

is a canvas filled with chaos, balance, love and tons of fun.

I’m currently working on…

a secret project with a couple other leaders in the market to try and inspire others to be more effective and better ambassadors for the state of Arizona.

Always…

be kind, thoughtful and humble.

Never…

be so serious that you forget how to be silly.

Favorite Quote…

“Success is never final and failure is never fatal.” –Winston Churchill

Biggest Dream…

to make sure my family and I do our part to give Arizona the good spotlight it deserves in the country and internationally, and to continue to better the education system here.

My Pet Peeve(s)…

I hate when people pass on the right on I-10. It drives me nuts!

Vynalek is a member of the Quarles & Brady LLP’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice Group. He also serves as a member of the firm’s national Executive Committee and is Chair of the Innovation Committee. Executive Committee members are elected by the firm’s equity partners and are responsible for the management and administration of the firm and for all matters not reserved to the partnership. In the community, Vynalek serves on the Regional Advisory Board for Teach for America, the national corps of top college graduates and professionals that commit to teach for two years in underserved schools and become lifelong leaders in the pursuit of educational equity. He also served as a long-time board member and is a recent past-chair of Make-A-Wish Arizona. He is a previous president of the University of Arizona College of Law Association and on the board of directors for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. He has also provided pro bono services for the Volunteer Lawyers Program, Wills for Heroes and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Vynalek is a past recipient of the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law Distinguished Alumnus Award, and was honored by the Phoenix Business Journal in 2015 as one of the “Most Admired Business Leaders in Arizona.” In 2016, he was selected by his peers as one of The Best Lawyers in America® and received the Client Choice Award from Lexology and the International Law Office, which recognizes partners around the world that stand apart for their excellent client service. Vynalek has been named among the top attorneys in Arizona by Southwest Super Lawyers® magazine every year since 2012. Vynalek earned his law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, and his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, and he has also studied abroad through Georgetown University in Prague.

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