Firm History
William Kain |
The Kain family firm was founded in 1842 in York, Pennsylvania. A member of the Hay branch of the family practiced law with the firm starting in 1860.
In the late 1800s, the first William H. Kain was a practicing lawyer in York, Pennsylvania, and the Superintendent of Schools. His wife was Clara Hay, the daughter of civil war General George Hay, and a cousin of U.S. Secretary of State John Hay’s father. His son was George Hay Kain. |
|
Clara Kain |
George Hay Kain (1878-1958) joined the family law firm in 1902. He represented such prestigious clients as the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Columbia Gas Co., the Farmers Fire Insurance Company and the York Water Company. He appeared before Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1911. George Hay Kain celebrated his 50th year before the bar in 1952. William H. Kain III grew up in his grandfather’s home and learned much about the law from his father, uncle and grandfather talking around the dinner table. |
| Two of the sons of George Hay Kain, William H. Kain (father of William H. Kain III), and George Hay Kain Jr., with their dad created the firm of Kain, Kain & Kain, Attorneys at Law, in 1936. All three were graduates of the Harvard Law School and members of Phi Beta Kappa. They were a highly respected and successful law firm for many years. George Hay Kain practiced law right up to the day of his death at the age of 80. He went to the office on the day of his death, met with a few clients, went to his club for lunch, and then went home for a nap. He died that night in his sleep. |  |
 |
George Hay Kain Jr. practiced law for 30 years with the firm of Kain, Kain & Kain. He was active in his community and a successful real estate attorney. |
|
William H. Kain (1912-1998) (the father of William H. Kain III) celebrated his 50 years before the bar in 1987, but continued to practice law well into his 80s. He was a highly respected lawyer in Pennsylvania, and was known nationally for his work as president of the York Water Company which provides water services to half a million customers in southern Pennsylvania. His efforts to allow the use of the Water Company Reservoir Lands for county park purposes prompted the York County Commissioners to name a large county park after him. The William H. Kain County Park can be seen when driving north from Baltimore to York just north of the Maryland/Pennsylvania line. It is a beautiful large wooded area with several lakes for boating and fishing and many miles of hiking trails. Generations to come will enjoy these parklands as a public park because of the efforts of William H. Kain to set these lands aside for public enjoyment.
|
 |
 |
WILLIAM H. KAIN III, who founded our law firm, In Memoriam at the end of 2020 after over 40 years of practicing law. He is the former District Attorney of Mesa County (serving two terms), a former Special Assistant U. S. Attorney, and a former Municipal Court Judge. William H. Kain III, now In Memoriam from practicing law in Grand Junction, Colorado, and his cousin, George Hay Kain III, who is In Memoriam from practicing law in York, Pennsylvania, are proud to have carried on a family tradition of excellence in the practice of law.
|
| MICHAEL P. BURKE is the product of a long family background of Coloradans.
Michael met his wife, Dee, when they were attending Mesa State College. They both enjoy professional careers. Michael and Dee are active in the community and in activities involving their two children. Michael’s mother, Pat, and father, Gary, served a combined 65 years as public school teachers, primarily in Delta, Colorado. Michael’s sister is Assistant Chief of Nursing Services for the Veterans Administration in Grand Junction, Colorado and Michael’s younger brother is a science teacher in Greeley, Colorado. |
 |
| Michael’s paternal side of the family resided primarily in western Colorado. His great-great-grandfather, Thomas Burke, was a rancher in the Aspen area and ran a black Angus cattle ranch. Great grandfather Miles Burke was an engineer for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad for more than 30 years. Grandfather Granville Burke was a sports standout in high school and college in Grand Junction, and worked for the D&RGW Railroad for 35 years. |
 On the maternal grandmother side of the family, Michael is the great grandson of Henry and Velma Palmer. The Palmers farmed in the Pear Park area just north of the Colorado River. The Palmers were pillars of their community, serving in various church positions.
Henry served several terms as President of the local school board. Henry and Velma were respected by their neighbors for how hard they worked to build their farm after the devastating Great Depression. In addition to being a loving and caring person, Michael’s grandmother, Blossom, had a very successful business career, working primarily for the D&RGW Railroad and the Daily Sentinel newspaper. |
Michael’s maternal sid e of the family farmed in Eastern Colorado.
Michael’s mother, Pat, comes from a hardworking and humble family in Manzanola, Colorado. Her father was a sharecropper, and her mother maintained a good home for six children. Pat worked hard during her middle school and high school years to help provide clothing and school supplies for her brothers and sisters. The family was well known in Otero and Pueblo Counties for their hard work and honesty. |