 Dutys (Duthies) have been lawyers since the 17th century in Scotland. Duty lawyers have had a firm in Aberdeen from that time until this day. One Duty attorney became a Solicitor General for King Charles II of England and is buried in honor in Oxford, England. So it was no great stretch for the Dutys in the United States to be lawyers...several Duty lawyers made history during earlier times in New England.
The venerable firm of Duty & Duty, Attorneys at Law, was founded in 1911 in Rogers, Arkansas, by John R. Duty and his brother Claude J. Duty. They were following in the footsteps of their uncle Michael Duty of Parkersburg, WV, who was the mayor of Parkersburg for many years and founded a venerable law firm in that city. It was Michael's influence which persuaded the Arkansas Dutys to become lawyers. Michael had studied law in Arkansas and visited the Arkansas family in 1913 to inspect the youthful law practice of his nephews.
The Duty & Duty firm in Rogers, AR, began with a suite of second floor offices on north First street. John R. Duty had been principal of the school in Garfield and Superintendent of Schools in Springdale, and studied law under the tutelage of the McGill-Lindsey law firm in Bentonville. He passed the bar in 1911 and set up his offices. He was fortunate to become the counsel for Frisco Railroads almost immediately and built a practice as a trial lawyer.
His brother Claude studied law with the Seamster law firm and joined his brother in practice after passing the bar. He was appointed Insurance Commissioner for the State during the 1920s.
John's eldest son, Jeff Davis Duty, Sr., graduated from Cumberland School of Law in Cumberland, Tennessee, in 1930 and then became a partner in the firm. Later, his second son, Ralph W. Duty, graduated from the University of Arkansas Law School and joined the firm.
 In 1916, John R. Duty was elected to the Arkansas State Senate. The firm survived the stockmarket crash in 1929 and through connections with the Frisco Railroad was able, in 1931, to buy the used brick from an abandoned railroad roundhouse. With this brick and architectural plans from Williamsburg, VA, the firm compled constructed a new office building on the corner of Elm and Second Street in Rogers in 1935.
During the early 30's, John R. Duty's cousin Ollie Collins, who had been previously employed as their secretary, was encouraged to study law at the University of Arkansas Law School. After passing the bar, she moved to Washington, DC, to work with the US Government as an attorney.
On May 1, 1936, John Duty died of a ruptured pulmonary aneurysm at the City Hospital in Fayetteville, AR, just six days short of his 54th birthday.
Jeff continued to practice with his uncle Claude and brother Ralph until 1941 when he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the Third Judicial District of Arkansas. Not long after World War II began, Ralph left to join the Marine Corps. After his return from the war, Ralph settled in Clovis, NM, where he was elected Municipal Judge.
In 1962, Claude died and Jeff's son, Jeff Davis Duty, Jr. (known as "Davis Duty"), resigned his position with the United States Department of Justice and returned to Rogers to join Jeff in the family business. They continued to practice together until Davis left to accept an appointment as an Administrative Law Judge with the United States Social Security Administration in 1975.
From 1975 until 1997, Jeff practiced law alone. In April, 1993, the Bar Association of Northwest Arkansas held a dinner where Jeff was honored as the oldest practicing attorney in the state.
 Upon Jeff's retirement, he passed the firm on to his son Davis, who had moved to Ft. Smith, Arkansas, and established a law firm there, which became the "new" Duty & Duty law firm. In 1998, Davis built a new building for the firm based on the blueprints of the original office building in Rogers. Jeff died in 1999, but the name of the firm and its legal tradition and proud heritage are upheld in honor by Davis Duty.
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