Law Firm Updates
Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP announced that Will Soper joined the Real Estate Group as an associate. He is currently admitted to practice law in Colorado.
Soper’s practice will encompass a variety of commercial real estate matters. He was previously an associate in the Denver office of a national law firm. During law school, Soper interned at the Denver City Attorney’s Office and assisted city attorneys with legal research pertaining to real estate, contractual and public finance matters. He also worked as a student attorney at the sustainable community development clinic in Boulder.
Before pursuing a career as an attorney, Soper spent five years as an urban planner. He worked for the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and later for the Denver Regional Council of Governments.
Woods Aitken continues to expand its presence and capabilities in Colorado with the addition of attorney Cooper Overcash to its Denver office. Overcash is a member of the Firm’s transactional group and focuses his practice on business transactions, real estate and financial services. He represents clients in a range of industries, including construction, manufacturing, real estate, banking and telecommunications. Overcash is licensed to practice in Colorado, Nebraska and Texas.
Overcash counsels clients on business and corporate matters, including the formation of business entities and corporate governance, formations of joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, entity reorganizations, buy-sell agreements, business succession planning and general commercial agreements. In real estate, he assists commercial and real estate developers in almost all phases of development, including acquisitions, dispositions, construction, financing, leasing, sales and due diligence support.
Overcash is also experienced in the unique needs and issues in the construction industry. He provides full transactional support to clients throughout all phases of the construction process, from bid and procurement to project closeout.
The Judiciary
The 13th Judicial District Nominating Commission has nominated three candidates for a district court judgeship created by the retirement of the Hon. Kevin L. Hoyer. The vacancy will occur on Oct. 1, 2021. Nominees David Bute and Robert James, both of Brush; and Justin Hainlein of Peyton were selected by the commission on Aug. 3, 2021.
Under the Colorado Constitution, the Governor has 15 days from Aug. 4, 2021, within which to appoint one of the nominees as district court judge for the 13th Judicial District serving Kit Carson, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma counties.
Kudos
National trial and litigation boutique Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell has announced it will increase associate salaries effective October 1, 2021. First-year associate pay will start at $180,000, which leads the market for Denver-based law firms. Existing and lateral WTO associates will receive increases accordingly.
The announcement was quickly followed by news that the national workplace rankings directory, Vault, named WTO the #11 Best Midsize Law Firm to Work For in the U.S.
“We are proud that we have long been able to attract the nation’s top young litigators to practice in Denver,” said WTO Partner & Recruiting Chair, Andrew Unthank. “With this salary increase, WTO continues to send a strong message to associates looking for a sophisticated option beyond the coastal law firms.”
The scale reflects WTO’s status as a national trial and litigation leader while acknowledging the firm’s strategy of offering a value proposition superior to its BigLaw competitors in New York, Los Angeles and other large cities.