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Law Firm Updates
Spencer Fane LLP announced Nov. 9 Paul Janda joined the litigation and dispute resolution practice group as an associate in the firm’s Denver office. Janda represents clients in all phases of insurance and commercial litigation matters. He has specific subject matter experience related to contracts, business divorces, local government and special districts, to name a few. In addition, Janda provides outside general counsel services to businesses.
Holland & Hart LLP announced Nov. 9 the recent addition of seven associates to the firm’s Denver and Boulder offices. Eric Brown, Megan Decker, Dana Dobbins, Lauren Egan, JT Iacovetta and Conrad Kranz joined the firm’s Denver office and Javeria Kazmi joined the firm’s Boulder office. Brown’s practice is in real estate and finance; Decker works with clients in a broad range of corporate transactions; Dobbins is an experienced associate focused on employment law and complex civil litigation; Egan is an experienced tax law associate focused on litigation and controversy; Iacovetta is a corporate associate in the renewable energy industry; Kranz provides counsel on complex federal income tax matters; and Kazmi is an experienced associate in the firm’s patent systems group.
Lathrop GPM LLP announced Nov. 13 Susan McMichael has joined the firm’s Denver office in its tort, insurance and environmental practice group. McMichael’s practice focuses on environmental regulatory, permitting and compliance matters and she has experience with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act clean-up requirements. McMichael is currently licensed in New Mexico and her admission to the Colorado Bar is pending.
Haynes and Boone LLP announced Nov. 13 the addition of energy litigation partner Brent Owen to the firm’s Denver office. Clients turn to Brent to handle tricky commercial litigation disputes with a focus on energy. He often works in high-stakes trials and bet-the-company litigation. Brent has experience in trials in both state and federal courts before judges and juries and in arbitration tribunals.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP announced Nov. 13 the firm has elected 35 lawyers to its partnership, effective Jan. 1, 2024. In the firm’s Denver office, the new partners are Natalie Hausknecht and Christine Ranney. Hausknecht is a trial and consumer protection/privacy defense attorney who handles high-priority investigations involving state attorneys general and/or the Federal Trade Commission. Ranney focuses on patent and appellate litigation and is knowledgeable across a range of arts and practices, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, consumer goods, software and telecommunications.
Sherman & Howard LLC announced Nov. 16 seven new attorneys joined the Denver office and two to the Phoenix office. The firm welcomed the following attorneys to its Denver office: Elizabeth Farschon, an associate in the business and real estate practice group; John Gray, an associate in the litigation practice group; Christopher Kenney, an associate in the business and real estate practice group; Hannah Mink, an associate in the water and natural resources group; Spencer Pedemonte, an associate in both the business and real estate and tax and probate practice groups; Adam Rivera, an associate in the labor and employment practice group; and Jessie Salas, an associate in the public finance practice group.
Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP announced Nov. 16 Melanie Granberg joined the firm’s environmental and public lands group. Granberg brings over 25 years of experience to the firm, where her environmental practice spans a broad range of areas including asbestos, groundwater and soil contamination, site remediation, voluntary cleanup, air permitting, compliance assistance, real estate transactions, litigation, methamphetamine/drug lab remediation, mold and land use. Since 2005, Granberg has served as the environmental law coordinating editor for the Colorado Lawyer, the primary publication of the Colorado Bar Association.
The Judiciary
Gov. Jared Polis made two appointments Nov. 9 to fill vacancies on the Colorado Court of Appeals. Polis appointed Judge Pax Moultrie to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge David Furman, which is effective Jan. 1, 2024. Moultrie is a district court judge in the 2nd Judicial District, a position she’s held since 2020. Polis appointed Grant Sullivan to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John Daniel Dailey, which is effective Jan. 1, 2024. Sullivan is an assistant solicitor general and senior assistant attorney general with the Public Officials Unit of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, positions he’s held since 2012 and 2018, respectively.
The 1st Judicial District Nominating Commission announced Nov. 14 it has nominated two candidates for a Gilpin County Court judgeship created by the resignation of Judge David Taylor. The vacancy occurred on Nov. 4. Nominees Timothy Lane of Golden and Alex Zhang of Lakewood were selected in a meeting at the Gilpin Combined Court on Nov. 13. Under the Colorado Constitution, the governor has 15 days from Nov. 14 to appoint one of the nominees as county court judge for Gilpin County. Comments regarding either of the nominees can be sent to the governor at [email protected]
Gov. Jared Polis appointed Judge Chantel Contiguglia Nov. 15 to the 1st Judicial District Court. The vacancy is created by the retirement of Judge Randall Arp and is effective Jan. 1, 2024. Contiguglia is an Arapahoe County Court judge in the 18th Judicial District, a position she’s held since 2018. Her docket consists of criminal and civil matters. Previously, Contiguglia was the supervising deputy, lead deputy, senior deputy and deputy for the Colorado Office of the State Public Defender in the Golden office.
The 2nd Judicial District Nominating Commission will meet Dec. 19 at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse to interview and select nominees for appointment by the governor to the office of the Denver Juvenile Court for the 2nd Judicial District. The vacancy will be created by the appointment of Judge Pax Moultrie to the Colorado Court of Appeals. The vacancy will occur on Jan. 1, 2024. To be eligible, the applicant must be a qualified elector of the 2nd Judicial District at the time of investiture and must have been admitted to the practice of law in Colorado for five years. Applications are available here. The completed application must be e-mailed to [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. on Nov. 30. Late applications will not be considered. Any person wishing to suggest a candidate to fill the vacancy may do so by sending a letter to any member of the nominating commission, with a copy to the ex officio chair, no later than 4 p.m. on Nov. 23.
Kudos
Coan, Payton & Payne LLC announced Nov. 13 it was recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms for seven practice areas: environmental law, construction law, corporate law, real estate law, trusts and estates law and bankruptcy and creditor and debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law. This is the firm’s seventh year to receive this recognition.
Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell LLP announced Nov. 2 it was recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms. Best Lawyers ranked WTO nationally for appellate practice and environmental litigation. The firm also received tier 1 rankings in 15 Colorado practice areas, as well as a tier 3 ranking for oil and gas law in Colorado.
Husch Blackwell announced Nov. 13 that 10 practice areas were recognized with national tier 1 rankings in the 2024 edition of Best Law Firms as ranked by Best Lawyers. Best Law Firms also recognized five of the firm’s practices in Colorado with metropolitan tier 1 rankings, earning one metropolitan tier 2 ranking and two metropolitan tier 3 rankings. The firm received metropolitan tier 1 rankings in the following practice areas: commercial litigation, employment law (management), labor and employment litigation, real estate law and tax law.
Miscellaneous
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck announced Nov. 10 John Broadbent, an associate in the firm’s corporate and business department, was appointed to the Outdoor Access Subcommittee of Colorado’s Task Force on the Rights of Coloradans with Disabilities by Gov. Jared Polis. Created by a recently enacted state law, the subcommittee’s purpose is to identify barriers to basic access to and the enjoyment of the Colorado outdoors for individuals with disabilities and to make recommendations for addressing those barriers. Broadbent is tasked with representing outdoor recreation users, adaptive outdoor recreation programs, adaptive trails, veterans service organizations serving veterans with disabilities and disability rights advocacy organizations.