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Law Firm Updates
Foley Hoag LLP welcomed Patrick Scully as a partner in the Denver office. Scully is a member of the labor and employment group. Scully represents companies on labor law issues, helping navigate complex claims from international and local labor unions. His work includes unfair labor practice charges and representation cases, federal and state court litigation, labor arbitration and collective bargaining negotiations. He received his law degree from St. John’s University School of Law.
Sherman & Howard LLC announced the addition of L. Shawn Cheadle to the firm’s business and real estate practice group. Cheadle will co-lead the aerospace industry group. At Lockheed Martin Space, Cheadle spent 15 years in various roles, including general counsel of operations, military space, surveillance and navigation systems and missile defense systems. Cheadle also spent eight years as general counsel, vice president and secretary of the board of directors at Astrotech Space Operations, where he integrated the company into LM Space. Before joining LM Space, he supported aerospace and defense suppliers. He received his law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
Coan, Payton & Payne, LLC announced the addition of Judith Lajoie who is a transactional lawyer specializing in commercial finance and commercial real estate. Lajoie has practiced law in Colorado, in both in-house and law firm settings for more than three decades including heading the real estate acquisition team for Richmond American Homes, serving as head counsel to the investment division of Great-West Life and as general counsel to CoBiz Bank, doing business in Colorado and Arizona as Colorado Business Bank and Arizona Business Bank.
The Judiciary
Gov. Jared Polis appointed Lisa Gomez to the Denver Juvenile Court in the 2nd Judicial District. This vacancy was created by the retirement of Judge D. Brett Woods. Gomez is a magistrate in Denver Juvenile Court, a position she has held since 2015. Her docket consists of juvenile matters. Previously, she was a guardian ad litem at the Office of The Child’s Representative from 2005 to 2015. At the State Court Administrator’s Office, she was a respondent parent counsel and guardian ad litem from 2008 to 2015, truancy defense counsel from 2011 to 2015 and contempt defense counsel from 2010 to 2015. Gomez was a solo practitioner at the Law Office of Lisa Gomez from 2005 to 2015. Gomez earned her law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
The 20th Judicial District Nominating Commission nominated three candidates for a district court judgeship created by the retirement of Judge Patrick Butler with the vacancy occurring on May 11. Nominees Elizabeth Kelley of Boulder, Michael Kotlarczyk of Lafayette and J. Chris Larson of Louisville were selected. Under the Colorado Constitution, the governor has 15 days from March 25 to appoint one of the nominees as district court judge for the 20th Judicial District. Any comments may be sent to [email protected].
The 18th Judicial District Nominating Commission will meet on May 1 to interview and select nominees for appointment by the governor to the office of county judge for Lincoln County. The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Judge Truston Lee Fisher and will occur on June 1. Applications are available here. The completed application must be e-mailed to [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. on April 12. Late applications will not be considered. Any person wishing to suggest a candidate may send a letter to any member of the nominating commission, with a copy to the ex officio chair, no later than 4 p.m. on April 5.
A division of the Colorado Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments at Fort Lupton High School on April 2 at 10 a.m. before an audience of high school students. The event is part of the Colorado Judicial Department’s Courts in the Community, the outreach program the Colorado Supreme Court and Court of Appeals initiated in 1986. The program was developed to give high school students firsthand experience in how the Colorado judicial system works and illustrate how disputes are resolved. The judges will hear arguments in real cases and, issue opinions in those cases. The division that will hear cases at Fort Lupton High School comprises Judges Stephanie Dunn, Neeti Pawar and Grant Sullivan. The two cases to be heard are Adam Strange v. GA HC Reit Liberty CRCC, LLC and The People of the State of Colorado v. Shari Dooley. Question-and-answer sessions will follow the arguments in each case. After the second case argument, students can also ask questions of the Court of Appeals judges.
Kudos
Matthew Nilsen, an associate in Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s real estate department, joined the board of directors of the Rocky Mountain Arts Association. As part of his initial three-year term, Nilsen will support RMAA’s mission, attend board meetings and events, provide organizational oversight, help guide strategy and assist with fundraising and community outreach.
Rob Low has been named the strategic communications director for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. He began his tenure on March 18. Low comes to CBI after 10 years with FOX31 Denver as an investigative reporter. He began his career in Grand Junction with reporting stops in Florida, Louisiana and Missouri before making it back to Colorado. He is a graduate of the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in political science and broadcast journalism.
Miscellaneous
Case Management/Electronic Case Filing will be down for scheduled maintenance on Saturday, March 30, from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The system won’t be available to outside users during this time.