Sherman & Howard on Oct. 31 announced it welcomed six associates to the firm’s litigation, business and real estate and trusts and estates practice groups in Denver. Five of the attorneys returned to Sherman & Howard after completing the firm’s summer associate program.
Eliz Espinoza is an associate in the firm’s litigation practice group and focuses her practice on family law. She received her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Throughout law school, she worked on criminal defense and civil litigation cases, particularly related to protection orders and family law, in both county and district courts. Espinoza is returning to Sherman & Howard after completing the firm’s 2022 and 2023 summer associate programs.
Erick Franz Hughes is an associate in the firm’s business and real estate practice group and focuses his practice on water and natural resources law. He received his J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law, where he served as managing editor for the Wyoming Law Review. Prior to joining the firm, Hughes clerked for Judge Bobbi Overfield of the Fifth Judicial District of Wyoming, where he assisted in dozens of bench and jury trials and drafted orders on a wide range of matters, including property and contractual disputes.
Bob Neel is an associate in the firm’s litigation practice group. He received his J.D. from Washington University School of Law and served as chief notes editor for the Washington University Law Review. Prior to joining the firm, Neel served as a judicial clerk to 10th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Michael Murphy. Neel is returning to Sherman & Howard after completing the firm’s 2021 summer associate program.
Lillian Rigby is an associate in the firm’s litigation practice group. She received her J.D. from William & Mary Law School, where she was awarded the John G. Kruchko Award in Labor and Employment Law and the CALI Excellence of the Future Award – Water Law. She conducted legal research and produced summaries of law and bench briefs for Judge Holly Smith of the Williamsburg/James City County Circuit Court of the Ninth Judicial Circuit before joining the firm. Rigby is returning to Sherman & Howard after completing the firm’s 2023 summer associate program.
Morgan Ryan is an associate in the firm’s trusts and estates practice group. She received her J.D. from Penn State Law, where she served as articles editor of the Penn State Law Review. Prior to joining the firm, she worked in state government, nonprofit and law firm settings and saw others take on tax, environmental, real estate and labor and employment matters. Ryan is returning to Sherman & Howard after completing the firm’s 2023 summer associate program.
Leah Schwartz is an associate in the firm’s trusts and estates practice group. She received her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where she served as president of the Air and Space Law Society and editor-in-chief of the DU Air & Space Law Blog. As a law student and clerk, Schwartz researched and drafted internal memos, trial briefs and motions on a wide range of issues. Dedicated to her community, she organized a virtual food drive that provided meals to Colorado communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schwartz is returning to Sherman & Howard after completing the firm’s 2023 summer associate program.