Snell & Wilmer announced Wednesday the addition of four attorneys to the intellectual property and technology practice group in the Denver office.
James Johnson, Kent Lembke and Russell Manning all joined in early December, and Ross Breyfogle will join on Dec. 30. All four attorneys join Snell & Wilmer as counsel and focus their practice on patent prosecution and counseling.
“Technology continues to be one of the fastest growing industries in Denver,” said Curt Reimann, managing partner of Snell & Wilmer’s Denver office. “These four veteran practitioners have deep experience helping clients protect their intellectual property rights and will significantly increase our ability to help Colorado tech companies develop their products and businesses.”
The group’s arrival continues the growth of the firm’s Denver IP practice, which earlier this year welcomed counsel Daniel Ackerman, who focuses on trademark portfolio management, and Ryan Ivey, an attorney with a concentration in life sciences and medical technology. Counsel C. Matthew Rozier, who concentrates his practice on complex patent, trade secret and trademark litigation, joined Snell & Wilmer in 2017.
Johnson is a registered U.S. patent attorney with 30 years of experience in the intellectual property field. He focuses on protecting clients and technology-based assets, including providing counseling with regard to both offensive and defensive positioning considerations.
He received a law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota.
Lembke focuses his practice on patent preparation, prosecution and enforcement and IP due diligence support of transactions. He works closely with his clients to protect their inventions and provides counseling regarding IP strategies for a wide range of technologies.
Lembke received a law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Dakota.
Manning represents clients in diverse matters involving intellectual property rights, including patent preparation and prosecution for both startups and established companies. He has prepared hundreds of patents in the mechanical, electro- mechanical, software and medical industries.
Manning received a law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming.
Breyfogle’s legal practice is focused on patent protection and the intellectual property aspects of technology-related assessments, transactions, due diligence and strategic counseling. He has experience working with startup companies through a full life cycle, from funding rounds to acquisition. Breyfogle received a law degree from the University of California Davis School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the Colorado School of Mines.
All four new attorneys join from the boutique IP firm Marsh Fischmann & Breyfogle and are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
ASSOCIATE WATCH
BakerHostetler announced Dec. 16 the addition of associate attorney Erica Youngstrom to its Denver office energy group.
Youngstrom represents energy industry clients in structuring their business arrangements and addressing regulatory considerations in both the transactional and litigation contexts. She provides counsel on project development strategy and transactional matters, including negotiation of commercial agreements in connection with project development, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.
Youngstrom received a law degree from Vanderbilt University and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.
NEW PARTNERS
Davis Graham & Stubbs announced Dec. 17 that Jennifer Allen, Tess Hand-Bender and Sterling LeBoeuf will become partners of the firm on Jan. 1.
Allen specializes in complex commercial cases, insurance and class action defense. She serves on the board of governors of the Colorado Bar Association, the public affairs council for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the executive committee for the Colorado Pledge to Diversity. She is a member of the 2019 Colorado General Counsel Mentor Program, which connects lawyers with Denver-area in-house counsel.
She received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Hand-Bender focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, white collar defense, internal investigations and trial. She has served as chair of the Colorado Lawyers Committee’s Young Lawyers Division and completed the Colorado Bar Association’s COBALT leadership program.
She received a law degree from the University of California Berkeley School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. Prior to entering private practice, Hand-Bender clerked for Judge Philip Brimmer of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and Judge Neil Gorsuch of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
LeBoeuf specializes in labor and employment law. He is a member of the Mile High United Way Catalyst Society, a group of business leaders focused on philanthropic leadership. Before joining DGS, he served as a law clerk to the Judge Lewis Babcock of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
He received a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University. LeBoeuf is admitted to practice in Colorado, as well as before the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 10th and Federal Circuits.
JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS
Gov. Jared Polis on Dec. 16 announced Gregory Styduhar was appointed as a 10th District Judge fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jill Mattoon.
Styduhar is a 10th district magistrate, a position he has held since August 2017. His docket consists of criminal, juvenile, adoption, domestic relations and foreclosure sale matters.
Previously, Styduhar served as the Pueblo County attorney, an assistant Pueblo County attorney and an Associate at Koncilja & Koncilja.
He received a law degree from Creighton University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Colorado.
Styduhar’s appointment is effective Feb. 8.