The University of Colorado Law School will honor community members who have made significant contributions to the legal profession and the law school at its 35th Annual Alumni Awards Banquet on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
The honorees are:
- Norman Brownstein ('68) and Steven W. Farber ('68), shareholders, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, for the William Lee Knous Award, Colorado Law's highest alumni honor
- The Honorable Cory Gardner ('01), United States Senator—Colorado, for Distinguished Achievement—Public Sector
- The Honorable Marcia S. Krieger ('79), Chief Judge, United States District Court, Colorado, for Distinguished Achievement—Judiciary
- Michelle M. Lucero ('89), Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel, and Chief Flash Mob Officer, Children’s Hospital Colorado, for Distinguished Achievement—Corporate Counsel
Additionally, Dean Phil Weiser will present two Dean's Choice awards, recognizing individuals who have made exceptional contributions to Colorado Law this year:
- Fiona Arnold, Executive Director, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, for the Dean Edward C. King "Pay it Forward" Award
- Paul and Norma Barash and David and Jed Barash, parents and brothers of Daniel Barash ('02), for the Richard Schaden "Adopted Alumni" Award
Norman Brownstein and Steven Farber will be honored with the William Lee Knous Award, Colorado Law's highest alumni honor. Awarded annually since 1960, the William Lee Knous Award recognizes outstanding achievement and sustained service to Colorado Law.
Upon their graduation from Colorado Law in 1968, classmates Brownstein and Farber, along with Colorado Law alumnus Jack Hyatt ('68), founded what is now Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, a firm encompassing 14 offices and more than 250 attorneys and policy professionals. Reflecting on their selection as honorees, Dean Phil Weiser commented, "Norm and Steve are two giants in the pantheon of Colorado Law. They graduated from law school together, worked together to build one of the Rocky Mountain West's most successful firms, and have worked hard to advocate for Colorado and Colorado Law. We are most fortunate to have them as leaders in our community and honored to recognize them with the Knous Award."
Brownstein, chairman of the board of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, is nationally recognized for his extensive experience in real estate law, commercial transactions and public policy advocacy. He founded the firm's Washington, D.C. office, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary and is ranked third in the country based on federal lobbying revenue. He is involved in many activities on behalf of the University of Colorado and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). He is also a director of National Jewish Health and a trustee of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and is a past presidential appointee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.
Farber is president of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. His practice encompasses corporate and partnership business transactions, public and private business transactions, acquisitions and mergers, real estate, business and contract transactions. He is actively involved in many political, charitable, and community causes. He is the founder and chairman of the board of the American Transplant Foundation, and co-authored the book On The List. Farber is a member of the board of trustees for the Anti-Defamation League, Children's Diabetes Foundation, Race to Erase M.S. Foundation, and the Children's Hospital Foundation. He is also a board member for Citywide Banks, Denver Health Foundation, Aurora EDC and Alliance for Choice in Education (ACE) and is a Capital Campaign Chair for Denver Hospice.
Colorado Law will also honor three alumni with Distinguished Achievement Awards. Selected by the law school’s Law Alumni Board, Distinguished Achievement Awards recognize Colorado Law alumni that demonstrate excellence in their professions.
Senator Cory Gardner, a 2001 graduate of Colorado Law, will be honored with the award for Distinguished Achievement—Public Sector. Gardner began serving in the Colorado House of Representatives in 2005, where he served until 2011 and became known for his expertise in natural resource and agriculture policy. In 2010, Gardner was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving the 4th Congressional District. In 2014, Gardner was elected to the United States Senate, where he serves on the Senate Energy & Natural Resource Committee, Foreign Relations Committee, the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee, and as Chairman of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy.
Chief Judge Marcia S. Krieger will receive the Distinguished Achievement—Judiciary award. Judge Krieger, a 1979 graduate of Colorado Law, began her career in a small civil litigation firm where she quickly built a specialty commercial and bankruptcy litigation practice. Today, Judge Krieger is Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Prior to her appointment to the court in 2002, she served on the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado, where she was only the court’s second woman and its youngest judge. She served as the court’s Chief Judge from 2000 to 2002. Judge Krieger is active in numerous state and federal bench and bar associations and is a co-founder of “Our Courts,” an adult civic educational program providing impartial information about how the legal system works. Our Courts is a nationally recognized program and a collaboration of the state and federal courts and others in Colorado.
Michelle Lucero will be honored with the award for Distinguished Achievement—Corporate Counsel. Lucero, who earned her law degree from Colorado Law in 1989, is the chief administrative officer, general counsel, and chief flash mob officer of Children’s Hospital Colorado. At Children’s, Lucero is responsible for leading and managing all Legal Affairs, Corporate Compliance, Information Security, and Risk Management teams and functions. Additionally, she serves on the Winter Park Advisory Council for the City and County of Denver, Chair of the Metropolitan State University of Denver Board of Trustees, a board member of the Denver Metropolitan Chamber Leadership Foundation, and does pro bono work for the Papua New Guinea Tribal Foundation.
Dean Phil Weiser will also present two Dean's Choice Awards at the banquet, recognizing those who have made exceptional contributions to Colorado Law.
Fiona Arnold will be honored with the Dean Edward C. King “Pay it Forward” Award. Arnold was appointed by Governor Hickenlooper as executive director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade in January 2015. Prior to joining the Governor’s cabinet, Arnold, who has a distinguished legal career, most recently served as owner and president of River North Investment Company LLC. Arnold’s legal career began in Australia before she joined the international law firm of Jones Day in Dallas, Texas. She moved to Colorado in 2001.
On his decision to honor Arnold, Dean Weiser remarked, "Fiona Arnold embodies the spirit of paying it forward. Colorado is her adopted home and Colorado Law is her adopted law school and she has worked hard, as the co-chair of our Dean's Advisory Council, leader of our Corporate Counsel Intensive Institute, and employer of our students to help Colorado Law thrive in challenging times for legal education. Her leadership makes her a worthy recipient of the award."
This year, Paul and Norma Barash and David and Jed Barash, the parents and brothers of Daniel Barash, will be honored with the Richard Schaden “Adopted Alumni” Award. Dan Barash, a 2002 graduate of Colorado Law, pursued his passion and became a public defender in Colorado Springs before his untimely death at age 30. Honoring Dan’s memory and commitment to public service, the Barash family created the Dan Barash Scholarship Fund to support students with demonstrated interest in criminal defense work. The Barash family continues to raise funds for this endowment, now at more than $1,000,000, and Barash scholarships have been awarded to more than 20 Colorado Law students. The most recent Barash scholarships were a pair of $23,000 each.
"With the support and leadership of the Barash family, this scholarship has become a focal point in supporting our students interested in following Dan's example of becoming a public defender," explained Weiser. "We are honored to have them as adopted alumni and glad to make it official with the Richard Schaden Adopted Alumni award."
The Colorado Law Alumni Awards Banquet will be held Wednesday, March 9, 2016, at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, including information regarding sponsorship opportunities and ticket sales, please visit www.colorado.edu/law/banquet or contact Marci Fulton at 303-492-7015.