Colorado Law is proud to announce Todd Fredrickson (’91) as the December Alum of the Month. Fredrickson is the regional managing partner at the Denver office of Fisher & Phillips LLP, a national law firm that focuses exclusively on labor and employment law for employers. He also serves as chair of the firm's diversity and inclusiveness committee. Throughout his career, he has represented clients on matters related to the National Labor Relations Act, Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, and comparable state laws.
Born in Plattsburg, New York, Fredrickson grew up on the California coast, outside of San Diego in Chula Vista. He was a skateboarder and surfer growing up, but traded in his skateboard and surfboard for a pair of skis after moving to Denver in high school. Fredrickson immediately fell in love with Colorado, especially after visiting Granby. It didn’t take long for him to feel at home in the Colorado culture, and he decided to stick around and attend the University of Colorado, where he received a B.A. in political science in 1987.
After graduating, Fredrickson decided to continue his education and enrolled at the University of Colorado Law School. He originally planned to focus on corporate law, but his interests shifted as he became interested in environmental law, especially the classes taught by David Getches, and labor and employment law, due to a course taught by Glenn George and Bill Rentfro. In his second year, he clerked for a firm that focused on labor and employment law, and became hooked on working directly with clients.
Following law school, Fredrickson took a position with that same firm where he had clerked; however, after three years he left with the rest of the labor group to join Otten Johnson. There, Fredrickson began to develop the business skills necessary to be a successful lawyer, including how to develop a book of business, self-sufficiency, and practical skills not taught in law school at the time. By 2001, his practice group split and several attorneys left to join a national boutique law firm. Fredrickson, however, decided to stay, a decision that he considers to be one of the most important decisions of his career. At Otten Johnson, he served as chair of the firm’s recruiting committee and, later, as chair of the firm’s marketing committee.
In 2008, Fredrickson made the difficult decision to leave Otten Johnson and join the national labor and employment boutique firm, Fisher & Phillips, which was looking to open a Denver office. That move allowed Fredrickson to grow his practice to a national platform and serve in a leadership role with his new firm. The Denver office started with two attorneys and an office manager, and has grown to 14 attorneys to date. Fredrickson has served the last few years as the chair of his firm’s diversity and inclusiveness committee.
Throughout his career Fredrickson has received a number of accolades and honors, including the highest-possible rating ("AV") on the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, and recognition in Chambers USA, America's Leading Business Lawyers since 2009, and The Best Lawyers in America since 2012. Within his field he has been recognized as an Employment Law—Management Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers in America for 2014, and named the "People's Choice" selection as the Best Employment Lawyer in Law Week Colorado’s Barrister’s Best survey every year since 2011. He received the CU Hispanic Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1998, the Richard Marden Davis Award in 2003, and the Christopher A. Miranda Outstanding Hispanic Lawyer Award from the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association (CHBA) in 2005. He is most proud of his service as CHBA president in 1999, and as chair of the Colorado Law Alumni Board in 2004-05.
When Fredrickson is not working, he tries to find outlets, such as skiing and road and mountain biking, to escape from the stresses of work. Fredrickson met his wife the summer before starting law school and they were engaged right after the end of his first year. Together they have two children, a son who is a junior at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business, and a daughter who is a high school senior and potential Buff. The family tries to get away to their cabin in Winter Park as much as possible and when Fredrickson can, he tries to travel with his family to various ocean destinations to get in his childhood beach fix.
What is your fondest memory at Colorado Law?
The incredible friendships I established with my Colorado Law classmates.
What do you know now that you wish you had known in law school?
That the practice and study of law are two completely different things.
What advice would you give to current students as they prepare to graduate?
If you already haven’t done so, start building your networks now. They will be invaluable if you decide to go down the private practice road.
Who was the biggest influence on your career?
My mom, Sylvia, for teaching me the importance of family, education, and ambition, and my wife, Jenny, who put up with me in law school and those difficult years as an associate and helped me make every important career decision along the way.
Of what accomplishments are you most proud?
See above.