Class Notes

Darlene Kondo '07 joined Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP as of counsel. Kondo focuses her practice on intellectual property law.

Affie Ellis '07, a shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, will serve as managing partner of the firm’s Cheyenne, Wyoming, office. A member of the Navajo Nation, Ellis counsels clients on public lands and natural resources regulatory and administrative matters. She is a former assistant attorney general for the state of Wyoming where she litigated cases involving the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Forest Management Act, and Federal Land Policy Management Act.

In October 2023, Michael Lazar '08 joined Robinson, Waters, and O'Dorisio as a shareholder. Lazar works in commerical litigation

Grant Sullivan '08 was appointed to the Colorado Court of Appeals by Gov. Jared Polis on November 9, 2023. Sullivan previously served as an assistant solicitor general with the Colorado Attorney General's Office for more than 12 years.

Jim Manley ’08 started a new role as state legal policy deputy director at Pacific Legal Foundation, where he has been litigating in defense of free speech, economic opportunity, and property rights since 2018. In his new role, he will work to enact PLF's innovative legislative solutions in statehouses across the nation.

Ryan Thomas '08 joined Landye Bennett and Blumstein in Anchorage, Alaska, as an associate attorney. Previously he practiced law in the Lower 48 and then worked for the state of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources before returning to private law practice. At LBB, Thomas will focus on real estate transactions, business law, working with Alaska Native corporations, and other transactional work.

The 2022 Colorado Bar Association’s Leadership Training (COBALT) class included five Colorado Law alumni: Hon. Vincente Vigil '08, La Kischa Cook '09, Hon. Lindsay VanGilder '09, Elaina Shively '10, Kevin Cheney '13, and Angela Vichick '13. COBALT is a leadership training program designed for lawyers with demonstrated leadership skills and a commitment to the legal community.

Doug Vilsack '08 was appointed as the new Colorado State Director of the Bureau of Land Management.

Lindsay Brown '09 opened her own law firm with partner Kelly Meilstrup. Her practice focuses on Title IX investigations, school discipline, and other education and juvenile law matters. Brown recently hired fellow Colorado Law alumna Britta Kruse '09, who spent the past 10+ years doing amazing work in the appellate division of the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office. Kruse joined our team as senior appellate counsel.

Britta Kruse '09 joined 2nd-Chair after nearly 12 years sharpening her research, writing, and oral advocacy skills in the Appellate Division of the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office. 2nd-Chair provides litigation support to attorneys.

La Kischa Cook '09 completed her term clerkship with Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews. She is excited for her next opportunity and ready to put into practice her newly acquired skills as a trial attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Norma Plache '10 joined Hutchinson Black & Cook LLC. Plache works in Estate Planning, Marital and Premarital Agreements, Philanthropic Planning, Trust Administration, Probate and Estate Administration,and Business Formation.

In July 2023, Shannon Fritts-Penniman '10 started a new role with the 32BJ Legal Services Fund as Immigration Attorney. The Legal Fund provides free or low-cost services to union members who are part of the SEIU local 32BJ. He previously served as Immigration Attorney at the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in Queens, where he supervised a citizenship education and application assistance program funded by the Department of Homeland Security.

In September 2023, Megan Nishikawa '10 stepped into a new role as managing partner of Hogan Lovells in its new San Francisco office. Nishikawa is an energy, environmental, and life sciences litigator.

In June 2023, Kimberly Pryor '10 was awarded the prestigious Legends in Law Award as part of this year’s Burton Awards. Held in association with the Library of Congress, the Legends in the Law Award is given to general counsel who have an outstanding reputation in the legal profession and a demonstrated track record of addressing complex matters of national or global significance in a specialized area. Pryor serves as general counsel at JBS Foods USA, located in Greeley.

Per Larsen '10 was elevated to equity partner at Holland & Hart LLP. Larsen's practice focuses on patent counseling and domestic and foreign patent prosecution for the electronic and computer arts.

Anna-Liisa Mullis '11 joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder. Mullis works in the Health Care & FDA Practice in Denver.

On Feb. 1, 2023, Taylor Bechel '11 joined the Boulder office of Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti LLP as a non-equity partner in the Private Client Services Group. Her practice focuses on advising individuals and families on estate planning, probate, estate administration, and trust administration. Prior to joining Berg Hill, Bechel spent 10 years practicing high-net-worth trust and estate law at two AmLaw 100 national law firms.

Stacey Shea '11 was promoted to equity member of Otis & Bedingfield, LLC. Shea’s practice focuses on real estate and business transactions, including title review, purchase, and sale of real property and business-entity formation and acquisition.

Lindsay Murl '12 joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an attorney-adviser. Her work focuses on environmental law, and includes tribal and administrative issues. Prior to joining the EPA, Murl served as the lead regulator for Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons complex facility in Colorado.