Class Notes
1950s:
- 1953: ALFRED SONDERN.
At 87 there is not much in the way of new "career" moves but I did want to report that my legal education at DU has served me extremely well. I still work with start-up companies as a way of 'giving back' and also keeping mentally active. I still sail, often singlehanded but gave up skiing at 85. Thank you DU and good luck also to those graduates that do not choose to practice but go into Management, it can be a wonderful way to use your education.
1960s:
- 1966: David L. Erickson.
David L. Erickson's article on the life of prominent Denver lawyer Montgomery Dorsey (DU Law '25) is scheduled to appear in an upcoming Six of the Greatest issue of The Colorado Lawyer. David, the long time Colorado Bar Historian is the author of more than 60 published articles, stories, essays and historical studies. He is also the author of the bestseller, Early Justice and the Formation of the Colorado Bar, a CBA/CLE publication, and for the last 31 years has authored the two volume business law book, Colorado Corporate Forms, a WEST publication.
1970s:
- 1973: Stanley Lipkin.
Stan has practiced family law for over 38 years in Denver. In 2012, he had a successful appeal in the Colorado Supreme Court in which child custody was restored to an Army Nurse Captain whose former spouse had taken custody while the service member was on active duty stationed out of state and in Iraq. (Brandt v. Brandt, 248 P.3d 406,2012 Colo. 3. - 1975: Michael Burg.
Burg Simpson founding shareholder Michael S. Burg has been named "Lawyer of the Year" For Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs by Best Lawyers in America. (Copyright 2012 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC). Lawyers being honored as "Lawyer of the Year" are selected based on votes received during Best Lawyer’s exhaustive peer review assessments, conducted with thousands of leading lawyers each year. Receiving the designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity. - 1978: Russell Frye.
Russ Frye will be co-chairing the 2013 Fall Administrative Law Conference of the American Bar Association's Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, which will be held in Washington, DC. DU Law alums with ideas for topics of interest should feel free to contact me. I also have the pleasure of spending time now and then with Elaine Ulrich, who was born three months after our classmate Jeanie Ulrich graduated, and who now has a Ph.D. in physics and helps the Department of Energy identify promising solar energy technology development projects. - 1979: Joyce Seelen.
I am in Reno, Nevada studying to take the bar examination while my husband, Ben, explores for gold. For the last 6 years I prosecuted criminal cases, mainly child sex abuse cases, as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney on the Big Island of Hawaii. Before moving to Hawaii, I practiced abuse of trust civil litigation in Denver.
1980s:
- 1981: Laurie Hunter.
I was recognized for 30 years' of contributions to CBA-CLE programs and publications by receiving the Richard N. Doyle CLE Award of Excellence at the December 3, 2012 CBA-CLE Reception. - 1981: Leesa McNeil.
I was appointed by the Iowa governor to the Iowa State Preserves Advisory Board in 2012. Working with other Iowa court professionals to complete implementation of e-filing for all cases filed in state court. - 1981: Amy Clark.
Proving that old dogs really can learn new tricks, Amy J. Clark has just completed her first semester toward a graduate certificate in Conflict Resolution at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Graduate School of international Policy and Management, in Monterey, CA. Classes have included Intro to Conflict Resolution, Seminar: Non-State Armed Groups in Conflict Resolution, and International Negotiations. Spring Classes guaranteed to keep the cobwebs at Bay, are: Development Theory and Practice, Rethinking Human Rights; Culture and Conflict;and Seminar: Conflict and Peace Building in Divided Societies. Extracurricular activities have included beachcombing, sea lion rescues and sculling out of Santa Cruz Harbor. - 1983: Alan Sweetbaum.
Classmate Marla Music and I are almost empty nesters (Ben 24 & Lizzy 21) and I am a founding partner of Sweetbaum Sands Anderson, a commercial litigation and real estate firm in downtown Denver. - 1983: Dan Cartin.
I have been an attorney with the Office of Legislative Legal Services, the non-partisan legal staff for the Colorado General Assembly, since 1989 and was appointed director of the Office in September, 2010. In December, 2011, I received my masters degree in public administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. I live in Lafayette, with my wife, Yvonne, and our two daughters. - 1985: Joseph Fichter.
After returning to the mainland in 2011 from ten wonderful years in Hawaii, I sat for and passed the Oregon bar in 2012. On January 2, 2013, I officially opened my new practice in Medford, Oregon, working primarily in the areas of domestic relations, civil litigation and mediation. - 1985: Allan Hale.
Allan Hale and Richard Westfall (both class of 1985) formed Hale Westfall LLP in 2010 and they are having great fun practicing together. In the Fall of 2011, they represented Republican interests in congressional redistricting. Although the Democrats' final redistricting plan was adopted by the Courts, all four incumbent Republican Congressmen were re-elected in 2012. More recently, they presented the State of Colorado's case in the national tobacco arbitration where the tobacco companies are trying to take back a major portion of Colorado's tobacco settlement payments, and represented 33 States in a major procedural battle involving the arbitration's unique proceedings. Allan recently won an important case in the Colorado Supreme Court regarding private takings. Richard was active in the 2012 election as counsel for the Colorado Republican Party and a co-chair of Lawyers for Romney. Richard is also General Counsel for the Colorado Statewide Internet Portal Authority. - 1987: Don Parker.
Learning a lot, and getting much satisfaction from my solar electric panel installation business, Golden Solar, www.GoldenSolar.net. Glad to have an extraordinary master electrician and wonderful dedicated employees inspiring my faith in the younger generation. Not practicing law much, but keeping my license. Best to all my classmates. - 1988: David Allen.
Was appointed District Director, Employee Benefits and Health, in November 2012 for City College of Chicago.
1990s:
- 1992: Eric Hilty.
Eric is the Chief Legal Officer of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and is based out of Denver. He is thrilled to be a part of such a fantastic organization. Eric just finished his term as the Colorado Chapter President for the Association of Corporate Counsel and remains on the board. - 1992: Floy Jeffares.
Joined the firm Donelson Ciancio & Grant P.C. in late 2012. DCG is a full service law firm with offices in Broomfield and Longmont. Floy is handling business and real estate matters with the firm's transactional group. Floy has previously practiced as in-house counsel with large banks and, most recently, gained experience on the business side as commercial loan and lease work-out officer. Floy is now putting her diverse banking, legal and business experience to work for her small business and transactional clients. Floy is also a board member of Ralston House, a Jefferson County-based organization that serves children who experience abuse. - 1994: Nicholas Panos.
Following my matriculation from the University of Denver, I was hired in the Division of Enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission where I had served as a paid intern during the previous summer. After two years total service to that division, I engineered a transfer to the Division of Corporation Finance in Washington, D.C. where I am now a Senior Special Counsel in the Office of Mergers and Acqusitions. In addition, I teach "Takeovers, Mergers & Acqusitions" as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. This past March, I had the great pleasure of skiing Jackson Hole with former classmate and friend Brian Lewandowski ('94) and Matt White ('06). - 1995: Robert Wonnett.
Recently retired as the Vice Chancellor of Student Success at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and completed a Ph.D in Architecture and Planning from the University of Colorado Denver. I am enjoying retirement by traveling, researching, and consulting on the legal relationship between architectural design, public speech, public space, and public fora. - 1996: Gordon Gallagher.
On October 12, 2012, Gordon was sworn in as a United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Colorado. Gordon will serve in Grand Junction, Colorado. - 1998: Justin Constantine.
Justin launched his inspirational speaking business in 2012 and has already started to get a lot of traction. Based on his recovery after being shot in the head in Iraq, Justin's topics include the positive aspects of change, overcoming adversity, teamwork and the power inside each of us. Corporate clients include Humana, Aon, Exeter Finance and Pure Fishing, and Justin was recently interviewed on CNN and Fox News about issues related to veterans and wounded warriors. He was also the commencement speaker at the December graduation ceremony at James Madison University. Check out his website at www.justinconstantine.com. - 1998: Kenny Capps.
Kenny and his wife, Murphy are making their son and daughter fight for bathroom time. They're expecting in June! Kudzu Branding & Design, a creative advertising agency co-owned my Kenny and Murphy Capps in beautiful Asheville, NC, is in its third year of existence. Kudzu just made room for more clients and increased their production and office space.
2000s:
- 2001: Britten Hale.
Partner at Springman, Braden, Wilson & Pontius, P.C., litigating for landlords, management companies, REITS, and HOAs throughout Colorado. - 2001: Peter Schreck.
Peter recently joined Flint Group, the global supplier of inks and consumable products to the newspaper and printing industry as their Senior Corporate Counsel - Americas. He works in the company's Plymouth, Michigan world headquarters and is responsible for all the company's legal matters in North and South America. His practice includes, international, corporate, finance, litigation, commercial real estate, environmental, and Superfunds. When not at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife Ann and their two daughters and traveling. - 2002: Philip Hundl.
Managing Partner of regional firm, Wadler, Perches, Hundl & Kerlick, covering the Texas gulf coast, Houston and surrounding areas. I enjoy saltwater fishing with my family and making our way back to Colorado, as often as possible, to ski and escape the Texas heat and humidity in the summer. - 2004: Catarina Williams.
After working as in-house counsel at the University of Miami, entertainment law in Los Angeles, and consulting at Baker & McKenzie, in Caracas, Venezuela, Catarina drew upon the international law courses at DU, as well as her practical work experience, to launch her own education startup in the San Francisco Bay Area. This year marks the 4th official year as a formal organization for the League of Creative Minds. The League of Creative Minds has most recently caught the attention of Stanford University where the League directors now hold classes for their young and aspiring delegates year-round. Catarina, along with her husband, are the proud parents of two year old Xanti. - 2005: John Buckley.
In addition to maintaining my criminal defense practice, I was re-elected as the Chair of the Arapahoe County Democratic Party. - 2006: Stephanie Reid .
I have relocated to Cheyenne, Wyoming and working as a Landman for Cameco Resources. - 2007: Kristine Poston.
Kutak Rock LLP welcomes Kristine Poston, class of 2007, to the 13-person team of attorneys in the Denver real estate group where she will advise clients with respect to the financing, acquiring, selling and leasing of commercial real estate.
2010s:
- 2010: Patricia Blomstrom.
Patricia Blomstrom, class of 2010, joined the 12-person team of attorneys in the Denver real estate group at the national law firm Kutak Rock LLP where she will focus her practice on all aspects of commercial property acquisitions, dispositions, development, financing, leasing and management. - 2012: Aaron Neptune.
Began a judicial clerkship in November 2012 with the Honorable Judge Charles M. Pratt in Colorado's 18th Judicial District.
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