University of Denver Sturm College of Law to Recognize 2018 Law Stars

The University of Denver Sturm College of Law will recognize its 2018 Law Stars honorees at a gala event on Thursday, Nov. 1 at the Hilton Denver City Center.

DU Law Stars has honored distinguished alumni and faculty at this annual event since 1993. Proceeds from this year’s event will go to the Denver Law Fund, which supports the Sturm College of Law’s most important strategic priorities, including affordability, curricular innovation and postgraduate professional opportunities. The event includes a personal commemorative video of each honoree, recounting accomplishments both professional and personal. Learn more about DU’s Law Stars program: www.law.du.edu/alumni/law-stars.

A reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and honoree video tributes. Members of the media are invited to attend and should RSVP to DU Media Relations at (720) 608-0240 or dumediarelations@gmail.com.

The following individuals are receiving honors this year:

Christopher L. Richardson, MA’83, JD’83: William L. Keating Outstanding Alumni Award 

Christopher Richardson is a corporate and restructuring partner at Davis Graham & Stubbs, where he also served as managing partner for 15 years, stepping down in 2016. His focus is on financing and restructuring work in the creditors' rights area, as well as private company mergers and acquisitions. Richardson has distinguished experience in transactional and restructuring matters relating to the oil and gas industry and is currently representing E&P companies in restructuring and bankruptcy matters. Richardson has been recognized by Chambers USA as a “Leader in Their Field” in Corporate/M&A and was selected for inclusion in Colorado Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters. He was also selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Americafor Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Richardson was also named by Best Lawyers as the 2016 Lawyer of the Year for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law in Denver.

Richardson is known by his colleagues as a leader who displays that rare combination of legal talent, business acumen, a sense of justice and humility. During his time as managing partner, his leadership helped the firm thrive through the Great Recession, and his focus on developing and retaining lawyers helped grow the firm to what it is today. In addition, his values and passion for doing the right thing can be seen in the many pro bono cases and community service projects taken on by Davis Graham & Stubbs.

Patricia M. Jarzobski, JD’89: Robert H. McWilliams, Jr. Alumni Professionalism Award

Patricia Jarzobski is a recognized leader, a mentor and an adviser in the law community. Her accomplishments are myriad, including serving as past-president of the Colorado Bar Association, the CBA’s fifth female president in 119 years and the first female president in 10 years. She was also selected by colleagues to become a Colorado Bar Foundation fellow, an honor limited to five percent of Colorado attorneys for their prominence, reputation and good standing in the legal community. In addition, she served as past president of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association and was appointed by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to serve a six-year term on the 17th Judicial District Judicial Nominating Commission, to name just a few more honors. In 2015, Jarzobski received the Colorado Women’s Bar Association Foundation’s Raising the Bar Award for “5 women attorneys to watch who will make an impact in the next 10 years.” She also received the LGBT Bar Association Foundation Attorney of the Year Award in 2016.

Jarzobski is dedicated to engaging the diverse talent of our entire community in shaping how our bar associations move forward. She is also committed to mentoring and sponsoring women lawyers, diverse attorneys, young lawyers and the next generation of leaders. Jarzobski serves as a mentor in the Colorado Supreme Court mentoring program. She is also a member of many diversity bar associations including the LGBT Bar Association, Colorado Women’s Bar, Asian Pacific American Bar, Colorado Hispanic Bar, Sam Cary Bar Association and South Asian Bar. Jarzobski is also active in local and national charities and works to promote equal access to justice for low-income populations.

Professor K.K. DuVivier, JD’82: Robert B. Yegge Excellence in Teaching Award

Professor K.K. DuVivier is a nationally known scholar in the field of natural resources and renewable energy issues, currently focusing on solar and wind. She joined the faculty at Denver Law in 2000, earning many honors including AALS DU Teacher of the Year 2015, Mentorship Award 2013-2014, Hughes-Ruud Research Professor 2015 and the 2013 Sturm Faculty Excellence Award for Best Professor. Her students and colleagues also recognize her as being caring, encouraging and always available to help.

DuVivier’s scholarship and teaching has focused on a variety of subjects over the years, including energy law, renewable energy law, civil procedure, mining law, legal research and writing, local government, wills and trusts and environmental law. Using her science background, DuVivier has taught interdisciplinary courses and received a National Science Foundation award to partner with an atmospheric scientist and an economist to address wind-farm impacts. She also served as Denver Law’s Director of Lawyering Process Program and Director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program. Her book, The Renewable Energy Reader (Carolina Academic Press, 2011) was the first book devoted exclusively to U.S. renewable energy law. DuVivier continues to present in numerous national and international forums and has published over 100 articles in bar journals and law reviews.