By Alicia McNally, LAW WEEK COLORADO

DENVER – A second debate for Colorado Attorney General candidates is set for for Aug. 3.

The incumbent AG John Suthers, a Republican, and his Democratic challenger Stan Garnett will square off at 8 a.m. on AM 760, Colorado’s Progressive Talk radio. The event will be moderated by morning host David Sirota.

“I’m delighted the debate has been finalized, and I’m looking forward to the next chance to engage my opponent and show voters the clear choice they will have on the important issues in this race,” Garnett said in a press release announcing the debate.

The last debate between Suthers and Garnett in June, held at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, concerned healthcare and immigration issues.

LAW WEEK COLORADO

Richard Russo, senior corporate partner for Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, has been appointed to serve as partner in charge of the firm’s Denver office. Russo replaces Steven Talley, who served in this role for seven years and will continue his mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance practice.

“As a senior partner, Richard has served in several leadership positions at the firm, and we expect that he will bring that experience and perspective to his new role,” said Ken Doran, the firm’s managing partner. “Steve has done a terrific job leading the Denver office for seven years, and we thank him for his service and dedication.”

Russo was one of the founders of the firm’s Denver office, which opened in 1981. He also practiced in the firm’s in Los Angeles and Century City offices from 1974 to 1981, in the Denver office from 1981 to 1987, and in New York office from 1987 to 1992, before returning to the Denver office in 1992. He is a co-chair of the firm’s Corporate Transactions Practice Group and has recently completed terms on the firm’s executive and management committees.

LAW WEEK COLORADO

Thomas B. Romer, a shareholder at the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, was recently named to the National Western Stock Show Association.

As an association member, Romer will aid in raising funds to support the development of programs and initiatives for the organization.

S. Kato Crews, a parter at Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons, was elected to the board of directors at Colorado Humanities

Crews' appointment was announced July 5. He is a litigator whose practice focuses on employment and labor law.

LAW WEEK COLORADO

K. Allison White of Ballard Spahr’s Denver office has been named partner, firm Chair Arthur Makadon announced. White, a litigator, is among seven attorneys whose election in April is effective Thursday.

“Allison is a great addition to our partnership,” said Roger P. Thomasch, managing partner of the Denver office. “She is a tremendously talented lawyer. Clients love her. Beyond that, she is committed to the Denver community, especially in the area of the arts, and she received the firm’s annual pro bono award for her tireless assistance to people who genuinely need help but do not have the financial means to pay for it.”

Ballard Spahr has 12 offices across the country. In addition to Denver, the new partners are drawn from Atlanta, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and Wilmington. Other practice areas they represent are intellectual property, public finance, and real estate.

LAW WEEK COLORADO

Michael Berger has been named general counsel to Jacobs Chase.

Berger, a 35-year veteran of the legal industry and partner with the firm since 2007, practices commercial litigation, appellate litigation, employment litigation, intellectual property litigation and legal ethics, including the representation of lawyers in disciplinary proceedings. He has served as a consultant in legal ethics matters and an expert witness in those areas.

“As a firm, we are extremely fortunate to have Michael’s expertise, pragmatic wisdom and passion for excellence available to the Jacobs Chase team,” firm Managing Partner Paul Jacobs said. “His understanding of complex legal and ethical issues affecting lawyers and the firm’s practice as a whole are a tremendous asset and we are honored to have him serve as our general counsel.”

Berger serves on the Colorado Supreme Court Committees on Civil Procedure, Appellate Procedure and the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct. He chaired the Supreme Court subcommittee that studied the new Rules of Professional Conduct that took effect in 2008.

LAW WEEK COLORADO

DENVER – David Hersh, a shareholder at Greenwood Village litigation law firm Burg Simpson Eldredge Hersh & Jardine, has been appointed to the board of directors for the Arapahoe County Bar Association.

Hersh will chair the association’s Continuing Legal Education committee, where he will oversee the bar association’s CLE programs. He was also elected chair of a membership development committee for the Colorado Judicial Institute earlier this month. Much of Hersh’s practice focuses on civil trial law in liability and damages.

“We are very proud of David, his work and his support of numerous legal service groups,” said managing shareholder Kerry Jardine in an announcement.

LAW WEEK COLORADO

DENVER – Veteran litigator Ann Frick will be sworn in as a Denver District Court judge. Her swearing-in ceremony will be at Denver’s City and County Building on June 24.

The Jacobs Chase Frick Kleinkopf & Kelley partner was appointed to the bench by Gov. Bill Ritter in late April. She succeeds Judge Larry Naves, who joined Judicial Arbiter Group upon his retirement from public service.

“The most meaningful, the highest and best use of my skills in the sphere of public service is to be a judge,” Frick told Law Week Colorado in an interview shortly after the announcement. (See “Public Service Calls New Denver Judge” in Law Week’s April 26 issue).

Read more about the ceremony in the June 14 issue of Law Week Colorado.

LAW WEEK COLORADO

Snell & Wilmer Partner Dan Wittenberg has attained certification as a Global Regulatory Affairs Compliance Professional, or GRACP, from the Center for Professional Innovation & Education, his law firm said.

The certification is aimed at individuals who are involved with regulatory compliance issues in their professions and is geared at enhancing the professional knowledge and skill set necessary to work with domestic and international regulatory agencies in the life sciences arena. The curriculum ranges from conducting international clinical trials to filing compliant submissions with regulatory agencies.

As a partner in the Denver office of Snell & Wilmer, Wittenberg concentrates his practice in representing medical device, pharmaceutical, biotech, life science, and consumer product companies in product liability litigation.

David J. Moses has joined Robinson Waters & O’Dorisio, P.C., as a shareholder. He was with Block & Moses.

Moses specializes in commercial leasing and loan documentation for national, regional and local financial institutions, including asset-based lenders, commercial banks, equipment leasing companies and aircraft finance companies. He also is a contributing editor to the Colorado section of the Compendium of Commercial Finance Law and has served as a lecturer for the Independent Bankers of Colorado.

Moses earned his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and his juris doctorate from the UCLA School of Law.