Scott Barker, Dan Frost

LAW WEEK COLORADO

DENVER — Two prominent Holland & Hart partners are leaving the firm. Scott Barker, chair of the firm’s litigation department, will start July 1 at Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell. Dan Frost, a veteran construction claims and transactions attorney, will start Monday at Snell & Wilmer.

The departures were separately confirmed Friday by the attorneys’ new firms, in response to Law Week inquiries.

Barker, a Top 10 “Colorado Super Lawyer” and member of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers, will leave Holland & Hart after three decades.

“Both Holland & Hart and Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell are, in my estimation, the two best litigation firms in the state of Colorado, or for that matter, in the region,” Barker said, declining all other comment other than to say he is “delighted to be associated with Holland & Hart, and looking forward to working at Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell.”

Frost, who has a significant construction practice, has worked at Denver firms since graduating from law school in 1978. He practiced at Fairfield and Woods before moving 11 years ago to Holland & Hart. Frost said his move to Snell & Wilmer is “an opportunity to help them build their Denver practice, and I’m excited about that.”

Frost said details of his biggest recent projects are confidential, but they include representation of an international gold mining company in a transaction in Mexico; completing complex railway oil-gathering contracts for an oil and gas company that owns fields in North Dakota; and litigation involving a claim on a large power plant.

“I have so much respect for the firm I’m leaving,” Frost said. “I’m leaving a lot of great friends and a good firm. It’s been a great 11 years, but I have this opportunity and this challenge that I’m really looking forward to meeting.”

LAW WEEK COLORADO

Holland & Hart attorney Jason Crow has been named Volunteer Lawyer of the Year by the Denver Bar Association. The recognition is for a member who has performed extraordinary voluntary legal or community service.

Crow’s service includes advocacy for veterans, participating on committees and boards of local organizations, and volunteering through the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations.

LAW WEEK COLORADO

Holland & Hart represented Loren Brichter, owner of Atebits LLC, in Twitter’s acquisition of his corporation. The acquisition deal was finalized on April 9 for an undisclosed amount.

Atebits is the developer of “Tweetie,” a Twitter application for Apple Mac computers and iPhones. In 2009, Tweetie won the Apple Design Award at the iPhone Developer Showcase.

Holland & Hart served as counsel in negotiating the transactional agreements and handling the mergers and acquisitions, tax, benefits, and technology transfer aspects of the transaction for atebits’ owner. The Holland & Hart team was comprised of Adam M. Cohen, Chris Balch, Susan Oakes, Matthew Cavarra, and Jane Francis. Ross A. Dannenberg and Rajit Kapur of Banner & Witcoff served as lead intellectual property counsel.

Kerri J. Atencio

LAW WEEK COLORADO
Kerri J. Atencio has joined Denver insurance law firm Roberts Levin Rosenberg.
Atencio will focus her practice on representing individuals and entity policyholders in insurance bad faith, personal injury and commercial litigation matters.
At Holland & Hart, she handled matters in insurance bad faith, ERISA, employment law and commercial litigation. Additionally, she is the past president of the executive council for the Colorado Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division.
Atencio earned her J.D., with distinction, from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 1998, and her bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from the University of Nebraska in 1993. She is licensed to practice in Colorado and Montana state courts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Her new firm is a boutique insurance recovery firm that focuses on civil trial and appellate practice, representing individual and entity policyholders on coverage and bad faith claims for all types of insurance, commercial litigation and personal injury law.

Holland & Hart has a new marketing director. Greg Wolsky previously was chief marketing officer at Minneapolis-based Lindquist & Vennum.
“Bringing Greg aboard is really exciting for our firm,” chairman Jon Husband said in a statement. “His focus is not just on promoting the firm, but on really understanding how we can deliver value to our clients and potential clients.”
Wolsky holds a bachelors from North Dakota State University and a J.D. from the University of North Dakota School of Law.

By Alicia McNally, LAW WEEK COLORADO
DENVER — The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado today announced C. Ray Drew as its new executive director.
Prior to joining the organization, Drew worked in the nonprofit sector in South Carolina and California, and also as a political consultant in California. His duties as executive director include fundraising, leading ACLU Colorado’s seven-person staff and representing the organization in the legislature. He will also be involved with the organization’s legal program.
Drew will replace Bruce Sattler, who acted as temporary executive director since July 2009. Sattler said
Drew was chosen because of “the depth of his experience in nonprofits, his passion for social justice and ability to be an effective fundraiser.”
Sattler is a former employment and trial lawyer from Denver firms Holland & Hart (20 years) and Faegre & Benson (15 years). He said he will “re-retire” once Drew takes over.
“It’s been fascinating. I’ve been associated with the organization for years,” Sattler said about his time at the ACLU. “In fact, next month is the 40th anniversary of my first ACLU case,” which involved a Chicano student who was expelled from Denver’s North High School.