A Snapshot of the Legal Scene in Denver
Denver is home to over 5,500 attorneys, nearly 1,000 of which work in the more than 200 law firms in the downtown area alone. There is a wide range of practice areas covered in the city, from family law and employment to medial malpractice, insurance defense, and bankruptcy. In some cases, major practice areas are covered by more than one firm, such as securities law, criminal law, intellectual property, and even cannabis.
The majority of the law firms in the city (over 65% of them) consist of between 1 and 10 attorneys, with a handful larger organizations and a small number of large firms. The smaller firms are well represented in the city. Over half of the total firms downtown at 63.5% employ fewer than 10 attorneys, with 37% having between 11 and 50 attorneys.
While these statistics seem to indicate that most of the firms in the area are small , it is important to note that the few large firms are among the most well-respected and successful firms in the country, if not the world.
Many firms in Denver also like to emphasize what makes them unique in their practice area. For example, some of them have been around since before World War I and have decades of experience in their field, which allows them to offer a safe haven of legal services based on historical knowledge and expertise. Many others are younger firms with agile business strategies. They use many modern conveniences and have an untethered work environment, allowing their employees the flexibility to work from virtually anywhere, including remotely.
Lawyers in the area find a balance of tradition and modern conveniences that suit their needs in their respective practice areas. The balance of practice styles can be traced back hundreds of years, right to the roots of some of the firms practicing today.
Denver’s Largest Law Firms
Large law firms in Denver employ hundreds of lawyers, and are structured in large departments with narrow areas of practice. The culture is often more akin to high rank corporate business environments as opposed to traditional law firms.
The following list identifies the largest law firms in Denver, and firms that identified themselves as large in their firm profile. Because firm profiles can be very broad in their definitions of size, the list below of largest firms may not be entirely accurate or complete.
They were however checked against publicly available data to confirm their position on the list, not all firms publicly offer employee numbers, but those that do were used to rank the firms on this list.
The Garris Eastman Law Firm
Large law firm size
Denver law firm employee size 2018 : 151
Smallest law firm Denver jurors 2019 : 110
Largest law firm Denver employees 2019 : 162
Holland & Hart
A top-tier regional law firm, Holland & Hart was founded in the early 1900s in Denver, where its office is still located. Now, they have around 450 attorneys across 14 offices in nine states — six of which are in Colorado.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Founded in 1968, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP is a 250-attorney firm with over 60 practice groups. With 13 offices spanning the U.S. and in an international affiliate location in China, the firm serves clients from a variety of sectors, including energy, real estate, and technology.
Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP
Established in 1907, Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP is a 170-attorney firm and the oldest law firm in Denver. A full-service firm with over 20 practice areas, they have more than 100 years of service to the business sector of the Rocky Mountain region.
Denver’s Mid-Sized Law Firms
Medium-sized law firms generally have anywhere from 75-250 attorneys. Medium is a bit of a misnomer, as even though their footprint is much smaller than the major market law firms, they do offer many of the same benefits to their clients. Denver median-sized law firms have their own unique draws.
The typical medium size law firm client is likely to be a privately held company or entrepreneur in the $15-100 million range in annual revenues. These companies and individuals are looking for the full service experience that can provide a full-service offering in transactional and litigation matters. Many of Denver’s largest law firms have downsized in recent years to the 75-150 attorney level.
The biggest advantage to hiring a medium-sized law firm is that they can provide one-stop shopping for your legal matters and have very good relationships with trusted experts in the community. Their employees are allowed to specialize in many different areas of practice allowing your lawyer to be an expert at your legal requirements. These firms know all the players in the local market in a way that a large firm—which may accessible in the same way—may not know.
Some of the more notable medium size law firms in Denver include Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Davis Graham and Stubbs, and Moye White.
Attorneys in Small and Boutique Firms
These firms tend to be found more often in major cities. They typically have a handful of attorneys, with many ranging from 2-5 or 10 attorneys, and tend to focus on niche practice areas. These law firms often specialize in one to three legal niches, such as bankruptcy, malpractice, immigration or criminal law. Alternatively, they may tend to concentrate on a specific industry or business sector. For instance, a small to mid-sized firm may work with small businesses in the health care sector while also representing plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases.
These law firms tend to focus on providing their clients with a high level of exposure and responsiveness. As such, they frequently allow clients to become close friends with their attorney(s), offering personalized service on a regular basis. This means that the decision to work with a small or boutique law firm often depends upon personal preference, as these law firms can provide the most specialized attention for a specific type of case coupled with a high level of client service.
There are a large number of smaller law firms in the area; however , some of the more notable examples include:
Burg Simpson Campbell Lirangis & P.A. 2125 15th Street Suite 300
Clogston & Greenwinkel, P.C. 1624 Market St. Suite 202
Cook & Lewis LLC 8800 Ralston Rd. Suite 104
Frank Fredd & Dumesel PC 6300 E Hampden Ave Suite 420
Hayes Zamora LLC 95 Acoma Ct. Suite 210
Lipton & Grillo LLC 730 Seventeeth St. Suite 822
Miller & Steeno P.C. 720 S Colorado Blvd. Suite 1200
Pasquini & Paul LLC 1635 Foxtrail Circle
Skarka & Dicarlo LLC 1861 W 21st St. Unit 203
Woodrow & Peluso LLC 3900 E Mexico Ave Suite 300
Woodrow P. Weathers 707 Galapago St. Suite 100
How to Select the Ideal Firm Size for Your Legal Requirements
When selecting a law firm in Denver, it is important to consider what size of firm will best fit your requirements. A larger firm may have the necessary resources or specializations that you need, while a smaller firm may be more in your budget and offer a narrower range of practice areas. For individuals, especially those with only occasional legal needs, a smaller firm or solo practitioner can offer a level of personalized service that makes them well worth considering. Small firms and solo practitioners might offer lower hourly rates than larger firms, but the flip side is that they can get overloaded with cases and may not have the specialization you need. Consider your case and decide what will work best for you. Businesses, particularly medium and large size companies, often require the specialized skills and manpower that larger firms offer. Larger firms are often better equipped to deliver targeted expertise across a broad range of practices, across many jurisdictions. They will tend to get involved in high-end cases and likely charge top-tier rates. Regardless of your business needs, it’s worth carefully researching available options to choose the best fit.
The Current State and Future Prospects for Denver Law Firms
Traditionally, larger firms have benefitted from the upside of technological developments as they have been able to invest heavily in innovative updates and lawyers have had the resources to figure out how things can be done more efficiently. This has allowed them to reduce overhead and stay ahead of their smaller competitors. Larger firms have also been able to bundle their legal services into broader service packages, which facilitate add-on purchases by existing clientele.
Larger firms have not had it easy, though. The fallout from the 2009 economic crisis hit these law firm hard with a significantly reduced demand for legal services. The large size and cost structure made it difficult for larger firms to compete with smaller firms. First-year associates, who provide the revenue needed to keep billable hours up, became increasingly scarce. Law first-year hiring numbers are only now creeping back up to pre-2008 levels. From 2007 to 2014, the number of law firm partners grew from 724 to 1,050. This increase has increased the cost of client service to the point where some clients began pushing back. To cope with higher costs, firms began offering discounts on services like legal research, litigation support and sometimes attorneys’ fees.
For small and midsize firms, the recession hit them the hardest. These firms, which target smaller clients, saw far fewer new clients during the recession, and some had court-related matters get stalled and even dismissed. Partners, who were overburdened with trying to find new clients, billing more hours and navigating the uncertain economy, were unable to provide the strategic mentoring that associates needed to grow and thrive . It has been a slow recovery for small and midsize firms, and it hasn’t been easy. Competition has risen between firms for work because there are more firms competing for more or less the same amount of work. As client expectations have continued to rise, firms needed to adapt quickly to meet their needs. Through aggressive hiring and training of young associates, small and midsize firms have been able to react more quickly to the changing market while also providing top-quality young talent for their clients. While this trend of small and midsize firms gaining ground has slowed a bit, it speaks to the value that these types of firms can add to their clients.
The Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has spurred both small and large firms to rethink their health care practices—an area that has been controversial since the health care law passed in 2010. Federal regulations require that heath care providers offer coverage that meets certain standards, and many businesses have already made plans to provide that coverage. Now, those plans will likely need to be scrubbed in advance of the 2016 implementation date. Both law firm sizes should be well-positioned to meet the challenge of providing this help for their clients.
Despite these challenges, Denver law firms should be well positioned for the next few years. Attorneys work for law firms to build a platform. An attorney who builds up a reputation for great work is needed by a firm, so long as that same attorney can also develop new business. These are the attorneys who are able to push a firm in new directions, bringing their expertise to new areas while expanding the firm’s breadth of knowledge and practice.