Alumni In Focus

A new report coauthored by postdoctoral fellow and recent graduate Hunter Knapp ('20) and University of Colorado Law School Associate Professor Alexia Brunet Marks seeks to protect Colorado food workers in their workplaces as they contribute their essential labor throughout the state’s food system.

After two career changes and graduating in the middle of a recession, Alisha Taibo Coombe ('09) knows a thing or two about persistence and hard work. Coombe, a commercial litigator at Burg Simpson, shares lessons learned along her career path.

After graduating law school in the aftermath of the 2008 financial market crash, La Kischa Cook ('09) faced a bleak job market. With resiliency, focus, and helpful connections from law school, she heeded the advice of Hon. Robert Russel ('84) to embrace a winding path through her legal career. Today, as an attorney advisor for the federal government, Cook performs civil rights work as an equal employment opportunity specialist with the Western Area Power Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy.

The University of Colorado Law School community mourns the loss of W. Harold "Sonny" Flowers Jr. ('71), a prominent Boulder attorney known for his perseverance and efforts to make CU Boulder and Colorado Law more inclusive.

After nearly 22 years of practice as a securities lawyer and almost 13 years at Denver’s Holland & Hart LLP, Lucy Schlauch Stark ('98) was promoted to managing partner of the firm on Jan. 1, 2020. Today, Stark is navigating her new position amidst a global pandemic, having recently implemented a rapid, effective transition to a large-scale remote operation.

The spring 2020 Amicus featured the Hon. Nikea Bland ('05), a district court judge in Colorado's 2nd Judicial District. Prior to her appointment to the bench by Gov. Polis in January 2020, Bland was a senior associate at O'Malley and Sawyer, LLC, where her practice consisted of criminal defense and dependency and neglect matters.

Marvin Wolf ('54), a Denver attorney and philanthropist who was a longtime benefactor of the University of Colorado Law School and other organizations, died March 15 in Denver. He was 89.

Growing up, Holly Sterrett (’05) did not see law school in her future. However, she has since built an accomplished career that includes clerkships with two of Colorado’s most esteemed jurists, a 10-year stint at a national law firm, and her current position as assistant general counsel at DaVita.

Marc Walters, deputy general counsel at Microsoft HQ in Seattle, began his career at CU as an undergraduate and played quarterback for the Buffaloes from 1986 until 1989. During law school, classes like Contracts sparked his interest in the business side of law.

The Hon. Kathleen Croshal (nee Winters) ('79) describes her path as a law student as "untraditional." Croshal grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland and worked in theater management prior to law school. Her passion for her community is the driving force behind her career and also a motivator of her time spent in nonprofit work, including as current president of the Colorado Bar Association.