Six Holland & Hart attorneys were honored at the second "Best of the Bar" event sponsored by the Denver Business Journal on June 11, 2004.
Anne Castle was named Top Water Lawyer.
Paul Phillips was named Top Environmental/Natural Resources Lawyer.
John Husband was named Top Labor & Employment Lawyer.
Three other Holland & Hart attorneys were named as finalists. James Hartley was a finalist in the Antitrust Law category, F. Greg McKenna was a finalist in the Government Law category, and John Maxfield was a finalist in the Tax Law category.
Holland & Hart alumni were also honored. Former Holland & Hart partner Judge Brooke Jackson received the Lifetime Achievement Award, Barbara Solomon received the Top Family Law award and Ed Kahn was named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year.
The "Best of the Bar" awards were based on ballots cast by members of the Colorado Bar. The awards were presented at a breakfast held in Denver on June 11, 2004. Profiles of the 2004 winners are printed in a special section of the Denver Business Journal.
Anne Castle, former Chairperson of the Management Committee at Holland & Hart, "is decidedly tranquil and soothing. Her commitment to civility has worn well within the small community of water law attorneys" wrote the Denver Business Journal. Castle is a graduate of the University of Colorado School of Law and has been practice water law with Holland & Hart for her entire career. The Denver Business Journal article claims, "She counts among her clients ski areas, municipalities, churches, mining companies, real estate developers, ditch companies, and ranchers, to name a few. Plus, the variety of work - litigation, administrative procedures and lobbying - adds another element of depth and interest."
Paul Phillips is Chairperson of the firm's Management Committee. A client, Joshua Epel, Assistant General Counsel with Duke Energy Field Services, describes his experience with Phillips in the Denver Business Journal, "We were involved in a Superfund case that had hundreds of co-defendants. Paul was the natural leader of the group. We steered this very, very large group of lawyers. He has an outstanding ability to synthesize problems and explain them. A natural ability that made him one the natural leaders. Part of it is he has great legal and analytical skill, also great interpersonal skills and leadership skills." Phillips is a graduate of Yale Law School and has practiced natural resources and environmental law since he joined Holland & Hart in 1976.
John Husband is an employment and labor lawyer that has been defending companies since he joined Holland & Hart in 1977. He currently serves on the firm's Management Committee. "Since joining the firm, Husband has been involved in hundreds of cases in 20 states, been lead trial counsel in more than 250 cases and counseled small businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies" states the Denver Business Journal profile of John Husband. The article also notes that "Husband, who attended Ohio State on a football scholarship and played in the 1973 and '74 Rose Bowls, was on the National Football League's legal team once during a players strike."