Colorado Real Estate Journal - June 17, 2015
-Amy Ruhl was appointed vice chair of Moye White LLP’s real estate section. Ruhl’s practice focuses on commercial real estate transactions, including development, leasing, real estate financing, and acquisitions and dispositions of real estate. She has represented both landlords and tenants with respect to office, industrial and shopping center leasing; developers in all aspects of real estate acquisition, development and disposition; and lenders and borrowers in various real estate finance transactions. -Patti Mason, LEED AP, was named executive director of U.S. Green Building Council Colorado Chapter. Mason joined USGBC Colorado in 2008 and held the position of director of advocacy and associate director prior to accepting her role as executive director. In her new position, Mason will provide the guiding vision for the Colorado chapter. As the director of advocacy and associate director, Mason leveraged her policy experience to help pass legislation that encourages all schools to reach a higher level of energy efficiency and led a successful statewide effort to add searchable green fields into the Multiple Listing Service. She also served as a frequent subject matter expert to state and local lawmakers and helped oversee the chapter’s two largest events, Rocky Mountain Green and the Green Schools Summit. She has a master’s degree in natural resources law and policy from the University of Denver and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Colorado State University. She also earned a Sustainability Management Certificate from the University of Colorado. -Sharon Alton joined the Downtown Denver Partnership as vice president of public events and activation. Alton came to the DDP from the U.S. Green Building Council Colorado Chapter, where she was executive director. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business-marketing from the University of Missouri Columbia. -Shannan de Jesús joined Otis, Bedingfield & Peters LLC as a litigation associate. Her practice at the law firm will focus on all areas of real estate and business litigation, with a focus on intellectual property issues. She joined the firm after working for the Larimer County Justice Center for more than four years, working as a law clerk for Judges Dave Williams (retired) and Michelle Brinegar, assisting with numerous trials and cases involving claims of construction defects, dissolution of business and others. She earned her Juris Doctor and Master of Laws in intellectual property from Franklin Pierce Law Center (now the University of New Hampshire School of Law). After graduating from law school, she worked as a staff attorney for the 1st Circuit of Florida courts; as an attorney ad litem for Lawyers for Children America; and on various pretrial and real estate matters for firms in Florida. She is admitted to practice in Colorado and Florida. -Tim Brown joined Northstar Commercial Partners as its new president. At the privately held commercial real estate investment company, Brown will focus on building additional capital as well as “investing in human partnerships in Colorado and nationwide.” Additionally, Brown plans to assist in securing nearly $250 million in new capital to financially assure Northstar initiatives and investment opportunities. Previously, Brown was the founder of Three Creative, a leadership organization he designed to impact 1 million lives through books and training as well as president of Concord Energy Holdings. He founded Radius Media and as navigated projects in the hightech and telecommunications industry. -Chambers USA released its 2015 rankings, in which law firm Husch Blackwell received high honors in eight areas of practice: corporate/ commercial, corporate/M&A, environment, health care, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation: general commercial and real estate, while five Colorado attorneys received regional honors. The Husch Blackwell attorneys recognized were: Robert P. Attai, corporate/M&A; Jeffrey A. Chase, litigation: general commercial; Paul A. Jacobs, real estate; Kevin H. Kelley, real estate; and Mary H. Stuart, labor and employment. -Karen Samuels Jones was among 50 Stinson Leonard Street attorneys to be ranked in the 2015 edition of Chambers USA. Jones has been listed in Chambers USA since the company began publishing its listing. This year was her second year listed in Band 1 and her 12th year listed as a recommended real estate professional in Colorado. Jones represents banks and companies in both Denver and the greater Rocky Mountain region. Jones focuses her practice on purchases and sales of real estate, commercial leasing and construction, and permanent lending. She also represents clients with loan foreclosures, receiverships, loan sales and workouts. Her clients include state and national banks, real estate private equity investors, life insurance companies, other private lenders, senior living facility owners and operators and technology companies. She is a recognized specialist in complex real estate secured transactions, acts as local counsel to various out-of-state attorneys and firms and routinely lectures on secured lending and distressed real estate finance topics. -Chambers USA also recognized attorneys at Otten Johnson Robinson Neff + Ragonetti PC. Steven M. Cohen was ranked in Band 2 for real estate; Thomas J. Ragonetti was ranked Band 1 for real estate and real estate: zoning/land use; John D. Sternberg, senior statesman: real estate; and Michael Westover was ranked in Band 1 for real estate. The law firm also was ranked as a Band 1 real estate firm in Colorado.