Founded in 1916, Baker & Hostetler LLP is one of the nation's largest and most respected law firms. In addition to the 40-attorney Denver office, lawyers in ten other offices across the United States work in four major practice groups: Litigation, Employment/Labor, Tax and Business. For more than 25 years the Denver office has represented business leaders and the firms they manage. We listen to our clients, help define their critical legal needs and service those needs by combining the talent and experience of our Denver-based lawyers with those of the other attorneys in our 600-attorney national firm.
In keeping with the Firm's tradition of community service, the attorneys in the Denver office are active in state, city and community affairs. Our attorneys participate in such activities as the Denver Rescue Mission Adopt-a-Family Program; the Salvation Army School Supply Drive; and the Buildable Hours Program for Habitat for Humanity.
BusinessThe lawyers in our Denver business group help our clients turn business opportunities into financial successes. We have years of experience assisting market leaders in successfully completing a wide variety of transactions including mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings, structuring complex resort developments, venture and private capital financings, and sophisticated lending transactions. Our attorneys also counsel clients in real estate, intellectual property, energy and natural resources matters. We have represented small and large public and private companies in transactions ranging in size from a few million to multibillion dollars. Many of our business clients are market leaders in the hospitality, resort development, software, cable television, banking, oil and gas, mining and charitable foundation industries.
LitigationOur experienced and skilled complex business litigators have represented individuals and companies throughout the region and the country in high profile complex litigation matters, including antitrust, appellate, class action, construction, corporate, domestic, federal false claims, fiduciary estate and trust, First Amendment, insurance product liability, real estate securities, tax and white collar criminal defense. Although we search for successful resolutions short of trial, we regularly argue cases through trial and appeal, both locally and throughout the nation.
Our Denver litigation practice serves a significant cross section of the Rocky Mountain and national business community, including major and independent oil companies, natural gas producing companies, commercial banks, media and communications companies, real estate developers and major insurers. Representative of some of our recent high profile successful matters involve litigation for the largest estate in Colorado history, the resolution of which was the recovery of more than $350 Million for the estate, and the recent successful obtaining of a full defense jury verdict in a federal false claims action seeking to recover over $50 Million.
Employment and LaborOur Employment and Labor attorneys represent employers of all sizes in wage and hour disputes, as well as against claims of sexual and other types of harassment, age and sex discrimination, racial discrimination, and wrongful discharge. We are experienced in representing clients against the company-threatening class actions that are so prevalent today. When employees leave the client’s company and engage in the theft of trade secrets or wrongfully compete against the company, our lawyers are skilled in swiftly bringing action to stop the violations. While our attorneys are skilled trial lawyers and do not hesitate to go to trial when necessary, we recognize that generally, the employer is better served by not being embroiled in litigation unless it cannot be avoided.
We counsel employers, domestic and international, in all aspects of the employment relationship to help them avoid problems that can lead to litigation, including workforce restructuring and employee terminations, employee discipline, leaves of absence, investigation of employee complaints, and compliance with wage and hour laws. To that end, we conduct audits of our clients’ employment practices and help educate our clients’ managers and workforce on relevant employment-related subjects. Additionally, we draft employee handbooks and other company policies and procedures relating to employment issues, including non-compete agreements and confidentiality policies.
In the corporate arena, we advise clients on employment issues that arise because of corporate mergers and acquisitions, and draft the necessary documents to ensure the client’s interests are protected during and after that process, and that federal, state, and local laws, such as the WARN Act, are followed.
Our attorneys have extensive experience in traditional labor relations, including union-related issues. In addition to day-to-day labor matters, such as collective bargaining for union contracts, defending against unfair labor practices charges before the NLRB, and handling arbitrations pursuant to union contracts, we have successfully represented a local hospital in a union organizing campaign and handled the strike negotiations in this region for one of the largest employers in the United States.
Tax and Personal PlanningMembers of our tax group, a number of whom have earned graduate degrees in taxation in addition to law degrees, serve as primary counsel to high net worth families and their closely-held business interests, providing guidance and counsel on matters including business continuity, estate planning, tax planning, charitable giving, generational transfer planning, life insurance matters, real estate, entity formation, and fiduciary relationships under trusts, estates and business entities. From a business transaction perspective, our tax lawyers are on the forefront, actively representing both public and private entities regarding the taxation aspects of mergers and acquisitions, corporate and partnership tax planning, executive compensation matters, reorganizations, and business acquisitions and dispositions.