Dinsmore & Shohl LLP flags continued expansion plans for the Colorado market with the announcement that construction partner Michael Paul is the national firm’s new office managing partner in Denver.

Paul joined Dinsmore along with a group of six construction litigators in July of last year from a regional firm where he practiced for 12 years. That move was the first of several in recent months signaling Dinsmore’s increased focus on the needs of clients and businesses in the Rocky Mountain region.

In the months closing 2021, the firm demonstrated continuing momentum with the addition of three commercial litigators (Alexander Wright, Paige Johnson and Michael Xavier, each pictured below) as well as public finance partner Lewis Diaz in Denver. In total, Dinsmore added 17 new faces in Denver in 2021 (10 attorneys, seven staff). This mirrors Dinsmore’s growth across the nation, as the firm’s total attorney headcount increased by nearly 14% throughout 2021.

“I’m excited to continue our growth and success in Denver,” Paul said. “Joining Dinsmore was just the beginning. With all of the new attorneys coming over in the past six months, we are currently out of office space, so we are in the process of increasing our square footage significantly to accommodate our current roster as well as our planned expansion.”

The office opened in 2014 when Dinsmore merged with Peck Shaffer & Williams LLP and was capably helmed by public finance partner Erich Kennedy until Paul took over on Jan. 1, 2022.

Paul described Dinsmore’s offering in Colorado as “outstanding in the areas of litigation and public finance,” with the ability to “help any client in almost any matter.” But he intends to greatly expand the local services available to clients.

“In the immediate term, we are planning to expand our practice groups,” he said. “We are actively looking to add attorneys in employment, environmental, corporate and intellectual property law. Long term, we plan to be a prominent player in the entire Rocky Mountain region. We want to mimic Dinsmore’s presence in other markets across the nation, where we are the firm lawyers choose for their entire careers, and business clients choose us first.”

One way Paul plans to accomplish this is through recruitment of diverse talent at area law schools.

“Improving our diversity is always top of mind,” he said. “It’s a key component to our expansion in Denver, and we’re dedicated to focusing on diverse recruitment as we continue building out our office.”

Learn more about the firm’s Denver office here and Dinsmore’s diversity initiative here.