Barefoot on the Town’s Cori Streetman talks Jazzercise, squirrels and skiing with Chuck Weese and Steve Imig.

We’ve all had the experience of working for something for so long, that when you finally achieve it, you don’t know what to do. That is how Lewis Bess Williams & Weese attorney Steve Imig felt about making shareholder.

“I feel a little like my dog when it caught a squirrel,” Steve told us over a beer at Katie Mullen’s.

Fellow Lewis Bess shareholder, Chuck Weese, explained the firm recognized Steve’s brilliance right away, and they were excited to elevate him to shareholder earlier this year.

We think Chuck was just buttering Steve up before he broke the news that the newly elected shareholder would be tasked with spearheading the firm’s name change from Ducker Montgomery Lewis & Bess. We sat down with Steve and Chuck shortly after the name change was announced to learn more about them, and the firm.

Chuck, a native of New Mexico, moved to Denver in 2000 to take a job with then US West. Later, Chuck was a partner at two large national firms before joining Lewis Bess. He likes the change of pace, continuing to work on sophisticated legal matters while spending less time on internal politicking at the smaller firm. Chuck’s also an avid golfer – a five handicap for those of you keeping track – and the proud father to two teenage daughters. What we liked most about Chuck was his natural ability to connect. In fact, Chuck told us that he hadn’t met a client in years who wanted a formal, buttoned-up relationship with their attorney. We think Chuck’s attitude serves him well in building trust with clients. Fun fact, Chuck’s wife owns a Jazzercise studio in Golden.

Steve also impressed us, and not just because his work with ski areas sounded like a lot of fun. In fact, Steve told us about attending the National Ski Areas Association conference in January where the agenda included a 7:30 a.m. ski outing – nice perk of the job. We also appreciated Steve’s sense of humor. He described working as the head chef at a Mexican restaurant in Dublin as the most stressful job he’s ever had. And then there was the squirrel reference – a comment so relatable that we immediately understood the emotion.

Do you have an interesting story to tell? Contact us at info@barefootpublicrelations.com. We are always on the lookout for lawyers, lobbyists and other legal industry insiders at charitable events, networking functions and other venues where people mix, mingle and make things happen.

By James Carlson
Photos by Sarah Overbeck
LAW WEEK COLORADO

“Ready … fence!”
For a moment, the swordsmen are still.
Then, the 6-foot, 3-inch man takes a measured step. Then two quick ones. His opponent advances too. And it’s a piranha frenzy in the middle, all feet thrashing, swords clashing, clanging metal echoing off the white walls.
Then, a scoreboard buzzes.
“Ay, ay!” the big man yells and thrusts a big fist in the air. “Yeah!”
It’s over in five seconds.
The man and his opponent retreat to their lines on the strip inside the white-walled Denver Fencing Club.
I’m here at the club this night with Kutak Rock partner Mario Trimble. His linebacker frame is clothed in fencing’s usual garb — white jacket, underarm guard, a glove with full gauntlet and a metal-screened mask. All of it is attached by an electrified cord to the wall sending signals about who touched whom. More than 30 fencers of all ages are scattered about the club in the same get-up, all electrically tethered like a mad group of trapeze artists wielding weapons.
This ain’t your silver-screen swordplay. Contained in each point is a fury of pounding hooves and slashing sabres, screaming expletives and giddy exultations — all over in a matter of seconds.
Later, as his face beams and he tries to explain the wonder of fencing, he’ll tell me to listen to Sting’s song, “Shape of My Heart.” That song, he says, gets it.
The sacred geometry of chance, the hidden law of probable outcome, the numbers lead a dance.

A violent battle
Sting may describe the strategy and beauty of this weaponized ballet. But he captures none of its ferocity.
There are three weapons in fencing — épée, foil and sabre. The first two were historically for dueling, a more genteel version where points are given only for a tip landing on your opponent.
Sabre, however, is swashbuckling. Points can be scored with both the tip and the side of the blade, so the movements are sweeping and violent. Historically, sabre was for mounted combat. It was for killing. As Mario said, “Sabre is war.”
This is Mario’s specialty.
Pirate films have it all wrong. Hollywood serves up 10-minute duels. In real blade fights, the first mistake comes quick and death follows closely. Fencing isn’t made for the casual observer.
Later at the club, Mario is matched against a club member named Ava. They line up on the 30-foot-long, 4-foot-wide strip and assume the position associated with sword-fighting. Sitting on the side, I whisper to myself, “On guard.”
What follows is not what I expect.
“Ready … fence!”
From what I see, Mario advances, jabs his sabre toward Ava, misses and in a back-and-forth lasting less than a second the buzzer sounds and Mario has won a point.
He steps back again to the line and pulls up his mask. His sweat-streaked face beams.
“Are you seeing it?” he asks me, huffing. “Who’s retreating, who’s initiating?”
I shake my head. Discerning distinct moves is like picking a raindrop out of a thunderstorm. All you see is the totality.

On a whim
As Mario walks through the Denver Fencing Club, people call out to him like it’s his neighborhood bar.
“Mario!”
“Hey man!”
Back in the equipment room, he meets up with Ryan Retherford, a young svelte-framed coach.
“Mario came to the club as an A-rated fencer,” Ryan says. “He was our highest level fencer.”
“Oh?” Mario asks in mock embarrassment.
“Oh, you know I’m not even blowing smoke!”
Back in the fall of 1996, Mario went out for Yale’s fencing team on a whim. He was a senior but was always interested in the sport and heard of the coach’s reputation for shaping neophytes into high-caliber fencers in short time.
At that first practice, they did footwork drills but never picked up a weapon. The coach, Henry Harutunian, a crotchety Armenian who defected from the Soviet Union in 1963, watched from the side. As Mario was leaving, Harutunian pulled him aside. “I think we see potential in you,” he said. “Probably not, but sign up anyway.”
Over the coming months, the Armenian steeped Mario in the sport.
In sabre, you score only when you have the right-of-way. That is, you score when you’re attacking. But right-of-way is a fluid concept and can be stolen from an attacking opponent by parrying — or blocking the approaching weapon. Then you can counter-attack, or what is called riposte.
So much of fencing happens below the sabre. At Yale, the Armenian put Mario into 12-inch boxes to perfect the exacting tiny steps needed. Outside of the box, he’d work on wild lunges covering feet at a time. Step, step … lunge!
Fencing, it is said, is chess of the feet.

A perfect melding
Then there’s the hand work.
At Yale, the Armenian put Mario through a sequence of moves. One-hundred times, 300 times, 500 times, Mario attacked, then took the counter-attack and then launched his counter-attack. Attack, parry, riposte. Attack, parry, riposte. Attack, parry, riposte.
When it became second nature, Mario wasn’t thinking about his own actions. He considered only how to make his opponent do what he wanted him to do. In the Yale gym one morning with the Armenian, Mario drew his coach into an attack, and for the first time he successfully parried it and landed his riposte.
It was a perfect melding of the organic and the science. His faces lights up as he ascribes mythical energy to that moment. There was no thought. The body just did it. And in those few seconds, the outside world peeled away, and “the secrets of the universe were revealed.”
In less than a year, Mario was a 2nd team All-American.

An insider’s eye
If fencing is chess on the feet, it’s speed chess played by Bobby Fischer on Ritalin.
Insiders, however, develop an eye for the moves. They’re programmed with a sort-of slow-motion vision. Luckily, so is the club’s video equipment.
I had just watched Mario and Ava fence, and I’d admitted the sequence was to me nothing but a mash-up of flyng metal. So we turn to the TV monitor next to the strip and watch the point in slow motion a few times.
Here.
Here, the sacred geometry finally reveals itself in a cascade of kaleidoscopic shapes. Triangles between legs morph into triangles between sabres.
Sting’s hidden law of probable outcome is laid bare in slow-motion.
Mario made a weak attack toward Ava’s right shoulder, intentionally falling short. He knew this would leave his chest exposed and invite a counter-attack. Ava took the bait. She slashed hard at Mario’s flank.
But his initial attack was a decoy. And because he hadn’t fully committed to it, he was able to swipe his sabre back across his body, parrying her riposte. Now, she was vulnerable. She had counter-attacked with force, thinking she had an opening. But Mario was only luring her in. Her feet were off balance, her torso within Mario’s reach.
He flicked his wrist once more. Checkmate.

— James Carlson, JCarlson@CircuitMedia.com

During his seven years of service in Adams County, May volunteered for the Child Victim Unit, where he pursued justice for children who had been physically and/or sexually abused. At the time of his death, he was responsible for training and supervising new prosecutors.

May always stressed the importance of acting responsibly, including treating victims, the community, defendants and the courts with dignity and respect. Proceeds from the race will benefit Access to Justice programs and activities and May’s family.

The Self-Help Resource Center at the Adams County Justice Center was made possible in part by the proceeds from this event. The center provides computers, information and staff to help people with legal procedural questions. Since opening on Jan. 5, 2011, it has served thousands. The judiciary and legislature have recognized the center as a statewide model, funding staff positions there and self-help centers in other judicial districts.

The race is organized by the 17th J.D. Access to Justice Committee, the Adams/Broomfield Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association. The race will be professionally timed by Hallucination Sports. To register or fundraise for the race, visit seanmaymemorialrun.org; a list of sponsors and sponsorship information is also available there. In 2012, approximately 200 people participated in the race, and the event raised nearly $4,000.

Joe Hinson, a 1L at DU Sturm College of Law, charmed the crowd at Rialto.

On a Friday evening at the Rialto Cafe, Barefoot on the Town caught up some of the most interesting law students we’ve ever met. The 1L students had just finished round one interviews as a part of the Diversity Clerkship Program organized by the Colorado Pledge to Diversity Legal Group. The event was hosted by two pledge members - Reilly Pozner and Holland & Hart.

We were particularly charmed by Joseph Hinson, a 1L at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Joseph is a former bankruptcy paralegal and journalism “geek.” He graciously explained the Diversity Clerkship program to us, and we couldn’t help but notice how excited he was to have the opportunity to meet so many great firms and lawyers. He was particularly looking forward to networking with the crowd who showed up for the Kick-Off Reception that evening. If there is one thing we’ve learned after working with lawyers for so many years, it is that you cannot teach charm or sincerity. Joe had them both. We think any firm would be lucky to have him as a summer clerk.

We also met Mahogany Dodd and Misam Ali, both 1Ls at the University of Colorado Law School. Mahogany is from Seattle, and Misam from Nebraska. These women were impressed to learn about the credentials of the firm’s participating in the pledge – especially noting firms awarded for their women’s initiatives.

Otten Johnson’s Heather Baker, DU Law’s Trey Baker, Andrea Juarez from the Center for Legal Inclusiveness, Lathrop & Gage’s Aaron Bradford and Hall & Evans’ Lisa Mickley mingled with students and shared about the importance of the Pledge and fostering diversity and inclusiveness in the legal industry.

The Pledge gives minority law school students an opportunity to apply for a clerkship at a participating firm or legal department between their 1L and 2L years. Entry into the clerkship program is competitive. Candidates are screened and interviewed several times. Those who are selected gain invaluable experience, and connections to strong firms and lawyers.

It is designed to significantly increase the number of racially and ethnically diverse attorneys recruited, hired and promoted by law firms in Colorado. Firms who participate dedicate significant resources and attention to the program. If you would like to know more about the Pledge, signatory firms, or the Diversity Clerkship Program, visit www.cptd.org.

Jay Kamlet with his LawBank business partner Rob Fogler.

Time goes by so quickly…the last time we sat down with our friend Jay Kamlet of Lathrop & Gage, he treated us to coffee at St. Mark’s Coffeehouse. This past week, he traded in the coffee for fountain soda at his newly opened LawBank – a collaborative office community designed exclusively for independent lawyers and small firms.

Jay invited Barefoot on the Town to visit the collaborative space for a tour and a chat with some of the LawBank’s tenants. From the lobby, you wouldn’t know that behind the main doors and the well-designed conference rooms, were a group of independent attorneys each benefiting from the shared space and opportunities for collaboration and mentoring.

Shortly after walking through the main doors, we were introduced to Rob Hueston, a small business attorney with many years of experience. Rob shared with us that he thoroughly enjoys his new working environment and sees it as a great opportunity to mentor young attorneys, while benefiting from the open discussion and laid back atmosphere of LawBank. He also told us that his participation in LawBank is a selling point with many of his clients from within the small business community.

While enjoying LawBank’s shared meeting area designed to feel like a local coffee shop, we had the pleasure of chatting with a few of the other tenants. Included in this mix was Stan Doida, an independent corporate law attorney who once worked with Jay at Lathrop & Gage. Stan, an entrepreneur at heart, shared that he has wanted to venture out on his own since his law school days. He also shared that while he learned a great deal working for a larger firm, he enjoys working for himself and is grateful for the benefits provided by LawBank. As a result of his participation in this new concept, Stan has already seen his “business boom,” and has greatly benefited from the collaboration and referral opportunities provided by the LawBank experience.

Barefoot on the Town’s Sarah Hogan having fun with a group of LawBank tenants in the cafe.

We also chatted with Megan Courtney and Kelly Lynch – two new attorneys to the Denver market, fresh out of law school with ambition and a desire to grow their independent practices while benefiting from the mentorship opportunities encouraged by the LawBank philosophy. Megan intrigued us especially when she shared that she met Jay while working at a local restaurant. Ever the great salesman, Jay sold Megan on the LawBank concept and continues to mentor her as she grows her practice.

While LawBank currently has 14 tenants, the space can hold significantly more attorneys. Jay hopes to attract attorneys from a range of generations, practice areas and interests, with the end goal of encouraging collaboration and mentorship. So much like the recent trend of co-working spaces and incubators popping up around Denver, LawBank capitalizes on this concept but provides benefits specific to the legal profession.

We so appreciated the opportunity to see the LawBank space and learn more about this unique contribution to the Denver legal community. We look forward to hearing how this concept might grow – and hopefully will be invited to the opening of a LawBank franchise!

And for those of you who remember our last post about Jay Kamlet, you might be interested to know we had the pleasure of meeting his globe-trotting oldest daughter, who is helping out her dear old dad by working the LawBank front desk. Jay’s daughter will be leaving soon for her next adventure – a trip to Israel where she hopes to work with animals and experience all that she can!