© 2013 The Texas Lawbook.
By Natalie Posgate
Staff Writer for The Texas Lawbook
Skiing, fly fishing, mountain biking, vacation homes, craft breweries, cooler summers … Colorado attractions have long beckoned Texans, perennially making the Lone Star State one of the two largest out-of-state markets (along with California) for Rocky Mountain tourism. In recent years, the Centennial State has added a lure: a promising legal market.
And Texas business lawyers have headed northwest with enthusiasm. Since 2006, at least five Texas-based firms with business law specialties have opened offices in Colorado, a state also known for its vibrant energy, banking, health care and real estate industries. While some firms logically cite the business activity as the driving force for an expansion, others point to Colorado’s obvious geographic appeal.
Highly respected Norton Rose Fulbright (formerly Fulbright & Jaworski) started the migration trend by opening a Denver office in 2006. Early in the decision-making process, Poe Leggette claimed the title as Fulbright’s main advocate for opening a Denver office. Leggette said he realized, as early as 2003, the growth potential in the demand for natural gas and crude oil in North America. That, in turn, would cause vast resources in the West to become attractive to oil and gas companies.
“It seemed appropriate to have an office there to service our Texas-based clients who were returning to the Rockies,” said Leggette, now partner-in-charge of Norton Rose Fulbright’s Denver office.
Since the government owns much of the Rockies, Leggette added that opening an office in Denver made sense because Norton Rose Fulbright has an expertise in the development of minerals on federal lands.
Since the office opened, the number of Denver-based Norton Rose Fulbright lawyers has grown from four to 13.
Other Houston-based firms followed Fulbright to Denver.
Managing shareholder Wayne Risoli said Chamberlain Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry opened a Denver office in 2009 after a partner decided he wanted to move closer to family in Colorado.
In 2011 the quickly growing full-service energy law firm Burleson LLP arrived in Denver.
In 2010, Dallas-based Stinnett Thiebaud & Remington, a firm known for its civil litigation and health care law practices, arrived in Colorado Springs.
In addition, a handful of Texas firms have considered expanding to Colorado as part of their strategic planning. Though both firms say they have no immediate plans for expansion, Porter Hedges and Vinson & Elkins have previously told The Texas Lawbook that they would consider opening offices in Colorado.
The most recent Colorado arrival is Dallas-based Rose Walker, which opened an office in March in Durango, best known as a vacation and recreational area.
Firm managing partner Marty Rose said Durango made the most sense because it created an opportunity for Rose Walker to be the first national firm to have an office in the Four Corners area.
This reasoning led Rose to conclude that Durango was the more attractive alternative over Denver, typically the hub for Colorado’s law firms. Rose also said that he had heard rumors for years of various Denver firms planning to open offices in Southwestern Colorado. So far, none have followed through.
“My view is if you open it, they will come,” Rose added. “I think clients are increasingly wanting somebody who has a geographical presence where they do significant business. We like the idea that it’s not so crowded.”
Heading Rose Walker’s Durango office is Duke Eggleston, former in-house general counsel and senior vice president of both Durango Mountain Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort, located near Lake Tahoe.
Rose said he had wanted to open a Colorado office for quite some time, but was waiting for the right person to help with the task. He called Eggleston the perfect fit for the job because he has litigation and transactional experience and is well known across the Four Corners area.
Currently, Eggleston is the only attorney based in the Durango office, but Rose said the office will grow as the business demand grows.
Eggleston noted that traditionally many Texans visit Southwest Colorado. Recently, however, the notion “has extended beyond the family vacation” as people realized they could run their businesses from Colorado – all of which creates an opportunity for Rose Walker’s Durango office to serve new clients.
“Colorado continues to grow and provide a vibrant business community,” Eggleston said. “The world has shrunk, and we want to be the firm that can serve all the needs of this vibrant region.”
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