Bryan Cave Forms International Mega Firm

Lisa Mayhew and Therese Pritchard will be co-chairs of the international law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. / Courtesy Photo

Following a vote by the partnerships of both Bryan Cave and Berwin Leighton Paisner, the two law firms will merge. The new firm, officially launching in April, will be called Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. 

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner will have 32 offices across 11 countries, with approximately 1,600 lawyers. The firm will have combined revenues of more than $900 million, ranking it among the 50 largest law firms in the world.


Bryan Cave is among the largest law firms in Colorado with 87 attorneys across three offices in the state, according to Law Week’s Colorado 200 list, updated most recently in November. According to a press release from Bryan Cave, the firm will have the world’s fourth-largest real estate practice, an international financial services practice present in all of the world’s largest financial centers and an international litigation and corporate risk practice. 

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner also will have international industry sector and specialist offerings including cyber and data security, energy and natural resources, food and agritech, hospitality, international corporate tax, retail, private wealth, sports and entertainment and technology.

The new combined firm will be led by co-chairs Therese Pritchard and Lisa Mayhew.

“Both firms have long traditions of building strong relationships — both with clients and within our firms, Pritchard said. “This legacy is reflected in shared values, including a core belief that our greatest asset is our people and our greatest responsibility is to our clients.”

“Our combination is rooted in a shared determination to do something fresh and different for clients,” said Mayhew.

Bryan Cave is a law firm with 900 lawyers in 25 offices in North America, Europe and Asia. 

In Colorado, it has offices in Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver. 

The firm represents publicly held multinational corporations, large and mid-sized privately held companies, emerging companies, nonprofit and community organizations, government entities, and individuals.

Berwin Leighton Paisner is an international law firm headquartered in London. It has 14 offices across the world focused on client-led innovation. 

It provides services to clients including managed legal services, visualization and streamline process mapping.

Associate Watch

Aditi Kulkarni-Knight has joined the trial department of Davis Graham & Stubbs as an associate.

Prior to joining DGS, Kulkarni-Knight was a litigation associate at Squire Patton Boggs. 

She earned her law degree from the University of Colorado. While she was in law school, she served as class treasurer, a member of the Colorado Technology Law Journal and vice president of the Asian Pacific American Law Students’ Association. Kulkarni-Knight currently sits on the University of Colorado Law Alumni Board. She received her bachelor’s degree from Seattle Pacific University.

New Partners

Trevor Bartel

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie

Practice: Litigation

Position: Partner

Trevor Bartel practices complex corporate and business litigation, including breach of contract disputes, real property disputes, construction defect cases, mechanics liens and collection actions. He received a law degree from the University of Colorado Law School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado.

Emily Charlesworth

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie

Practice: Business Transactions

Position: Partner

Emily Charlesworth is a finance, leasing and real estate attorney who represents lenders in secured lending transactions, loan syndications and loan participations. She received a law degree from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Lee Fanyo

Lewis Bess Williams & Weese 

Practice: Energy, Business

Position: Director and Shareholder

Lee Fanyo joined the firm in 2012 after serving as a judicial law clerk to Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid. Fanyo advises public and private companies and their management on mergers, acquisitions, financing and similar matters.  

John McHugh 

Reilly Pozner

Practice: Litigation

Position: Partner

John McHugh is a 2009 graduate of New York University School of Law who joined Reilly Pozner in 2011 after working for two years on complex civil litigation in Manhattan at the international litigation law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. 

Nicole Quintana

Ogborn Mihm

Practice: Business litigation, legal malpractice

Position: Partner

Nicole Quintana has spent the better part of the last decade distinguishing herself as a trial lawyer and teacher of trial practice. She represents clients in high stakes business litigation, plaintiff’s legal malpractice and catastrophic personal injury cases.

Judicial Nominations

The 5th Judicial District Nominating Commission has nominated two candidates for a Clear Creek County Court judgeship created by the appointment of Judge Rachel Olguin-Fresquez to the Eagle County Court, effective Feb. 1. 

Nominees Bryan Garrett of Georgetown and Cynthia Jones of Eagle were selected in a meeting in Georgetown on Monday, Feb. 26.

Under the Colorado Constitution, the governor has 15 days from Feb. 27 to appoint one of the nominees as county court judge for Clear Creek County. 

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