Holland & Hart is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Commercial and Tax Litigation partner Jon Bender as the Administrative Partner of the Denver office who succeeds Corporate partner Sue Oakes. As a member of the firm's senior leadership team, Administrative Partners are integral to the implementation of the firm's strategic plan in each market.
Jon Bender is a longstanding member of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee and served as a practice group Diversity Lieutenant. He has been an engaged member of the Recruitment Committee and a longtime mentor and supervisor of associates and summer clerks.
Jon has also held leadership roles with local professional and community organizations, most recently as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado. He is also a fellow of the Colorado Bar Foundation.
In his business litigation practice, Jon advises clients in a variety of industries, including ski resorts, mining, real estate development, oil and gas, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, and financial services. He has broad experience litigating breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, and fraud-based claims, and has successfully tried multiple cases to judgment and verdict. In his state and local tax practice, he regularly represents clients in sales, use, and property tax matters.
Sue Oakes has served as Denver Administrative Partner since 2020, deftly managing the health and safety and work arrangement challenges of COVID and the transition to hybrid work. Sue serves on the Board of Trustees of the Colorado Symphony and is past-President and a Board Member of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra Association.
Sue skillfully navigates M&A transactions and equity financings both in the US and internationally. Sue is a seasoned boardroom and executive team advisor, often acting as outside general counsel. She advises management teams and boards of directors with respect to strategic and financial transactions and other relationships, board and shareholder fiduciary obligations, general corporate matters, business and intellectual property strategies, executive compensation and employment agreements, and formation of new business entities.
About Holland & Hart
Holland & Hart is a full-service law firm with approximately 500 lawyers in 13 offices. Throughout the Mountain West, from coast to coast and beyond, Holland & Hart provides clients with astute legal counsel from a vantage like no other. For more information, visit hollandhart.com.