Scott A. Brairton

Cheryl F. Smith earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science at Lehigh University and her J.D. from New York Law School, where she earned the public service certificate and was on the Dean’s List. Prior to joining RWO, Cheryl worked in boutique law firms in New York City. Cheryl practices in the area of domestic relations. She understands that going through a divorce is difficult and approaches every case with the client’s best interest as her main focus. Her wor...

Kama McConaughy Sarkissian focuses her practice in all areas of family law. Ms. McConaughy Sarkissian has an extensive background in complex litigation, settlement negotiations, and appeals, having represented clients throughout the state of Colorado. Ms. McConaughy Sarkissian is experienced in representing clients in all areas of family law, from financially complex divorce cases to high profile custody matters. While she strives to develop creative settlement solutions for her clients, she ...

Emily Hippen focuses her practice on the acquisition, disposition, development and financing of commercial real estate projects located throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Emily successfully guides transactions from the land acquisition stage to ultimate disposition by combining her transactional expertise with her strong relationships with colleagues in other practice areas and attorneys in local markets. Emily understands that her clients’ successes may revolve around tigh...

Lisa Shimel is a partner based out of Otteson Shapiro’s Denver office. She brings more than 30 years of experience in commercial, real estate, and lending transactions and litigation. She represents bank and non-bank financial institutions in loan documentation, defaults, workouts, foreclosure matters, secured creditor bankruptcy, and operational and regulatory issues. Lisa also advises individuals and businesses on real estate purchases and sales, leasing, lending transactions and gene...

Thirty-five years navigating complex land use and water issues. Facilitated hundreds of millions in water rights deals. Respected authority on water, land use and environmental law matters. Few can rival Wayne’s experience handling high-profile land use, water, environmental and condemnation matters. Public entities and private companies throughout the Rocky Mountain region have counted on his experience to handle challenging land use and water issues, including water rights litigation ...

Accomplished trial counsel with experience litigating a wide range of disputes. Adds value with flexible and creative approach to matters and deep courtroom experience. Recognized community leader committed to giving back and pro bono work. Justin Cohen is a commercial litigator who counsels clients in disputes concerning contract-based issues, fraud and other business torts, and breach of fiduciary duty. Justin brings a depth of experience to the courtroom, having served as trial counsel in ...

Mark R. Goldschmidt is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law and Corporate Law. Mark R., who practices law in Denver, Colorado, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mark R. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Co-founding partner, Stan Garnett, focuses his practice on complex litigation at the state and federal level. He is well-known for providing a solutions-based approach, from arbitration to litigation. With decades of experience on some of Colorado’s most high-profile cases and beyond, Stan is a reliable, steady hand for all types of clients facing high-stakes litigation. He’s an expert at leading a team of lawyers to help clients, whether through the court system or less formal re...

About Banafsheh Banafsheh Lari is an associate attorney with Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C. and a member of the Family Law Team. Banafsheh earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Affairs with an emphasis on the Middle East from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2012. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2015. Banafsheh began her legal career as a law clerk in Adams County District Court primarily for the Honorable Jac...

Mike Sanchez practices employee benefits, tax, and healthcare law. He counsels his clients on planning and structuring employee benefits plans. Mike often serves as a legal advisor to professional services entities and coordinates with other Taft attorneys to address these clients’ diverse legal needs.