The Current building at 3615 Delgany St. as seen in December 2022, when it was still under construction. The law firm Moye White has since moved in. (BusinessDen file)
A large majority of employees at the Moye White law firm — including its managing partner and its only named partner — are leaving for another firm, it was announced Monday.
Eighty employees are joining the Denver office of Fennemore, a national firm, later this month, according to a Fennemore press release. Their decision comes two years after the death of Moye White’s founder and raises questions about that firm’s future.
“This new chapter at Fennemore is a testament to our dedication to a future-focused, innovative legal practice,” Ted White — the White in Moye White — said in the press release.
Ted White, the White in Moye White.
Ted White and Merc Pittinos, the managing partner at Moye White, did not answer requests for comment. Neither did the firm’s spokeswoman and its marketing director.
John Moye started the firm that would become Moye White in the summer of 1976 and grew it into the 13-largest law firm in Denver. It also has offices in Basalt and Atlanta. The firm handles an array of real estate and business matters, ranging from contracts to litigation.
Moye, who also taught at the University of Denver, died in May 2022 at 77.
Fifty Moye White lawyers and 30 other staff will join Fennemore this month, according to the latter firm. Only 10 Moye White attorneys were not offered jobs at Fennemore.
Fennemore leases just under 23,000 square feet at the Wells Fargo Center at 1700 Lincoln St., according to CoStar. Its CEO, James Goodnow, says it wants a bigger space.
“Fennemore’s current plan is to move some of our new team members into Fennemore’s office in the Wells Fargo Center and others potentially into subleased space while we seek a long-term space that can accommodate our larger head count,” he said Monday.
Fennimore CEO James Goodnow.
Fennemore was founded in Phoenix in 1885 and has 500 employees spread across 17 Western cities. It has acquired four law firms just this year, according to its press release.
“Our expansion into Denver is a strategic move that aligns perfectly with Fennemore’s vision for growth and innovation,” Goodnow said, touting “Denver’s dynamic economy.”
The Moye White news was first reported by The American Lawyer, an industry publication.
Moye White moved its office from downtown Denver to 3615 Delgany St. last year, becoming the city’s first major law firm to operate from RiNo, a nascent office district.
The firm leases about 42,500 square feet in the new 12-story The Current building developed by Seattle-based Schnitzer West. It’s not clear what Monday’s news means for that lease.
