Fennemore’s offices at The Current, 3615 Delgany St. in RiNo. (Courtesy Fennemore)
A year after gobbling up one of the city’s largest law firms in Moye White, Fennemore is expanding in Denver again with the acquisition of a small construction law firm.
Galvanize Law’s eight attorneys and three staff will join the national, Phoenix-based firm Oct. 1. It is an unlikely move for Galvanize founders Kate Strauss and January Allen.
“Neither of us ever had an expectation that we would be anything other than Galvanize, a small- to mid-sized law firm serving the construction industry,” Strauss said Tuesday.
She and Allen both acknowledged feeling some apprehension about the move from a niche firm they founded in 2020 to Fennemore, which has 330 lawyers across its 19 offices.
Kate Strauss, left, and January Allen with Galvanize Law in Denver. (Courtesy of Fennemore)
“As a boutique, we liked that we were not Big Law,” Strauss said. “But as we entered into the process of meeting with Fennemore, with the Denver team, everybody really started to say, ‘Some of the things we don’t like about Big Law we’re not seeing in Fennemore.’”
“It was a concern for us and for our team initially,” Allen said of Big Law’s reputation for wearing out employees. “But as Kate said, at every meeting we’ve had with Fennemore, they’ve really proven that they are unique and do not have those stereotypical behaviors.”
Conversations between the firms began in the spring. Fennemore CEO James Goodnow said his firm identified construction law as a major need in Denver, then a member of his staff recommended Galvanize. Goodnow called it “a bit of a matchmaker story.”
Fennemore has been on a buying spree in recent years. In April 2024, it hired 80 employees from Moye White and took over that former firm’s space at 3615 Delgany St. in RiNo.
“There is nothing imminently on the horizon, I can tell you that,” Goodnow told BusinessDen on Tuesday when asked if more large Denver hires are coming. “I don’t think we would be doing our jobs, though, if we didn’t keep scanning for opportunities in the marketplace.”
Fennemore’s offices at The Current, 3615 Delgany St. in RiNo. (Courtesy Fennemore)
A year after gobbling up one of the city’s largest law firms in Moye White, Fennemore is expanding in Denver again with the acquisition of a small construction law firm.
Galvanize Law’s eight attorneys and three staff will join the national, Phoenix-based firm Oct. 1. It is an unlikely move for Galvanize founders Kate Strauss and January Allen.
“Neither of us ever had an expectation that we would be anything other than Galvanize, a small- to mid-sized law firm serving the construction industry,” Strauss said Tuesday.
She and Allen both acknowledged feeling some apprehension about the move from a niche firm they founded in 2020 to Fennemore, which has 330 lawyers across its 19 offices.
Kate Strauss, left, and January Allen with Galvanize Law in Denver. (Courtesy of Fennemore)
“As a boutique, we liked that we were not Big Law,” Strauss said. “But as we entered into the process of meeting with Fennemore, with the Denver team, everybody really started to say, ‘Some of the things we don’t like about Big Law we’re not seeing in Fennemore.’”
“It was a concern for us and for our team initially,” Allen said of Big Law’s reputation for wearing out employees. “But as Kate said, at every meeting we’ve had with Fennemore, they’ve really proven that they are unique and do not have those stereotypical behaviors.”
Conversations between the firms began in the spring. Fennemore CEO James Goodnow said his firm identified construction law as a major need in Denver, then a member of his staff recommended Galvanize. Goodnow called it “a bit of a matchmaker story.”
Fennemore has been on a buying spree in recent years. In April 2024, it hired 80 employees from Moye White and took over that former firm’s space at 3615 Delgany St. in RiNo.
“There is nothing imminently on the horizon, I can tell you that,” Goodnow told BusinessDen on Tuesday when asked if more large Denver hires are coming. “I don’t think we would be doing our jobs, though, if we didn’t keep scanning for opportunities in the marketplace.”
