Quick Facts

• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP 
• 260 attorneys and policy consultants 
• 500 total employees 
• 12 offices

History

Norman Brownstein, Jack Hyatt and Steven Farber, three entrepreneurial University of Colorado law school graduates, pooled their resources in 1968 to create Brownstein Hyatt & Farber. With a steadfast commitment to legal excellence, client service and the community, the firm quickly grew into one of the most widely recognized law and policy firms in the western U.S. and gained a reputation for being a political powerhouse. Forty years and two mergers later, and dedicated to the same values the firm was founded upon, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck now boasts one of the region’s largest real estate practices, as well as national corporate, natural resources and litigation practices, and one of the fastest growing lobbying practices in Washington, DC.

The firm is home to 250 attorneys and policy consultants and 250 support staff in offices across the western U.S. and in Washington, DC. Whether they spend their days in the courtroom, boardroom or on the Hill, attorneys and policy consultants at Brownstein share similar qualities – energy, passion and a commitment to the community. They are inspired by the challenges presented by their work and as a result are constantly staying one step ahead of client’s needs in order to ensure business objectives are met.

Practice Areas

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck practices in the areas of corporate and business law, government relations and public policy, litigation, natural resources law, real estate law and gaming law. Within these concentrations, the firm works in real estate development, hospitality, private equity, telecommunications, technology, manufacturing, construction, energy, water, banking and finance, as well as many other industries and practice areas.

Client Base

The firm represents local, national and international clients in legal and lobbying matters across a wide array of industries including real estate, hospitality, private equity, telecommunications, technology, construction, energy, banking, finance, gaming and water.

Recent Mergers

As a result of two mergers since January 2007, the firm saw incredible growth, nearly doubling in size.

In January 2007, Brownstein Hyatt & Farber merged with Las Vegas-based Schreck Brignone to form Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, headquartered in Denver. The merger added an internationally known private equity/gaming practice to the firm’s list of offerings. Brownstein retained Schreck Brignone clients Wynn Resorts, Inc., MGM MIRAGE, Mandalay Resort Group, Park Place Entertainment, Inc. and Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc.

In January 2008, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck merged with Hatch & Parent, a California-based law firm best known for its unprecedented work in public agency and water law. With the addition of Hatch & Parent, Brownstein became the premier water law and policy practice in the West, bringing on Hatch & Parent clients Nestle Waters North America, San Diego County Water Authority, South Tahoe Public Utility District, and the Cities of Fresno and Oxnard.

Executive Committee

• Bruce A. James, managing partner
• Norman Brownstein, chairman of the board and founding partner 
• Steven W. Farber, president and founding partner
• Robert J. Saperstein, managing shareholder of California offices 
• Ellen Schulhofer, managing shareholder of Las Vegas office 
• Steven C. Demby, shareholder 
• Adam J. Agron, shareholder 
• Blane R. Prescott, chief executive officer (ex officio member)
• Dean A. Nakayama, chief operating officer (ex officio member) 
• Lisa M. Simon, chief marketing officer (ex officio member)

Department Chairs

• Corporate and Business: Kevin A. Cudney and Adam J. Agron 
• Government Relations: Alfred E. Mottur and Michael F. Feeley
• Litigation: John V. McDermott and Peter J. Korneffel, Jr.
• Natural Resources: Stephanie Osler Hastings and Mark J. Mathews
• Real Estate: Robert Kaufmann and Ana Lazo Tenzer  

Offices

Based in Denver, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has 12 offices in the western U.S. and Washington, DC in the following locations:

• Albuquerque, N.M. 
• Denver, Colo. 
• Las Vegas, Nev. 
• Los Angeles, Calif. 
• Orange County, Calif. 
• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Reno, Nev. 
• Sacramento, Calif. 
• San Diego, Calif. 
• Santa Barbara, Calif. 
• Santa Fe, N.M. 
• Washington, D.C.

Firm Recognition

• Brownstein’s most recent recognition for diversity efforts was our selection for the 2010 Qwest Diversity Leadership Award that is presented annually by the Diversity in the Legal Profession Committee of the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations.
• Brownstein’s Washington, DC lobbying practice remained at #5 on Roll Call’s rankings of the top lobbying firms in Washington for the 2010 filings. The firm has risen in the rankings from #18 in 2006 to #5 starting in 2009.
• In July 2011, Brownstein ranked #93 on the MultiCultural Law Magazine’s Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity. Further, the firm ranked #50 the list of Top 100 Law Firms for Women and #11 on the list of Top 25 Law Firms for Native Americans.
• The American Lawyer ranked Brownstein #90 in their 2011 Pro Bono score ranking of the 200 highest grossing firms. Half of the score comes from the average number of pro bono hours per lawyer in 2010, while the other half represents the percentage of lawyers who performed more than 20 hours of pro bono work. 
• In 2011, Brownstein was ranked #171 on The American Lawyer’s AmLaw 200.
• Brownstein was ranked #185 on the National Law Journal’s NLJ 250 in 2011.
• The 2011 Chambers USA Guide recognized Brownstein as among the top practices in real estate (Colorado), corporate and commercial (Nevada and New Mexico), gaming and licensing (Nevada). Additionally, Brownstein was ranked among the best in real estate (Nevada) and litigation - general commercial (Colorado and Nevada), labor and employment, natural resources and environment, corporate/mergers and acquisitions (Colorado).
• Forty-two of Brownstein’s attorneys were selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012 published by Woodward/White, Inc. 
• The 2011 Chambers USA Guide ranked 27 Brownstein attorneys among the best in their respective fields.  
• Six of the firm’s lawyers were named among Lawdragon’s Top 500 Dealmakers in 2009, a distinction received by less than one percent of the more than one million lawyers in the U.S.
• Brownstein received the most first-tier rankings in the U.S. in Water Law, as well as a national first-tier ranking in Litigation – Labor and Employment by US News Media Group and Best Lawyers in 2011. 
• Acquisition International Magazine chose Brownstein as Securities Law Firm of the Year in 2011.
• Across the firm, 9.3% of our attorney population is counted as diverse. This earned the firm a rank of #107 on the Minority Law Journal’s 2010 Diversity Scorecard, up from #132 in 2009. 
• With 33% of our attorneys who are women, Brownstein was ranked #13 in The American Lawyer’s first Women in Law Firms study. In these June 2009 rankings, editors of The American Lawyer also noted that among the AmLaw 200 firms, Brownstein has the third highest percentage of women partners. 
• In November 2009, the National Law Journal ranked Brownstein #5 on the list of The Top 20 [Law Firms] for Women Partners, reflecting that 27.73% of Brownstein shareholders are women. 
• On July 14, 2008, the New York Times called Brownstein "one of the fastest-growing lobbying shops in Washington and one of the most powerful firms in the West..." 
• Bruce James, managing partner and CEO, was named to Lawdragon’s 100 Managing Partners You Need to Know list in 2008. 
• Brownstein was named one of the most highly commended “Water Law Firms of the Year” at Global Water Intelligence (GWI) Global Water Awards in 2008.

Community Involvement

For forty years, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck has been committed to giving back to the local community. Attorneys in all offices volunteer for non-profit boards, advocate on behalf of the disadvantaged, participate in charity events and offer pro-bono services. Nearly half of the attorneys and policy consultants at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck sit on boards for non-profit and civic organizations. The firm also has a Karma Committee, a group that gives attorneys and staff the chance to get involved in the community by planning events for each of the firm's offices. Past Karma Committee events have included delivering Valentines to kids at the Children’s Hospital in Denver, as well as participating in breast cancer awareness walks in five cities, holiday toy drives and beach and school clean-ups.

Media Inquiries

Susan Erlenborn
303.223.1436 (o)
303.910.7365 (c )
serlenborn@bhfs.com