Caplan and Earnest LLC in the Spotlight
Date: 03/10/2009
Contact: David W. Marks - Marketing Manager
Contact Phone: 303-443-8010
Location: Boulder, Colorado
To mark the Firm's 40th anniversary, the Boulder Chamber has recognized Caplan and Earnest LLC in their March Newsletter under the 'Member Spotlight' section.
Boulder law firm Caplan and Earnest LLC is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The firm provides counsel to businesses, individuals, and public institutions in Boulder County and throughout the state. In the past four decades, the firm has grown significantly, developing expertise in litigation, real estate and land use, banking, employment, education, healthcare, transactions, trusts and estates, and general business practice.
"Looking back, we had modest goals when founding the firm. Through the years we strived to anticipate and meet the needs of our clients. We found we could work effectively with clients around Colorado while maintaining the efficiency, culture and camaraderie of our single office in Boulder. So after 40 years, Caplan and Earnest is one of the largest independently and locally owned law firms in northern Colorado." says founder Gerald Caplan.
Caplan began an independent law practice, with his wife as bookkeeper, at a time when there was only one district attorney for all of Boulder County and Caplan was the Boulder County Trustee. His big break came when he was appointed attorney for the Boulder Valley School District in 1966, and he subsequently built a national reputation in education law. In 1969, Lane Earnest and Caplan joined to form the firm that still bears their names. Boulder Valley School District remains a client of the firm, and several other major community clients have been with the firm since the 1970s. The long relationships the firm has enjoyed with clients caused Caplan to note: "Though we value the interesting work offered by our statewide practice, Caplan and Earnest is still Boulder’s law firm, and we continue to provide trusted counsel to our local clients, many of whom we view as part of our extended family."
Through the years, Caplan and Earnest has been recognized for many community efforts and achievements. Co-founder Lane Earnest received the Chamber’s own Franny Reich award in 2006, and was inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame in 2007. Its current lawyers have been listed for many years as Colorado "SuperLawyers" and as Best Lawyers in America in the fields of health care, trusts and estates, nonprofit organizations, and education. Bill Kowalski, who heads the firm’s litigation group, is a member of the prestigious American Board of Trial Attorneys. The firm’s healthcare practice is one of the largest in the state, offering services to all kinds of health care providers, and member Sharon Caulfield is teaching a Bioethics and the Law course as an adjunct professor at the CU Law School for the fourth time; helping lawyers learn how to approach moral dilemmas in the healthcare field.
Mr. Caplan says that the field of law has become more complex. "We used to have generalists and now it is more specialized, but the role of the trusted counsel remains the same." Building on its origins, the firm now represents about 70 school districts in Colorado. Some of the firm’s newer areas of focus are specific to Boulder’s dynamic business community; however, "we are a hub for green industries and have been in a leadership position since Boulder identified that sector as a priority," says Caulfield. "Linnea Simons was a founder and remains the President of Naturally Boulder, an economic development organization for businesses in the sector called Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS)."
As a part of Boulder for a quarter of the city’s history, Caplan and Earnest has taken an active role in the celebration of Boulder’s Sesquicentennial (150 years). The firm is the Founder level business sponsor for the festivities with the City of Boulder. "The big question is, what is Boulder going to look like in the next 150 years?" says Marketing Manager David Marks. "The idea of the Sesquicentennial is to build community pride and not let people lose sight of its history, bringing together all of the generations of Boulder."
"We really value what the Boulder ethos is about and we think we know how those values will shape the community Boulder will become in the next 150 years," Caulfield added. "We believe the originality and intelligence that formed our culture will allow Boulder to continue to lead the nation as a place to live, do business, make science happen, and have healthy families. We are proud to claim both a history and a future in this place."
Caplan and Earnest LLC will also be the title sponsor for the Chamber's Issues Over Easy forum on April 7th featuring Jared Polis.
http://www.boulderchamber.com/memberspotlight032009.aspx