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I promise. I swear. Every thought, typo, incoherent sentence, they are all mine. Anthropic, Claude, Co-Pilot…none of these robots had anything to do with this article. I also ask that no one who reads this article share my thoughts with any AI robot, because I fear they will retaliate against me, my law firm, my family, my neighborhood, the list goes on.
I’m sure many of you reading this quarterly newsletter expected our firm to opine of the upcoming elections, the scourge of antisemitism, the danger posed by the rise of the democratic Socialists of America, or the absurdity of the election deniers. While all of that is good fodder, I think you’ve heard me rail on these issues enough. You haven’t however heard me rail against AI and its impact on law firms (not to mention the entire planet).
We are all sick and tired of the daily podcasts, news articles and TV reports about the rise and domination of AI. It’s overwhelming and frightening. Will AI lead us to a mass extinction event in the next few years? Will anyone in Congress compel real AI regulation? Will the world’s smartest man Donald Trump solve this issue? I don’t know about you but I think the Terminator (and Sam Altman) probably could outsmart Trump, so I don’t think he is the solution.
The reality is AI is a part of our lives now and we have to get used to it. I can guarantee that every law firm in this country has some form of an AI platform that gets used by associates on a daily basis, not to mention tech savvy partners, and even some of us partners who are beginning to get a little long in the tooth. Every industry uses AI now and most people have searched for something using ChatGPT. We all preach about the dangers of AI but we all still use it. We don’t have to. We could reject it and boycott the industry. But every person reading this knows that humans will always err on the side of ease, technology and advancement. We won’t turn away from it, so what are our options? Dare I say…Responsible Moderation.
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| |  | At FGMC we have a very well thought out AI policy. We do not allow our firm to rely on AI, but we do encourage safe and efficient use as a research and drafting guide. We ensure a closed system to protect client confidentiality which is central to everything we do. Attorneys cannot, and should not, substitute their own human intelligence for computer intelligence. How the specifics of a corporate transaction, lawsuit or injury case impacts a real client should be carefully and thoughtfully evaluated and processed by an excellent lawyer. Our clients demand and are entitled to that human element and we will consistently deliver a real life product, aided by technology. Never replaced by that technology. Bar associations across the country are working and re-working the ethical rules for the use of AI in the practice of law. Hopefully the legal industry will regulate itself because it is very unlikely we will see AI regulation on a federal level, let alone some worldwide agreement that will tame this beast. I hope we can figure this out, I hope we don’t have a mass extinction event, and I hope Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t come to eradicate all humanity.
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IN THIS ISSUE
- Awards
- Welcome Our Newest Attorneys
- Pardon Our Dust: FGMC is Under Construction
- High School Boot Camp Update
- Practice Area Highlight
| | Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP is proud to announce that Daniel Calisher and David Wm. Foster have been named 2027 “Lawyer of the Year” recipients by The Best Lawyers in America®. Daniel Calisher was recognized for Litigation – Real Estate, while David Wm. Foster was recognized for Land Use and Zoning Law. Please join us in congratulating Daniel and David on this distinguished recognition! | | Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP Lawyers Recognized as 2027 Best Lawyers Award Recipients | |
Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP is pleased to announce that the following attorneys have been included in the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.
Please join us in congratulating the following attorneys:
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Daniel Calisher – Commercial Litigation, Litigation Banking and Finance, Litigation Construction and Litigation Real Estate
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John A. Chanin – Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, and Litigation Banking and Finance
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Drew Demers – Commercial Litigation, and Real Estate Law
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David WM. Foster – Government Relations Practice, Land Use and Zoning Law, Real Estate Law
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Michael G. Milstein – Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants and Litigation – Real Estate
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Katherine A. Roush – Commercial Litigation, Litigation Real Estate and Litigation Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy)
| | Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP Lawyers Recognized as 2027 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America | |
We are very pleased to announce that 6 Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP attorneys have been recognized in the 2027 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch®. This designation recognizes lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.
Please join us in congratulating the following attorneys:
| | John Chanin and Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP Ranked in Chambers USA Guide, Colorado-Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations | |
Join us in congratulating John Chanin, who was once again ranked by Chambers USA for his work in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations-related litigation. Chambers USA is the leading legal ranking agency. Chambers ranks America’s leading attorneys who have been identified as the best in their field by their peers and clients based on interviews with attorneys and clients.
FGMC was also recognized with a firm ranking in this practice area, reflecting our deep experience representing businesses and individuals in civil, regulatory, and criminal matters.
| | Our very own Tim Foster made the Denver Post's list of the Top 150 Coloradans of the past 150 years! | | |
We couldn’t be prouder to see Tim recognized among the individuals who have made a lasting impact on Colorado. The Denver Post highlighted Tim’s remarkable 17-year tenure as president of Mesa State College, during which he helped guide the institution through its transition to Colorado Mesa University.
Before returning home to Grand Junction, Tim also served in the Colorado House of Representatives, where he rose to become a majority leader. His career reflects a deep commitment to Colorado, higher education, public service, and the Grand Junction community.
We are incredibly proud of Tim and all he has accomplished throughout his career—and even prouder that he is part of our firm.
Congratulations, Tim, on this well-deserved recognition!
| | Welcome Our Newest Attorneys | | |
Jadon R. Perryman focuses his practice on criminal defense, FOP and litigation. He brings hands-on courtroom experience to his practice, having participated in multiple misdemeanor jury trials and handled a variety of hearings and proceedings during his time with the District Attorney’s Office for the 18th Judicial District.
Jadon previously worked as a Law Clerk at Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, where he gained experience researching and writing on a broad range of civil and criminal legal issues and assisting with case preparation.
Jadon earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, graduating in the top 10% of his class.
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Hunter focuses his practice on land use and real estate. Hunter previously served as a Law Clerk at Foster Graham Milstein & Calisher, LLP, which provided him with firsthand experience working with the firm’s attorneys and strengthened his understanding of the practical aspects of representing clients.
Hunter graduated in the top 10% of his class from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and earned his B.A. in Government and Economics from St. Lawrence University.
| | | Pardon Our Dust: FGMC Is Under Construction! | | |
We have some exciting news to share—and, depending on the day, you may also hear a little noise coming from our Denver office!
Back in our Q1 newsletter, we shared that FGMC had expanded beyond Colorado with the opening of our Los Angeles office, joining our Denver and Grand Junction offices. While we are excited to be growing outside of our Denver home base, we realized something else was happening right here at home: we were growing here, too!
As our firm has continued to grow, so has the need for a space that can grow with us. We wanted to make sure that our office continues to provide the best possible experience for our clients, colleagues, friends and family—which brings us to our current project: a little (okay, maybe not so little) remodel.
And when we say remodel, we mean we are knee-deep in the demo stage.
A New Welcome for Our Clients
One of the biggest changes you'll notice is where you'll go when you visit us. Once the remodel is complete, the 4th floor will become your new front door to FGMC. Our receptionist will be located on the 4th floor, and our new reception area will be the place to check in, meet with our team and get where you need to go. No more heading up to the 6th floor when you visit us—we'll have everything you need right on the 4th floor.
All of Our Attorneys—Under One Roof (Well, One Floor)
Another major change is happening on the 6th floor, where all of our attorneys will now be together in one central location.
For far too long, our attorneys have been spread across two floors. Yes, we know—it doesn't sound that far. But trust us, when you aren't passing those familiar, friendly faces multiple times throughout the day, it definitely feels far!
One of the things that makes FGMC unique is the constant interaction among our attorneys. We have lawyers with experience across a wide range of practice areas, and we thrive on being able to walk across the hall, grab a colleague and ask for an opinion or another perspective.
That collaboration is one of our strengths, and it is something we never take for granted. Bringing everyone together will make it even easier to share ideas, collaborate and do what we do best: serve our clients.
And Then There Is the Really Fun Part…
Perhaps the most exciting change of all is our brand-new event space!
We are creating a much larger, more functional space that will allow us to host client meetings, depositions, mock trials, friendly visits and, of course, all of the community events you've come to know and love.
We can't wait to fill the new space with familiar faces, new faces, good conversations and plenty of memories.
Wish Us Luck!
For now, however, we are firmly in the before picture.
There is dust. There is demo. There is constant pounding and banging. There is construction noise—and probably several other words for noise that we probably shouldn't put in the newsletter.
So, if you happen to visit us over the next few months, please pardon our dust and wish us luck! We are going to need it.
We are incredibly excited about what these changes mean for FGMC—and even more excited about what they will mean for you, our clients, friends and family.
Stay tuned. We can't wait to show you what we've been building!
—FGMC Remodel Committee
| | The High School Boot Camp Is Still Here! | | |
Despite our ongoing construction, our High School Boot Camp will continue! We don’t have the next date confirmed just yet, but be sure to watch for our Q4 newsletter, where we’ll announce the date and registration details.
For more than 12 years, FGMC attorneys have helped parents and high school students understand the legal challenges teenagers may face in Colorado. The two-hour seminar covers topics including alcohol and drugs, social media and sexting, criminal consequences, school investigations, and other issues that can have lasting consequences.
The seminar is open to students in grades 9–12 and their parents or legal guardians. Students must attend with at least one parent or legal guardian. Please note that the presentation may include explicit content and language.
We’ve educated more than 10,000 parents and students through these seminars, and we look forward to continuing this important community service.
Watch for our Q4 newsletter for the next date and registration details, or join our waitlist to be notified personally when the date is released.
Join our waitlist HERE.
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Mergers & Acquisitions
The following transactions highlight some of the Mergers & Acquisitions matters our group handled this past quarter. If you would like to learn more or speak with one of our Mergers & Acquisitions attorneys, please contact Evan Husney.
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Represented an investor in acquiring a 25% membership interest in an established gym and extending a secured line of credit to fund its expansion into an adjacent space. Brian McQuinn handled the transaction.
Represented the sellers, a family-owned metals recycling business and the affiliated partnership that owned its industrial site, in the approximately $40 million sale of substantially all business assets together with the underlying real property to a strategic buyer. Evan Husney, Julia Koren, Kayla Trafford, and Brian McQuinn worked on the transaction.
Represented a seller in a $4.5 million equity sale and contribution transaction involving the sale of a Colorado community-association property management business, resolving discrepancies between the target's management and project-services contracts uncovered during diligence, and untangling a mismatch between the target's state and federal corporate filings for a related entity. Evan Husney, Brian McQuinn, and Steven Weiser worked on the transaction.
Represented the seller, a closely held commercial low voltage and structured cabling contractor, and its shareholders in the approximately $600,000 sale of substantially all of the company's assets to a strategic industry buyer. Also negotiated a related transition services agreement providing approximately $500,000 in additional post-closing payments to the sellers, and represented the owners' affiliate as landlord in a new lease of the operating facility to the buyer. Brian McQuinn handled the transaction.
Represented the founder of a leadership development and executive education company in its sale to a strategic buyer. The transaction included approximately $2.4 million in upfront consideration, together with the potential for substantial additional post-closing earnout payments, and required the resolution of several intellectual property ownership and protection issues identified during diligence. The FGMC team included Evan Husney, Brian McQuinn, Kayla Trafford, and Steven Weiser.
Represented a Denver-area restaurateur in the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of another restaurant to open a new restaurant concept in the purchaser’s existing restaurant space. We also represented the purchaser in negotiating the related lease for the premises and coordinated the closing of several interdependent transactions necessary to complete the deal. The FGMC team on this deal included Evan Husney, Kayla Trafford, and Julia Koren.
Represented a buyer in the acquisition of 100% of the stock of a Denver-area retail wireless telecommunications business from his employer. The transaction involved specialized financing and other terms tailored to the parties’ unique circumstances and existing relationship, while also requiring us to navigate an expedited timeline to successfully close the deal. The FGMC team on this deal included Kayla Trafford and Brian McQuinn.
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Contact Us
Offices in Denver, Grand Junction and Los Angeles
Phone: (303) 333-9810 Fax: (303) 333-9786
Website: fostergraham.com
Mailing Address
360 S Garfield St., Suite 600
Denver, CO 80209
FGMC is a Colorado law firm serving most personal and business legal needs.
We offer clients the power of a large law firm with the personal service of a boutique law firm.
Practice areas include:
Auto Accident / Personal Injury Law, Appellate Practice, Business / Corporate / Finance / Mergers & Acquisitions,
Criminal Defense, Employment Law, Estate Planning / Tax Planning, Government Affairs, Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense, Land Use And Real Estate, Law Enforcement Representation, Litigation
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