Diversity Scholarship
A Standing Call to Action: HRO Partner’s Legacy Inspires Diversity Scholarship
HRO partner Jim Bye was a remarkable man. On Jim Bye Day, an annual Holme Roberts & Owen LLP (HRO) event honoring his memory, speaker after speaker recalled Mr. Bye, not by reading notes off a page, but with genuine depth of feeling. This brilliant attorney and decent, humane man took that fundamental decency and humanity and applied it daily to the business of living and serving his community. His legacy of community service and his commitment to diversity live on in those he inspired and also in one very important aspect of his legacy at HRO: the James E. Bye Scholarship.
HRO established the James E. Bye Scholarship to honor our partner Jim Bye, and to further his drive for diversity in the legal profession and the community at large. The annual scholarship is awarded to one or two first-year students of diverse backgrounds, including race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability and sexual orientation from either the University of Denver Sturm College of Law or the University of Colorado School of Law or a national law school. The scholarship includes one-half of the recipient’s tuition for the second year of law school and a summer clerkship with HRO in the summer following the student’s first year of law school. The recipient is a student who exemplifies the qualities that have been the hallmark of James E. Bye’s legal career: demonstrated academic and professional excellence and an unwavering commitment to service to the community. The first Bye scholarship was awarded in February 2005.
Jim Bye Scholars
The following are profiles of Jim Bye scholars of recent years:
Ajay Singh 2009
Ajay was honored to be chosen as a James E. Bye Scholarship recipient for 2009. He feels a great sense of responsibility to be associated with the legacy of a man who has performed exemplary work in the field of law while also promoting diversity in the legal community. Ajay was touched by a story about Mr. Bye that involved him forgetting an injury to himself while deeply involved in his work. Ajay emphasizes the importance of diversity within the legal profession because it incorporates different viewpoints from various strata of society, thus enriching the legal system, and HRO’s scholarship program is a prime example of a national law firm taking steps toward increasing diversity. Ajay considers himself fortunate to work with a exemplary group of attorneys who have shown a keen interest in training a novice law student. Even after only a few days of working at HRO, he experienced a sense of community and was made to feel a part of the HRO family. Personnel in Human Resources, the Intellectual Property group, and many other groups have provided a positive working environment. Ajay’s goal is to live up to the firm’s expectations and excel and contribute under the guidance of experienced HRO staff.
Jenny Van 2008
Jim Bye Scholarship recipient Jenny Van received her award in January 2008. During her interview, she was immediately impressed with the sincerity and depth of engagement the lawyers at HRO showed towards her somewhat unique cultural background. As a first-year law school summer associate last summer, Jenny was immensely grateful for the scholarship’s financial benefits and the wonderful doors it opened to the Denver legal community. While at HRO, she experienced the feedback she needed to better understand the practice of law, and received the support to adapt to the reality that the legal profession is not all about work, but also networking and building relationships within the community. In addition to the great mentoring she received, Jenny felt an incredible sense of freedom after her first summer to explore different areas of litigation and firm cultures as the attorneys at HRO encouraged her to try her hands at a litigation boutique. Some of her key mentors included Bobbee Musgrave, J.P. Phillips, Paul Cha, and Michael Hofmann. After clerking with Reilly Pozner LLP for six weeks, Jenny returns to HRO in July and will be with the firm for the remainder of the summer. Jenny originally hails from Taiwan where both of her parents still reside. She is proud to say she will be the first attorney in her family when she completes her legal education.
Kim Folk 2008
Kim was delighted to receive the specialized scholarship HRO offered. She quickly noted that the firm put considerable effort and initiative into its diversity program, and was thrilled to see that it also had a Diversity Committee. She learned of Jim Bye’s legacy and was inspired by his unmatched record of community service. In the summer of 2008, after accepting a Jim Bye scholarship, Kim participated in numerous firm activities and was immediately made to feel a part of HRO. Kim also had the opportunity to work on projects for a variety of different practice groups to determine which course she would take. Her time at HRO helped her determine that she enjoys transactional work in the CLS and real estate groups. This summer, Kim is looking forward to reacquainting herself with the firm and participating in the Colorado Campaign for Inclusive Excellence (CCIE) Summer Diversity CLE Series. Kim is extremely grateful to HRO for offering the Jim Bye scholarship and for providing her with an invaluable legal experience. Once the summer ends, Kim plans to apply the skills she acquired at HRO to complete her schooling and pass the bar.
David Lee 2007
David Lee views his Jim Bye Scholar status as an enormous honor and privilege and regards Jim Bye as an individual who led a remarkable life filled with professional and civic accomplishments. David believes that Mr. Bye’s example underscores the importance of giving back to the community and illustrates that it is possible to maintain a strong community presence while managing a professional career. He believes that Mr. Bye will serve as an important role model during his law career. David has been very pleased with his HRO experience. The projects, attorneys, and work environment far exceeded his expectations. During his first summer, he was uncertain of what practice areas he would pursue. As a result, he worked on a broad range of projects, including everything from sports to real estate to employment law. More importantly, he got to know the attorneys who practiced in these areas. The following summer, he had a better understanding of his interests and was able to work on projects exclusively in those areas, which now centered on commercial law and securities. David cites HRO staff as the best part of his HRO experience, and says that he owes a special debt of gratitude to his exceptional partner-mentors (Bill Holland and Garth Jensen) and work coordinators (Patrick Train-Gutiérrez and Elizabeth Meier).
Todd Blair 2006
Todd was honored to receive this extremely competitive scholarship. He understands the commitment that James E. Bye had to diversity in the legal profession and the community and was very pleased to be a part of a scholarship that furthers his legacy. Todd also expresses gratitude that HRO has made diversity in the legal workplace a top priority. Todd notes that the scholarship brought him the exceptional opportunity to clerk in a top-tier law firm during the summer of his first year in law school. His mentors here at HRO were Bob Holmes, Alison Wadle, and David Tonini. His practice area is Real Estate, and while working at HRO, he has primarily focused on foreclosures, loan workouts and modifications, and land use. Additionally, the scholarship offered him an incredible learning experience that accelerated the development of his legal skills and offered an opportunity to gain important contacts in the legal community. Finally, with the increasing cost of a legal education, the scholarship significantly assisted in reducing these costs.
Michi Tsuda 2005
Michi emphasizes that the James Bye Scholarship not only gave him the opportunity to be a summer associate at HRO, but also provided the financial resources necessary to pursue a joint JD/MBA degree. For Michi, the scholarship exemplifies Mr. Bye’s commitment to diversity and HRO's commitment to community service and diversity of perspective, whether this is professional, cultural, or socio-economic. During his internship at HRO, Michi’s primary mentors were Steve Nash and Jochem Tans. HRO has been very helpful in providing him with direction in the areas of law he has decided to pursue. With Steve's support, he was able to travel to AHLA (American Health Lawyer's Association) conferences in Chicago and Baltimore. Paul Cha and Scott Bialecki have been instrumental in providing Michi with the groundwork necessary to help build the firm's Asian Practice Group. With their help, he was elected as a board member to the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Colorado.
Olympia Fay 2005
Olympia heard about the James E. Bye Scholarship from the Pledge to Diversity Program at DU. She was of course attracted by the financial benefits, but also by the Summer Associate Program that allowed her to continue as an evening student at DU while working at HRO during business hours. Many programs did not allow this type of arrangement. Olympia noted and appreciated that the firm valued her experience working in Washington, D.C. for the mayor’s office and for a securities research firm. She was very pleased when HRO’s Securities Litigation Group actively sought her out and offered her considerably more practical, hands-on knowledge in that field. While working with the group, she co-authored an article on finder's fees that was published in the Utah Law Journal. Here at HRO, Olympia has also gained experience as a general practitioner, working on IP litigation, breach of contract, and bankruptcy cases. She is pleased to have broadened her legal knowledge and is poised to continue to contribute to the firm in a wide variety of areas.