Holme Roberts & Owen Partner Honored by University of Denver
07/01/2009
Sheldon Smith to Receive Outstanding Alumni Award
Denver, Colorado, July 1, 2009 – Holme Roberts & Owen LLP (HRO) is delighted to announce that Sheldon Smith, a partner in the firm’s Compensation and Benefits Practice Group, has been chosen as the recipient of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law (DU) 2009 Outstanding Alumni Award. This prestigious award is granted to DU law graduates who have demonstrated professional achievement, humanitarian service to the community, and outstanding loyalty to the College of Law. Sheldon, who received two law degrees from DU, a Juris Doctorate in 1973, and a Master of Laws (Taxation) in 1980, will be honored with the award at the DU Law Stars Dinner on October 1, 2009, an event expected to attract more than 800 people from the Denver legal community.
Mr. Smith practices in the Compensation and Benefits Practice Group where he counsels his clients on executive compensation, fiduciary duties, and qualified retirement plans. He works closely with his clients to design and assist with the implementation and operation of pension benefit plans and equity-based compensation plans. He advises benefits fiduciaries on their duties, assists with proper plan governance, and represents clients before the IRS and the Department of Labor.
When not practicing, Mr. Smith educates other professionals, both within and outside of the legal sector, and has done so for the past 29 years. Sheldon has been a visiting or adjunct professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law since 1980, and he has presented seminars and given speeches in most of the states to many diverse professional groups, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, more than 30 different state societies of CPAs, the National Tax Institute, the DU Graduate Tax Program, Western Pension & Benefits Conference, America Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA), the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists (ACEBS), the Golden Gate Chapter of the California Society of Enrolled Agents, the College for Financial Planning, Financial Planning Association, banking and insurance organizations, and others.
Mr. Smith is a past President of the Denver Chapter of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference and of the Joint Council of Presidents of the Western Pension & Benefits Conference and currently serves as President-Elect of ASPPA. Mr. Smith recently completed a three-year term as Chair of the Jewish Community Foundation of Colorado, and he is the Chair of the Colorado Regional Cabinet of Washington University in St. Louis.
About HRO - Holme Roberts & Owen LLP is an international law firm that was established in 1898 and has approximately 250 lawyers practicing in nine strategically positioned offices throughout the world, including Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco. The firm's lawyers provide a broad spectrum of legal services in virtually every area of the law, including corporate, securities, mergers and acquisitions, estate planning, commercial litigation, real estate, sports and entertainment, health, employment, tax, government affairs, environmental, and intellectual property.