Reed Smith has hired 10 partners from five firms including Dentons, Foley Hoag and Greenberg Traurig to open an office in Denver.

The Denver office – its 20th in the US – will be staffed by 20 lawyers, with 16 of those new joiners. They include finance lawyer Jay Spader from Brownstein, who will serve as office managing partner. The latest opening follows the launch of the firm’s 13-partner Atlanta office last month.

Casey Ryan, Reed Smith’s global managing partner, said: “Our clients are enthusiastic about our presence in Denver. Like Atlanta, Denver is a vibrant, fast-growing market. This expansion is aligned with our growth strategy and builds on the strength and experience of our private equity, finance and technology teams.”

In addition to Spader, the incoming Denver team include corporate partners Brendan Leanos, Jason Larkin and Chris Hand from Brownstein; emerging technologies partner Tyler Thompson from Greenberg Traurig; litigation partners Adam Massaro and Joyce Williams from Akerman; insurance recovery partners Chris Mosley and Brooke Yates from Foley Hoag; and real estate partner Camille Bacon-Schulte from Dentons.

Spader said he was keen to leverage his new firm’s strong reputation in private equity and finance, noting it represented 23 of the top 25 banks and had more than 100 clients doing business in the Denver area, calling it “a perfect fit for us and our clients”.

The Reed Smith team relocating to Denver includes partner James Martin – a 35-year veteran of the firm and an experienced litigator – alongside counsel Garrett Parks, Lizbeth Rodriguez-Johnson and Michael Sandusky.

Julie Hardin, Reed Smith’s US managing partner, said: “We like to win, and opening our Denver office with these talented lawyers is a major win for our clients and the firm. This opening reflects Reed Smith’s continued focus on smart growth around our strategic priorities. We see where the market is going, and we intend to get there first.”

She added: “Like Atlanta, Denver is a talent-rich market. In addition to expanding our corporate team, we are adding skilled trial lawyers, insurance recovery lawyers and real estate practitioners. We will continue to build in Denver by recruiting top-of-the-market lawyers eager to grow their practices and leverage our industry focus and global capabilities. This is just the beginning.”

Praising the experience of the Denver finance team, Matt Mohn, co-chair of the firm’s global corporate group and chair of its US corporate group, noted their credentials in mid-market sponsor finance, which he said would significantly strengthen the firm’s corporate practice.

Mohn said he expected growth to accelerate, citing the firm’s track record in 2024, in closing nearly 200 deals focusing on middle-market transactions across the technology, healthcare and life sciences, retail and consumer goods, and industrial sectors.

“It has been a key driver in our decision to expand our transactional, finance and technology capabilities with the addition of our colleagues in Atlanta and numerous well-known laterals in major legal markets,” Mohn concluded.

Underscoring the firm’s growing momentum, it hired 57 new lawyers in January and this month installed a new chief marketing officer – Gillian Ward – to solidify the firm’s US positioning. This month it also hired Marie Crumière as a restructuring partner in Paris, but it lost funds finance partner Bronwen Jones to Cadwalader in London.