Hometown: Casper, Wyoming
Professional title: Managing Partner, Cheney Galluzzi & Howard, LLC
Community involvement: Colorado Bar Association Budget Committee, Colorado Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Executive Committee and CLE Subcommittee Chair, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Executive Committee, Board of Governors, and Legislative Committee
Lives in: Denver, Colorado
What is your favorite part about your job at Cheney Galluzzi & Howard?
There are many awesome parts of my job. I would say the two best parts are who I get to represent and who I get to represent them with.
Our firm does exclusively plaintiff-side personal injury law. I get to represent real humans who have been injured through no fault of their own against giant corporations and insurance companies. It鈥檚 David versus Goliath, and I wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way. My other favorite part of my job is getting to work every day with my best friend, Tim Galluzzi '14, and the awesome team of staff and lawyers we have built together. I am literally living my dream, and I am so grateful for that.
What do you know now that you wish you had known in law school?
The importance of networking and relationships. To me, learning how to network and beginning to build professional relationships is every bit as important as the grades you get in law school. For everyone, besides those going into big law, networking may be even more important. I networked some while in law school, but if I had to do it again, I would be much more intentional about it. Whether you own your own firm, are trying to get a job, or are trying to make partner one day, who you know and how those people view you is incredibly important. Law students should focus on networking and building relationships until it becomes second nature.
If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?
Working as a public defender. I went to law school wanting to do public defense and got a small taste of that work, both through the Criminal Defense Clinic and through working as a public defender at the City of Boulder Municipal Court for two summers after law school. I am so proud of all of the people who do that work day in and day out. To me, that is the law at its very best!
Who was the biggest influence on your career?
There are numerous people who have influenced my career, but I have a special place in my memory for my professors at Colorado Law. Gabby Stafford taught me how to write. Ann England taught me how to try a case in the courtroom. Andrew Schwartz taught me you could have fun while learning about the law. Scott Moss believed in us when my partner and I wanted to start our own firm right after law school and almost nobody else did. But the two biggest influences were probably Ahmed White and Helen Norton. Ahmed White taught me that the idea that lawyers are neutral mercenary-style warriors fighting for their clients is a lie. We have a moral responsibility not just to fight for what the law is, but what it should be. Who we choose to represent matters. Helen Norton probably taught me the most important lesson of all, which is that I am not nearly as smart as I thought I was, and intellectual honesty takes hard work and reflection.
When I am not working, you can find me . . .
If I am not working, you can usually find me dancing to electronic music at Red Rocks or one of the many other awesome music venues in Colorado. Music is my passion, and I am so lucky that Colorado has so much of it! If I am not there, I am likely hanging out with my wife, Reena, and my giant Newfoundland, Pancake.
What is your favorite way to stay engaged with Colorado Law?
My partner is on the Colorado Law Alumni Board, so I stay pretty up to date with the happenings at the law school. But I would say my favorite way to stay engaged with Colorado Law is through judging mock trial competitions. Mock trial and moot court were such a major part of my law school experience, and it is wonderful to get to give back and help the next generation of trial lawyers sharpen their skills.
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