Our former partner Les Woodward died on September 5, 2018 at the age of 86. He was comforted in his final days by his wife, Marianne, and their four children. Les was a beloved pillar of the Davis Graham community, having been with the firm since graduating from Harvard Law School in 1957. Those who knew Les would tell you that he brought joy to their lives with his compassion, kindness, grace, and humor.

Les also had the gift of a brilliant legal mind. He served as lead corporate counsel for a number of companies, from startup, through the early phases of public ownership, to operation as significant-sized public companies. Les was regularly involved in counseling business enterprises on operational and securities law matters. He also had a robust asset management practice and represented several investment companies and investment advisers. Les loved the thrill of solving intellectually challenging legal problems and “retired” from Davis Graham many times, but his love of the work kept bringing him back.

Les devoted much of his life to others. His life-long passion for education, especially for our most vulnerable children, is shared by his wife, Marianne, a retired elementary school teacher, who taught “English as a Second Language” classes on a volunteer basis for more than 30 years. Les served as a member of the Board of Education of the Denver Public Schools, a member of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, and a pioneering member of the Citizens for Quality Schools. He also served as a Director of Bethany College, where he received an honorary degree, and as a Director of the Public Education Coalition of Denver.

Please join us in remembering Les and his legacy to Davis Graham and our community. The halls of Davis Graham will forever be changed as we will all miss his infectious laugh and love for life.