Colorado Law is proud to announce Wayne Forman ('84) as November's Alum of the Month. Forman is currently a shareholder with the Denver firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. His practice includes water law, land use law, and natural resources and environmental law and litigation. Forman has been ranked by Chambers USA as one of the top Natural Resources and Environmental attorneys in the state for each of the past nine years, and was recently recognized as a Colorado Super Lawyer as well as selected by the Denver Business Journal for its 2014 Who’s Who in Energy.
Born and raised in Long Island, New York, Forman attended Cornell University where he earned a degree in environmental sciences. After graduating, as he was weighing his options and considering a number of different career paths, he did what most younger brothers do, he called his big brother for advice. Luckily for him, his older brother, Tyler, was at that time managing the now-closed Conquistador ski area in Colorado’s San Luis Valley and had recently met with the area’s water attorney. Tyler suggested that Wayne might really enjoy a legal career in water and environmental law that would allow him to work on many of the same issues he’d studied as an undergraduate. For allowing him to join his brother and offering a top-notch environmental law program, Colorado Law was a perfect fit.
Forman excelled in law school, earning a spot on Law Review and graduating Order of the Coif. His achievements as a student carried him to a summer associate position in the Denver office of the Chicago-based firm of Kirkland and Ellis. This experience confirmed for Forman that water and environmental law were indeed his passion. He returned to Kirkland and Ellis after graduation and looks back fondly on those first few years of practice because he had the opportunity to learn from a group of incredibly talented practitioners.
As his practice started to mature, he moved to his current firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where he has been ever since. Forman especially enjoys the culture he and his colleagues have maintained at the firm, and that culture is what Forman says has always made it feel like home. In particular, Brownstein’s dedication to community service always resonated with Forman, whose own personal commitment to public service is impressive. An active contributor to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, he has also volunteered his time to the Jefferson County Open Space Advisory Committee for the past 20 years and is currently serving as chairman of the board for the committee. In addition, Forman co-chaired the class of 1984 class reunion with a great turnout. Â
Attending Colorado Law proved to be a great decision for Forman in another very special way: it was there that he met his wife of 29 years, Liz Wald. While the two met at school, they both hail from the New York area. They have raised two boys in the foothills near Golden, and Forman admits that outside of work he spends a lot of time cheering on his son, who won a state championship this year as a member of the Colorado Academy varsity tennis team.
Five Questions for Wayne Forman ('84)
What is your fondest memory of being a student at Colorado Law?
Forming relationships with classmates and professors. My undergraduate experience was primarily in big lecture halls. I enjoyed the more intimate setting of the law school, which more readily allowed developing relationships with students and faculty.
What do you know now that you wish you had known in law school?
You can’t get enough experience writing and public speaking. Traditional course work helps you learn to analyze issues critically, but you wind up learning the subjects that matter to your practice as you go along. Being able to communicate in writing and verbally is necessary for all practice areas and requires practice to master.
What advice would you give to current students as they are preparing to graduate?
Look for opportunities with exceptional mentors. That’s hard to determine in advance, but a new graduate would be fortunate to have a chance to work with a dedicated lawyer who is willing to invest the time to teach.
Who was the biggest influence on your career?
The lawyer for whom I spent my early years working–one of the finest lawyers and people I’ve had the pleasure to know.
Of what accomplishment are you most proud?
Having an interesting and productive law practice for 30 years.