Benjamin, Bain, Howard & Cohen, LLC

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Alvin Cohen named to Chambers USA Rankings again for 2010

Chambers USA recently released its 2010 rankings of top Colorado lawyers and, for the second consecutive year, Al Cohen is named as a top lawyer for Real Estate: Construction. Chambers notes Al is “valued as ‘a highly respected practitioner with a superb construction practice.’”Al is listed as one of eight “Notable Practitioners.”

Chambers publishes a guide to lawyers in the United States, and around the world, undertaking extensive research from attorneys and clients to identify top lawyers by geographic location and practice specialty. Each year, Chambers’ staff of 100 full-time researchers conducts thousands of in-depth interviews with clients and attorneys throughout the United States to identify the top lawyers in various practice areas. Inclusion in Chambers’ directory is based completely on their research and findings. Chambers’ editors and researchers seek to identify the best lawyers in the world “according to the criteria most valued by clients – such as technical expertise, business acumen, prompt delivery, value for money).”

Please visit http://www.chambersandpartners.com to learn about the rankings and to see Chambers’ directory.

Jim Benjamin Appointed to Denver Bar Association Executive Council

Jim Benjamin has been appointed one of three members of the Denver Bar Association’s Executive Council for the 2010-2011 year. Earlier this year, Jim was elected to the Denver Bar Association’s Board of Trustees.

Firm has Three Named to Colorado Super Lawyer® List for 2010

Colorado Super Lawyers® has added another Benjamin, Bain, Howard & Cohen attorney to its roster. Al Cohen recently was named a Super Lawyer for 2010, joining Jim Benjamin (2006-2010) and Wes Howard (2009-2010). Click here for Jim Benjamin’s SuperLawyer® entry; here for Wes Howard’s and here for Al Cohen’s.

Attorneys are selected for inclusion in the list of Super Lawyers® by their peers in an extensive nomination and polling process and through independent research conducted by Law & Politics.

In Colorado, the Super Lawyers® list can be found in 5280 Magazine and a reprint of our firm’s listing is here.

Wes Howard named to Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors

Wes Howard has been appointed as the Denver Bar Association’s representative on the Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors for a two year term, from 2010 to 2012. The Board of Governors is the governing body for the Colorado Bar Association and is responsible for the overall management of the Association. Wes will begin his service on the Board in the fall of 2010.

Jim Benjamin Elected to Denver Bar Association Board of Trustees

Jim Benjamin was elected to the Denver Bar Association’s Board of Trustees for a term beginning in 2010. The Board of Trustees is the governing body for the Denver Bar Association.

Bradford Publishes the Colorado Real Estate Forms Deskbook

In December 2009, Bradford Publishing Company, published the Colorado Real Estate Forms Deskbook for which Jim Benjamin was the general editor. Bradford Publishing has been known for decades as “The” publisher of real estate forms. The Deskbook, consisting of over 800 pages, provides an in-depth discussion of hundreds of real estate forms and the Colorado law pertaining to each. The Deskbook includes chapters on listing agreements, contracts for sale, deeds, mortgages, leases, IRC § 1031 exchange contracts, easements, promissory notes, evictions, mechanics liens and closing documents. The Deskbook is available at Bradford Publishing Company’s retail store in Denver or on-line at www.bradfordpublishing.com, Bookstore, Item Bk 2050.

Newsweek Magazine Showcase Selects Benjamin, Bain Howard & Cohen for inclusion in its Colorado Lawyer Profiles (As Seen in Newsweek’s June 29, 2009 Edition)

Newsweek Magazine Showcase selected the firm for inclusion in its Colorado Lawyer Profiles, calling it “’the’ boutique commercial real estate firm in Denver, Colorado.” Newsweek also highlighted the firm’s business plan, which is “friendly to referral of conflict work from full service law firms, ensuring the referring firm’s continuation of its client relationship.” Click here to see the profile.

Insurance Law Presentation by Wes Howard

In February 2009, Wes Howard delivered a presentation on Insurance Law for Real Estate Lawyers for the Colorado Bar Association Real Estate Section. To read his article of the same name, click here. Wes also has an active practice representing policy holders facing coverage denials by property, casualty, "officers and directors" and home owners associations.

Jim Benjamin Works on Adverse Possession Legislation

In 2008, a Boulder, Colorado lawsuit pertaining to the doctrine of adverse possession, gained tremendous notoriety, and was sometimes referred to as the “Boulder Land Grab.” Adverse possession is a doctrine which has its origins in English law dating back over 500 years and allows a person to acquire ownership to real property owned by another by occupying and using the real property. The Boulder case arose from a neighbor’s use of a portion of an adjacent residential lot for over 20 years. The Court determined that the neighbor had acquired one-third of the adjacent lot because of this use, despite the fact that the owner of the adjacent lot had paid the real estate taxes on the lot each and every year.

In the wake of the Boulder lawsuit, Jim Benjamin was appointed, together with three other prominent real estate lawyers, by the President of the Colorado Bar Association to assist the Colorado Legislature in legislatively addressing the adverse possession doctrine in Colorado. Mr. Benjamin assisted the sponsoring legislators with the drafting of statutory changes to the adverse possession statute (HB 08-1148) and testified on the application of the proposed changes before both the Colorado House of Representatives and Colorado Senate.

The November 2008 edition of The Colorado Lawyer, authoritatively quoted Mr. Benjamin as to the effect of one portion of the new adverse possession statutory provisions. 37 Colo. Lawyer at 76 (Nov. 2008).