Messner Reeves LLP - Employment

MESSNER REEVES AT-A-GLANCE

WhatWe Do

Labor & Employment

At Messner Reeves, we work with businesses of all sizes to ensure their practices are compliant with local and federal laws. In the unfortunate event of litigation, our seasoned trial lawyers work directly with corporate clients to formulate cost-effective and efficient litigation plans which aim to provide the best possible outcome.

Messner Reeves attorneys can represent employers in state and federal forums to include adjudication of class and collective actions.

OUTSIDE OFTRADITIONAL LABOR LAW MATTERS,WE REPRESENT CLIENTS IN RELATED BUSINESS MATTERS, INCLUDING:

• Corporate Governance

• Compliance

• Performance and Discipline

• Considerations

• Management Training

• Employer Handbooks and

• Policies

• Wage and Hour

• Pay Equity

• Internal and External Audits

• Workplace Investigations

• Personnel Reductions and

• Workforce Restructurings

• Workers’ Compensation

• Management of Disability, Illness and Injury Issues

• Workplace Safety

• Employee Leaves and

• Accomodations

• Immigration

• Workplace Privacy

• Executive Compensation

• Separation/Severance

Packages

• Restrictive Covenants

• Mergers and Acquisitions

Practice Areas

• Crisis Management

• Labor & Employment

• Complex Commercial Litigation

• Retail, Restaurants & Hospitality

Admissions

• Colorado

• North Dakota

Education & Honors

• University of Kansas School of Law, J.D., 2011

• University of Tulsa, B.A. History, B.A. French, 2008

Allison Dodd

Partner

1550 Wewatta Street, Suite 710 Denver, CO 80202

adodd@messner.com

303.454.2159 direct | 303.623.1800 main

Ms. Dodd is a partner in the firm’s Litigation, Crisis Management, and Labor and Employment Groups. She has an active litigation and trial practice in a variety of areas including wage and hour, employment, foodborne illness, personal injury, premises liability, false advertising, class actions, and complex civil litigation. Ms. Dodd appears in both state and federal courts across the country for a variety of clients.

In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Dodd counsels her clients in crisis prevention and crisis management on matters ranging from food safety and regulatory compliance to external and internal investigations and audits. She works actively to not only to prepare clients for potential crises but also to help them foresee crisis before it occurs.

Ms. Dodd has been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star annually since 2014. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado and North Dakota.

Associations

• Denver Bar Association

• Colorado Bar Association

• Metro Volunteer Lawyers Family Law Court Program

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Practice Areas

• Corporate

• Labor & Employment

• Real Estate

Admissions

• California

• Colorado

Education & Honors

• Santa Clara University School of Law, J.D. 2022

• Miami University, B.S. in Sports Management 2019

Associations

• State Bar of California

SAMUEL A. HARDEN Associate

1550 Wewatta Street, Suite 710 Denver, CO 80202

sharden@messner.com

303.607.0650 direct | 303.623.1800 main

A Colorado native, Sam Harden works out of the firm’s Denver office following his graduation from Santa Clara University School of Law.

While in law school, Sam completed an internship working in legal affairs for The Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado. At Santa Clara, he participated in the Entrepreneurs’ Legal Advising Clinic to assist start-up business ventures in the Bay Area. He also served on the board of Honors Moot Court External and participated in the ABA Client Counseling Competition as both a participant and as a student coach the following year. In addition, Sam received a Witkin Award for Academic Excellence in his first year as well as the High Tech Law Certificate with Honors upon graduation.

Prior to law school, Sam earned his undergraduate degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio following a year of playing junior hockey outside of Chicago. At Miami, Sam gained experience in the area of compliance regulations by interning with the school’s NCAA Academics and Compliance office.

In his free time, Sam enjoys golfing, skiing and otherwise being outdoors unless he has an Avalanche, Nuggets, Broncos, or Miami Redhawks game to watch.

Culture & Diversity

At Messner Reeves, we value each person for their unique perspective and background, embracing anyone who is willing to work hard. Diversity strengthens our firm and results in more innovative solutions for our clients. We have long recognized that attracting and promot-ing diverse attorneys through mentoring, business development training and client service opportunities creates a culture where all can flourish.

OUR PLEDGE TO DIVERSITY

Messner Reeves participates annually in the Colorado Pledge to Diversity. While most law firms only provide internships to second-year law students, the Pledge to Diversity Program affords first-year law stu-dents of diverse racial, gender and ethnic identifications the opportu-nity to participate in a paid summer internship with Messner Reeves. As a result, Messner Reeves hires program participants annually.

OUR CULTURE

With Messner Reeves, what you see is what you get. We don’t rely on smoke and mirrors, or expensive artwork and granite countertops, to impress clients; rather, we have and always will focus on providing the highest quality legal work at a fair rate. Messner Reeves was founded in 1995 by Bryant “Corky” Messner who had the vision to create an entrepreneurial law firm that empowered attorneys to take control of their careers and become leaders in their communi-ties. Unstuffy. Highly motivated. Focused on the client.

We believe that the driving force behind our culture is this entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with our business-friendly approach. From the moment you step into any of our office locations, decorated with artwork created by the children of our clients and employees, you realize we are not your typical law firm. You won’t find bureaucracy, politics, committees or unnecessary meetings in stuffy boardrooms. You will see a collaborative, energetic group of highly skilled professionals dressed comfortably and working hard to create common-sense solutions to complex problems. Our culture allows our attorneys, firm professionals and legal staff to stay on top of our clients’ needs and provide them with the resources required to meet their business objectives.

Midsize Mansfield Firm Messner Reeves Achieves Certification Recognizing

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts

Messner Reeves is pleased to announce that the firm has successfully achieved the highest level of certification, Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus. This prestigious certification recognizes the firm's commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within its leadership ranks.

As one of less than 80 law firms to attain Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus, Messner Reeves has demonstrated its dedication to tracking, measuring, and promoting diversity in leadership. From September 2021 to March 2023, the firm completed an 18-month certification process, actively tracking detailed information and sharing it with Diversity Lab to achieve this milestone.

The Midsize Mansfield Certification was developed by Diversity Lab as an extension of the renowned Mansfield Rule, originally designed in 2017 for larger law firms. Tailored specifically for firms with fewer than 150 lawyers, the certification acknowledges midsize firms' unique challenges, including smaller footprints, less formal leadership structures, and limited hiring and selection opportunities. The certification criteria ensure that midsize firms have actively considered at least 30% representation of women lawyers, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities in leadership and governance roles, equity partner promotions, client pitches, lateral lawyer hiring, and more.

Messner is especially proud of achieving the Mansfield "Certification Plus," which is awarded to firms that have not only considered diversity in leadership but have achieved it.

About Messner Reeves

Messner Reeves is a reputable Midsize Mansfield firm that delivers exceptional legal services to clients across various industries. With a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the firm strives to foster an inclusive, collaborative culture that empowers individuals and promotes professional growth.

PROVEN GUIDANCE FOR COMPLEX LEGAL ISSUES

WHOWEARE

Messner Reeves is a full-service business law firm focused on providing legal services to a wide array of clients which include established Fortune 500 companies, emerging concepts, individual entrepreneurs, and executives across an extensive range of industries. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado with offices nationwide, our team of experienced attorneys aims to help our clients maximize their business potential in order to grow, strengthen, and maintain successful business enterprises across the nation.

With an impressive business acumen and extensive legal expertise, our team confronts complex challenges head on with assertive action to represent our clients’best interests.

We work side by side with our clients and utilize our vast andmultifacetedexperiencetodeliverhighqualitylegal representation.

Messner Reeves maintains the highest standards for integrity and accountability both on personal and professional levels for its attorneys, staff, and employees. The driving force behind our success generally is an entrepreneurial spirit that is unmatched by other firms in the field. We believe in fostering and supporting our lawyers as they build a practice that affords them the opportunity to successfully serve our clients with strong and effective counsel. The result is a firm of highly motivated people who love what they do – helping our clients achieve their goals through the practice of law. When Messner Reeves was founded over 25 years ago, our entrepreneurial spirit was born out of necessity. Now, wemaintainthatsamespiritbychoice.

At Messner Reeves, our core values drive our business. We are energetic, available, accountable, and solution-oriented. We work hard to earn the trust of our clients.

PracticeAreas

Messner Reeves has earned a distinguished reputation for offering effective legal counsel,quick response and the highest level of professional integrity in the following areas of practice:

Local Lawyers with a National Presence

Messner Reeves attorneys collaborate and draw upon the firm's national resources to offer exceptional localized legal services, and have earned a distinguished reputation for offering effective legal counsel with the highest level of professional integrity.

OUR FIRM

147 TOTAL ATTORNEYS NATIONWIDE

306 TOTAL EMPLOYEES NATIONWIDE

*Messner Reeves numbers updated as of March 2023

LISCENSED

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE IN 25 STATES

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE IN 18 FEDERAL COURT DISTRICTS

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