News

Jon Olafson Honored at SCBA Gala with Ben Aisenberg Diversity Leadership Award

Denver, Colo. (November 23, 2022) - Denver Partner Jon Olafson was recently presented with the Ben Aisenberg Diversity Leadership Award at the Sam Cary Bar Association’s (SCBA) 2022 Sam Cary Scholarship Endowment Fund/SCBA Gala, which took place on November 19 at the Infinity Park Event Center in Glendale, Colorado.

As SCBA’s website describes, the Ben Aisenberg honor “recognizes a person who in Colorado has promoted the representation and participation of people of different races, ages, ethnicities, abilities and disabilities, genders, religions, cultures, and sexual orientations in the legal profession.” According to an article in the June 2021 issue of Colorado Lawyer, Mr. Aisenberg - the award’s namesake – was “a brilliant, benevolent lawyer” who had a “passion for helping others, especially those underrepresented in the legal profession.” He passed away last year.

Although Mr. Olafson was unable to attend the gala, he expressed that watching the event virtually with his family, including his Mother who is battling cancer, was especially meaningful.

“It is such an incredibly humbling honor to be recognized by the Sam Cary Bar Association with the Ben Aisenberg Diversity Leadership Award. Both the SCBA and Mr. Aisenberg have been foundational leaders for inclusion in Colorado and I hope to carry that legacy of change forward. To share in the event with my Mom and my family was even more special. I thank the SCBA for giving us that special moment.” 

Pictured at table (L to R): Office Administrator Kristin Scheel, Partner Tripp Lake, Associate Charlotte Johnston, Partners Christopher Wood and Meredith McDonald, Associate William Cravens (and wife)

Pictured standing: (L to R): Associate William Cravens, Partner Christopher Wood, Secretary Andrea Griffin, Law Clerk Camille Moore (Sam Cary Bar Association Scholarship Award recipient), Office Administrator Kristin Scheel, Partners Tripp Lake and Meredith McDonald, Associate Charlotte Johnston

The SCBA, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021, was Colorado’s first specialty bar association. It was formed for the purpose of instilling professionalism and serving as a forum for the exchange of ideas among African American lawyers.

Mr. Olafson is a member of Lewis Brisbois' Labor & Employment and Trade Secrets & Non-Compete Disputes Practices. He regularly counsels business clients on a variety of regulatory and dispute resolution matters and works with them on domestic and international trade secret protections, corporate espionage, data and cybersecurity, and how to handle situations where a client’s most valuable data are threatened by internal and external sources. He is a founding member of Lewis Brisbois' LGBTQ affinity group and is a co-editor of the firm's labor & employment law blog, The Grindstone.

Please join us in congratulating Mr. Olafson on this honor. Learn more about the SCBA here.

Related Attorneys