A Law Firm That Believes in Something
Our tagline projects that keep life moving® is more than a statement about one single practice area. It’s a declaration of purpose that’s rooted in the momentum and forward progress of the communities, ecosystems, institutions, and people around us.
Our pro bono commitments, civic board service, tribal leadership, environmental advocacy, and philanthropic efforts are expressions of the same belief: that good law, practiced by people who are genuinely embedded in the world around them, can move things forward.
Beyond the Casework
At Kaplan Kirsch, we have always believed that exceptional legal work and genuine civic commitment go hand in hand. Our attorneys are more than advisors of environmental, energy, transit, tribal, and infrastructure law—we’re leaders in the communities we serve. We show up for our neighbors, our cities, our tribes, and the planet with the same rigor we bring to our clients.
Our lawyers have served as board members, pro bono legal counsel, and informal advisors to a wide range of civic, community, advocacy, charitable, municipal, and cultural organizations. Many of these organizations are not only local institutions in the cities in which we have offices but often have regional, tribal, state, national, and international reach. A representative overview of our attorneys’ involvement is below. Specific details about each attorney’s community involvement can be found on their individual biography pages.
Pro Bono Legal Services
Kaplan Kirsch is a longstanding member and active supporter of the Colorado Lawyers Committee, a nonpartisan consortium of Colorado law firms committed to expanding opportunities for disadvantaged communities through pro bono legal advocacy, negotiation, and litigation.
Our firm has been consistently recognized for high achievement in the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado’s Associates Campaign, an annual fundraising initiative for Colorado Legal Services.
Our attorneys have also been selected to serve on state and federal judicial nominating commissions.
Bar and Legal Organizations
Kaplan Kirsch attorneys hold leadership positions and active memberships in organizations that shape legal practice at every level, including:
Industry-Affiliated Organizations
Because so much of our work is industry-based, we believe we have a professional obligation to contribute to industry organizations. We are leaders in industry-affiliated organizations, demonstrating the depth of our knowledge in the areas in which we practice.
Airport Organizations
Our attorneys hold leadership positions and memberships with airport and aviation organizations including Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Airport Consultants Council (ACC), the Aviation Council of Pennsylvania (ACP), Florida Airports Council (FAC), the National Civil Aviation Review Commission, and the federal government’s National Parks Overflights Advisory Group (NPOAG).
Transportation and Rail Organizations
Our attorneys are active members of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Association of Transportation Law Professionals (ATLP), the Colorado Rail Safety Industry Advisory Committee, the Commuter Rail Coalition, the Front Range Passenger Rail District, and the Metropolitan Railway Club of New York. We have also served on multiple National Academy of Sciences – Transportation Research Board committees, research review panels, and conference panels.
Other Industry Organizations
Our lawyers are actively involved with organizations focused on infrastructure development more broadly, including the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA), National Council of Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) Legal Institute, NextCity, and the U.S. Infrastructure Law Forum.
We are also members of the Colorado Chapter of the National Brownfield Association and the Environmental Law Network (ELN).
Community, Educational, and Civic Organizations
Community and Civic Involvement
Our lawyers have served in numerous Denver community organizations including as Board Chair of the Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP), a nonprofit business organization working to build a more economically vibrant city center. Firm attorneys regularly serve on various City and County of Denver committees and task forces, bringing legal and policy expertise to the decisions that shape daily life in our communities. Our attorneys are active members of the Colorado Municipal League (CML), an organization that champions the interest of Colorado’s cities and towns through advocacy, education, and legal resources. Firm lawyers are also engaged with the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute (RMLUI), which advances land use law and policy through research, education, and regional collaboration. Our attorneys have also served on the boards of major civic organizations including the Denver Foundation, the Denver Botanic Gardens, and multiple museums.
Education and Mentorship
Firm attorneys serve on boards for and are members of affiliate organizations for schools across the country, from early childhood education through higher education. Our lawyers have served in leadership roles at their colleges and law schools, including as alumni association leaders and members of boards of trustees. They have shaped the next generation of legal scholarship as editors and editor-in-chief of law reviews and journals. Our investment in the next generation of legal professionals is both institutional and personal; firm attorneys mentor aspiring law students through Law School…Yes We Can! and volunteer as constitutional law judges and coaches at local high schools.
Tribal Leadership and Sovereignty
For our attorneys who are enrolled members of federally recognized tribes, civic engagement takes on a particularly meaningful dimension. Firm lawyers hold leadership positions within their own tribal nations, as well as on bodies that shape policy and opportunity across tribal communities. Our attorneys have served on the California Native American Heritage Commission and are members of the California Tribal Business Alliance and the Board of Regents of the California Tribal College.
Environmental and Advocacy Organizations
Kaplan Kirsch attorneys have served on and chaired the boards of some of the most respected environmental and advocacy organizations in the country, including Audubon Society, Conservation Colorado, Earthjustice, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), GRID Alternatives Colorado, Lawyers’ Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation (LCCHP), National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), The Park People, San Francisco Heritage, Trust for Land Restoration (TLR), The Trust for Public Land (TPL), Urban Land Institute (ULI), Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), and Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE).
Our Commitment to Sustainability
Kaplan Kirsch has spent more than two decades helping clients navigate the most consequential environmental and infrastructure challenges of our time—from clean energy development and climate policy to remediation, conservation, and sustainable land use. It would be incongruous to do that work without holding ourselves to the same standard. Since opening our doors in 2003, we have been committed to operating as a responsible business: minimizing our environmental footprint, making deliberate choices about how we use resources, and supporting the organizations and policy frameworks that advance a more sustainable future. Every clean energy transaction we close, every environmental cleanup we advance, every transit project we deliver, and every conservation easement we protect represents a measurable improvement to the health of the planet and the communities that depend on it.
“Sustainability is not a practice area—it’s a daily practice.”
