Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons, 2003

In 1903, Ira C. Rothgerber, Sr., and Walter Appel became law partners and opened their own law firm, Rothgerber & Appel, in Denver, Colorado. During its first 25 years, the firm concentrated on collections and bankruptcy. Rothgerber's son, Ira Rothergerber, Jr., became a partner in the firm in 1941, and Appel's son Robert Appel became a partner in 1952. The firm gained renown in the 1950s when it successfully defended, on appeal, a group of Denverites charged with communist affiliations under the Sedition Act. In 1963 the firm became involved in banking when it helped to found what is now known as FirstBank. In 1985 the firm changed its name to Rothgerber, Appel, Powers & Johnson, and in 1998 the firm added Lyons to its name in recognition of lawyer Jim Lyons. Today the firm is known as Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP and is one of the ten largest legal partnerships in Colorado. Its main office is located at One Tabor Center in downtown Denver, and it also has branch offices in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Casper, Wyoming.