Planning Committee

 

Vincente Vigil

Pronouns: he/him

Vincente Vigil is a District Court Judge in the 19th Judicial District. Mr. Vigil was previously an attorney with the Law Office of Robert Ray since 2014. Prior to 2014, he was a partner at Man & Vigil and a former Deputy State Public Defender. Mr. Vigil earned his undergraduate degree from Colorado State University in 2005 and his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School in 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

Chelsea Marx

Pronouns: she/hers

Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell LLP

Chelsea’s expertise broadly focuses on real estate finance transactions, offering comprehensive guidance in acquisition, development, construction and permanent financing transactions for industrial buildings, multifamily projects, charter schools, and mixed-use urban infill development across the United States. She regularly advises clients on financing complex projects involving tax incentives, municipal development programs, multiple funding streams and sophisticated joint-venture partnerships.

Chelsea’s practice addresses foundational concerns such as titles and survey maters, existing entitlements, and navigating construction and financing hurdles. Her prior professional experience on the leadership team of a growing restaurant chain helped her develop the ability to work quickly, research and resolve complex problems and strategically adapt under pressure and tight deadlines. With her years of professional experience, Chelsea serves as a trusted advisor, helping her clients navigate the complexities of commercial real estate transactions and achieve their objectives effectively and efficiently.

 

Jon Olafson

Pronouns: he/him

Jon Olafson (he/him/his), CODACC Co-Creator, Partner, Lewis Brisbois Jon principally practices trade secret and corporate espionage law, corporate governance and fiduciary duty disputes, and employment law. Jon currently serves on the Executive Council of the Colorado Bar Association, where he chairs the Racial Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (“REDI”) Committee. He also serves on the Executive Council of the Labor and Employment Section of the Colorado Bar Association and the CBA’s Budget Committee. Jon is the President of The Nathan Yip Foundation, which provides grants to Colorado’s rural schools. Jon also sits on the Board of Directors for Opera Colorado and is an Emeritus Director for the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra. When not volunteering with the CBA or with various Colorado-based non-profits, Jon enjoys spending time with his partner Jerry and their friends, family, and dogs. Jon helped create CODACC because he understands what it is like as a diverse attorney to navigate an already difficult profession. Plus, one of the best aspects of the CBA and the Colorado legal profession is its collegiality and ability to make lasting friendships and deep personal networks, something CODACC will help for many diverse attorneys across Colorado.

 

Spencer Rubin 

Pronouns: he/him 

Spencer Rubin (he/him/his), CODACC Co-Creator, Associate, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP. Spencer principally practices technology and commercial transactions across all industries, including aerospace, life sciences, advertising and marketing, music, IoT (including big data, cloud, and software), telecommunications, and manufacturing, and works with clients of all sizes from start-ups to Fortune 100s. Spencer was the Chair of the Colorado Bar Association Young Lawyers Division from July 2020-June 2021 and is actively involved in the American Bar Association and Colorado politics. Spencer is a basic Coloradoan, in that he likes hiking, cycling, Fitwall, snowshoeing, cruising on Lake Dillon, and having an après ski meal after not having skied. Spencer helped create CODACC so that attorneys and legal professionals across Colorado with diverse identities could make lasting friends outside of work and other professional associations more focused on networking or business development. In addition to CODACC’s strong REDI education, leadership, mentoring, and public service components, the overall structure of the program is geared towards creating these lasting friendships that cannot be replicated elsewhere, and Spencer is very proud to be able to offer others this opportunity with the assistance of the Colorado Bar Association (including many of its Sections) and all our generous private sector sponsors!

 

Codi Cox

Pronouns: she/hers 

Ms. Cox focuses her practice on the construction industry including general contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals. She represents clients both large and small through all phases of litigation from pre-dispute contract preparation and review, risk management, claims review and development, alternative dispute resolution, and litigation. Ms. Cox works with design-builders, general contractors, and subcontractors in Colorado and nationally. Before law school Ms. Cox spent four years working in finance. Specifically, she worked in the banking industry and performed credit analysis and partnered with lenders to provide financing for new build projects.

 

 

River Sedaka

Pronouns: they/theirs 

River hails from Toronto, where they graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Equity Studies (a program focused on intersectional social justice movements), Political Science, and Sociology. After a ten-year career in the private sector, River decided it was time to pursue their passion for social justice on a full-time basis, and moved to Chicago to study law at Northwestern University. Law school opened River's eyes to the racial and economic injustices at the heart of the criminal legal system, and a career in public defense quickly became their goal. River accepted a job at the Appellate Division of the Colorado State Public Defender when they graduated law school in 2016, and they are proud to serve Colorado's indigent criminal defendants on complex cases and high-level felonies in the Colorado Supreme Court and Colorado Court of Appeals. River volunteers their time on a variety of diversity and social justice initiatives: they are a founding co-chair of the State Public Defender’s LGBTQ+ affinity group, a member of the LGBT and Disability bar associations, a graduate of the Colorado Diverse Attorney Community Circle, a member of the CBA’s Council on Equity and Inclusive Excellence, and a facilitator of a DEI and social justice book club. In their spare time, River enjoys Colorado’s many outdoor activities, immersing themselves in science fiction and fantasy worlds, and playing with their friends’ dogs. River lives in Denver, around the corner from their spouse and chosen family.

 

Ricardo Vasquez

Pronouns: he/him

Teagan Boda is an Associate Attorney at Naylor & Geisel, PC, in Pueblo, Colorado. She focuses her practice primarily on representing clients with their estate planning, probate, and family law needs.

Ricardo brings an array of experience into practicing family law. He has previously acted as court-appointed parents counsel in child welfare cases, and currently has a contract to be appointed as Guardian ad Litem and Counsel for Youth in those matters. Ricardo is a native of Wyoming and has interned for a judicial officer with a domestic relations docket as well as for an entire juvenile court. He also has experience in the intersection of immigration and family law, having represented various clients seeking state court custody orders over children to obtain Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for those children. In his spare time, Ricardo enjoys anything having to do with water, and he may have successfully watched all of Netflix, in both English and Spanish. He is excited that he can watch the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena again