In January, Taft combined with Sherman & Howard, Denver’s oldest and third-largest firm, expanding Taft’s distinctive business model across the Mountain West – including Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada – adding approximately 125 lawyers and annual revenues in excess of $100 million. This strategic move strengthens Taft’s position as a super middle-market leader, delivering sophisticated legal services with deep regional insight.

Sherman & Howard’s 132-year legacy in the Mountain West complemented the rich history of Taft. For more than 140 years, clients have entrusted Taft to handle their most important legal matters from small county courthouses to corporate boardrooms to the Supreme Court.

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Investing in Strategic Growth Throughout the Mountain West

Since the announcement of the Sherman & Howard merger in September 2024, more than 20 additional lawyers have joined Taft throughout the Mountain West, further accelerating its strategic growth in the region. Building on this momentum, Taft has made Colorado, Arizona – Phoenix in particular – and New Mexico focal points of its expansion. In June, Taft added a high-profile team of six lawyers to its Phoenix office, representing the largest group of lawyers to move to a new firm in Phoenix in more than five years. Expecting even further growth in Phoenix in the near future, Taft signed a lease for nearly 25,000 square feet – doubling its office footprint – to occupy one full floor at Esplanade II, located in Phoenix’s prestigious Biltmore neighborhood.

“We see a variety of growth opportunities across the Mountain West as we continue to attract more and more lawyers in virtually all of our offices,” said Stefan Stein, Taft’s Mountain West Chairman and Colorado Partner-in-Charge. “It’s an exciting time for Taft, and by leveraging our national platform, we continue to view this as a high-growth region for the firm in the coming years.”

A Growth Story Unlike Any Other

The cornerstone of Taft’s philosophy toward growth and expansion is the firm’s “One Taft” model, which focuses on the autonomy of local leadership to manage and run their respective markets, while at the same time providing representation and input into the firm’s strategic direction. As a modern law firm, Taft operates without a headquarters, using this shared leadership model across its offices.

“Our model reflects our culture, and our culture reflects our model, where our leaders are empowered to run their local markets,” said Taft Firmwide Chairman and Managing Partner, Robert J. Hicks. “At Taft, each time we merge into a new market, we view ourselves as a new firm, together. As a result, we’re truly and uniquely a combination of all our markets, and it’s important for us to have our local leaders at the table to help us decide what we do next.”

Today, Taft is among the fastest-growing law firms in the country with a reputation for building a truly unique national platform that is home to more than 1,100 lawyers (and growing). Following a long-term strategic plan to become one of the leading national middle-market firms, Taft has focused on purpose-driven mergers in new geographic markets which have substantially expanded its client service offerings, increasing lawyer headcount by more than 300% and revenues by more than 500% since 2017.

To learn more, visit Taft’s website.