Ireland Stapleton is proud to announce that two of our attorneys have once again been named to 5280 Magazine’s list of Top Lawyers.

To compile the 2022 list, 5280 reached out to more than 17,700 licensed attorneys in the seven-county metro area and asked they rank and recognize their peers in 50 different areas of the law. Then to supplement survey data, the publication conducts its own due diligence and in-depth research. 

Please join us in congratulating:

James G. Benjamin is listed for real estate law. Jim is known for his legal work in real estate, banking, and lending. In his practice, he works with developers, landowners, commercial landlords, and commercial tenants, lenders, borrowers, and sellers and purchasers of a variety of commercial real estate, including office buildings, vacant development land, subdivisions, apartments, shopping centers, hotels, industrial property, campgrounds, and mixed-use complexes. In his practice, he focuses on commercial real estate transactional work, including acquisitions, sales, commercial leasing (office, retail, and ground), financing, condominium development, land development, construction contracts, and condominium conversions. He has a broad range of experience with institutional client lending, representing lenders and borrowers in commercial real estate secured transactions. His experience extends to all aspects of real estate including preparation and negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, loan documents, lease agreements (retail, office, and long-term ground leases), reciprocal easement agreements, development related agreements and easements, joint venture agreements, documents for common interest community creation, and documents for real estate ownership entity formation. He is the general editor of the Colorado Real Estate Forms Deskbook, published by Colorado Bar Association CLE.

Tom Downey is listed for marijuana law for the 7th year in a row.  Tom is well regarded for his work redrafting the City of Denver’s policies and procedures for liquor licensing and writing the City’s original policies and procedures for legalized recreational marijuana licenses.  He has significant experience as both a government official and private attorney and is well-known for untangling complicated issues that are regulated by local, state, federal agencies. In his practice, he advises corporate clients, including business owners, investors, creditors, developers, intellectual property holders and others in and around licensed industries. He currently Chairs the Board of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, And Regulation, Inc.