Member Spotlight, 1017 COBJ, Vol. 46, No. 9 Pg. 112

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Vol. 46, No. 9 [Page 112]

The Colorado Lawyer

October, 2017

Forrest Plesko

Forrest Plesko is the second vice chair of the Colorado Lawyer Advisory Board. He joined the board in 2015 and served on its 2016-17 redesign committee.

PROFILE

Hometown: Superior, Wisconsin

Law School: University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Lives in: Castle Pines

Works at: Summit Utilities, Inc.

Practice Area(s): In-House Counsel

CBA Member Since: 2009

Describe yourself in five words.

Pragmatic, unassuming, determined, considerate, adventurous.

Why did you become a lawyer?

When I was in college, I got a job as a legal assistant for a small personal injury firm in Duluth, Minnesota. One of the partners there, Louis Stockman, went out of his way to include me in client consultations, negotiations, and even some basic legal research. I stayed there until I graduated and was left with the impression that this was something I'd like to do.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Cancer took my mother's life at 66. Before she died, she told me there were many more things she wanted to do and wished she hadn't waited to do them. Don't wait.

What is one of the most positive experiences you've had as a lawyer?

In my first year or two of practice, I represented—pro bono—a young man who allegedly caused $35,000 in water damage when he tried to rescue a pet bird stuck behind the refrigerator of a third floor apartment (a water line broke when the refrigerator was pulled out). My client was 16 at the time of the incident, but when he turned 18, he was sued for negligence by a subrogating insurance company. The court ruled in my client's favor and dismissed the case on motion just after my client graduated from high school and left for boot camp. I've handled much larger cases since then, but this one was special because my client had no resources, had no meaningful way to defend himself, and without representation, would likely have started his adult life with a significant default judgment. It felt great to stand up for him.

What do you like the most about your practice area?

In the year or so that I've been in-house counsel, I've...

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