The attorneys and staff of Sherman & Howard L.L.C. are sad to announce that our colleague, mentor, and friend, Andy Volin, passed away on March 14, 2017.

Andy joined Sherman & Howard immediately after graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1989.  He devoted more than 27 years to all aspects of labor and employment law, most frequently from a management perspective, but also in objective, scholarly presentations.  In his private practice, Andy had a wide range of expertise.  He handled cases ranging from covenants not to compete to union strikes and labor-management disputes.  He practiced in the field of mine safety; he was an expert in wage & hour law; and he was a Firm resource in large class actions regarding employment discrimination.

Andy’s official biographies don’t itemize his many professional articles and presentations, but our files contain over 100.  Andy was also known to law students at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and the University of Colorado School of Law, both as an adjunct professor and as a frequent guest lecturer.  In his presentations, he exuded enthusiasm for his area of practice and for the litigation process.  He received numerous awards throughout his career including recognition from Best Lawyers in America, Colorado Super Lawyers, and his induction as a Litigation Counsel of America Fellow.

During his career Andy served as co-chair of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Colorado Bar Association and was a contributing author to the Colorado Bar Association’s “The Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Employment Law.”  His professionalism included a willingness to devote his time and considerable energy to public service.  He served as a member of the Legal Advisory Board of the Colorado Civil Justice League, which recognized Andy with its “Lawyer of the Year” award in 2008.  Andy also served as President of the Board of Directors of Community Housing Services.  He advocated for increasing diversity in the legal profession, including supporting Law School Sí Se Puede and serving on our Firm’s Inclusiveness Council.

None of these accomplishments adequately summarizes the influence Andy had on his colleagues in Sherman & Howard’s Labor and Employment Law Department.  From the Department’s senior members, Andy learned a commitment to excellence in all areas of law practice, including especially written and oral advocacy, and, from the first year of his membership in the Firm, Andy took the lead in continuing that heritage by inspiring more junior attorneys.  Andy was a tireless mentor and editor, instructing new associates in the standards the Firm expects from its attorneys.  He was inventive in even the most routine cases; he was irrepressible in advocating for his clients, for the Firm, and for the profession.  Andy was a true partner to the members of our Department.  His positive energy, his personal concern and caring for all of us and our spouses and partners, and his unbending commitment elevated us all.  We are who we are, in no small part, because of our association with Andy.  All of us, in the Department and in the Firm, will miss him deeply.

Andy is survived by his wife, Andi Girl Volin and children, Samuel and Natalie Volin.  Andi Girl, Samuel, Natalie, Andy’s parents, his brothers, their families, and Andi Girl’s family are in our thoughts and prayers.