Phyllis Wan grew up in Morningside Heights, a diverse neighborhood of New York City bordered by Harlem and Spanish Harlem with Columbia University at the center. A product of the NYC public schools who grew up socio-economically disadvantaged, Wan saw firsthand the need for justice to be served and a big role for lawyers to help in lifting up equity-seeking communities. From an early age, Wan always felt that many people faced difficult circumstances and didn’t have the right people advocating for them, as she did. She knew from as early as high school that she wanted to pursue public interest law.
After attending Barnard College of Columbia University on a full-ride scholarship for disadvantaged New York State residents, Wan worked as a bankruptcy/reorganization paralegal on Wall Street. She always believed that “A mind is like a parachute; it works better when its open,” and she wanted to experience something new in an area she didn’t see herself in down the road, so she took a position at Milbank Tweed for two years before attending NYU School of Law.
Following her first year of law school in 1989, she clerked for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, D.C. For her second summer, she looked for a “livable” law firm that valued pro bono service and would allow her to repay her student loans, which led her to a firm then called LeBoeuf, Lamb, Leiby & MacRae, where Wan started as a bankruptcy litigator in 1991.
In 1993, after coming to Denver every month to visit friends and her boyfriend (later husband), she decided she enjoyed Colorado and wanted an adventure living outside of NYC while doing something other than bankruptcy litigation. Wan sent out two resumes, but in a bit of serendipity, her law firm announced it was opening a Denver office. She got transferred, and her move to Denver was that simple. This transfer to Denver would also allow her to break into employment litigation, which she did while continuing her bankruptcy litigation work representing America West Airlines.
Eventually, in her fifth year of practice, Wan realized that litigation work was not for her. A mentor suggested that Wan interview with a mentee of his in the Corporate group at Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells US LLP), where she stayed for 21 years, becoming a partner in the Technology, Media & Entertainment group. “Her practice focused on television programming, with an emphasis on content distribution and licensing. She represented several cable and satellite television providers in their negotiations for cable, broadcast, video-on-demand, and broadband content.”
In 1999, Hogan’s Denver office created a Colorado diversity committee when it joined the Colorado Pledge to Diversity Law Firm Group. Wan later joined Hogan’s national diversity committee in the early 2000s. She became the firm’s deputy chief diversity officer from 2009 to 2012, and then its chief diversity officer of the U.S. offices from 2013 to 2016, all while still practicing law half time. “It felt like one and a half jobs, but I enjoyed it because I could use both sides of my brain.” She ended up leaving Hogan Lovells in 2017 when two cable-provider clients merged to become Charter Communications (aka Spectrum) and she moved to an inside counsel role. With her company moving its headquarters to Connecticut, she took a sabbatical and later served as interim executive director for the Center for Legal Inclusiveness before joining Holland & Hart LLP in 2020.
A typical workday for Wan, as for many attorneys, includes answering emails and attending meetings. Wan engages with the leaders in Holland & Hart’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Women’s Forum, and Diverse Network Groups, as well as other constituent groups to find ways to support them in their DEI and professional-development efforts. She also oversees the firm’s many responses to diversity surveys and inquiries from third parties, clients, and DEI organizations. Wan enjoys mentoring women and other lawyers of diverse backgrounds and promoting inclusion efforts with a variety of constituents, including working mothers, members of the firm’s LGBTQ+ Pride Group, and other firm affinity groups. She also enjoys connecting with clients and creating opportunities with them. She notes that Holland & Hart is the only law firm in Denver with a chief diversity officer sitting in our community. Wan is also involved in strategic planning, evaluations for lawyers, and compensation decisions. “It’s helpful to our DEI goals to have a seat at the table and in leadership meetings.” Wan credits the firm’s recruiters with doing a great job of recruiting attorneys of diverse backgrounds for Holland & Hart, and it is then her job to do what she can for retention. Wan wants to help Holland & Hart attorneys get whatever it takes for them to succeed, which, she notes, is not the same for everyone as each individual comes with a unique set of skills, experiences, and backgrounds.
On September 26, Wan was awarded the Outstanding Sustained Contribution award by the Colorado Lawyers Committee for her work with the Hate Crimes Education Program. She has been involved with the Colorado Lawyers Committee since 1994, when she first came to Colorado. But her involvement began much earlier when she clerked for the national organization in Washington, D.C. Wan respects that the group is non-partisan and bi-partisan and works at the intersection of children and education, everything she is interested in. “It’s where I wanted to find my community.” Wan is also “dumbfounded that 30 years have gone by.” Wan served on the CLC board from 1999 to 2017 and during those decades, has worked on a half dozen initiatives, including Election Protection, Project Homeless Connect, and the Education Task Force. While on her sabbatical and in between positions, she spent hundreds of hours working on its National Hate Crimes Education Program and Colorado program. When she got to Holland & Hart, she immediately jumped back in on behalf of the firm. Wan says that the Colorado Lawyers Committee means the world to her because “lawyers come from every sector to collectively use their brainpower for good.”
The Hate Crimes Education Program started in 1993 after a Martin Luther King, Jr. rally became violent and CLC lawyers decided they needed to do something to reach young people. The program sends volunteers to middle and high schools, though the “sweet spot” is seventh and eighth grade. Volunteer lawyers present a fictional trial for a hate crime, lasting about two hours. The volunteers then turn the students into jurors and the students deliberate and share their verdicts. “The whole thing is scripted, and you get to see the wheels turning in the students’ brains.” Jury facilitators help groups of six to eight students work through the elements of the hate crime statute and come to their decisions on four counts. Then, the group discusses verdicts, community, and allyship. The volunteers explain to the students that while there is a First Amendment right to your beliefs, it’s important to expose yourself to different ideas, and there is a fine line between one’s beliefs that turn into unlawful actions. “The students love being on a jury and being heard.” Wan has been involved with the program since its start in ’90s and the creation of the script in 1994. While she took a break when her children were young, she soon got back involved. She started by bringing the program to her kids’ school, creating partnerships with DPS and other organizations, and it has continued growing. Wan became a Task Force co-chair in 2012 and has been a co-chair ever since. Wan loves that they get lawyers from all walks of life to volunteer. For instance, Colorado Supreme Court Justice Melissa Hart went up against Valeria Spencer, deputy chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Violent Crime and Immigration Enforcement Section earlier this year. The program goes to all four corners of Colorado, traveling to Pueblo and Grand Junction. In 2018, the national group awarded the CLC a grant to create a national program, which they did. Unfortunately, COVID hit just as they wrapped up, putting the program’s roll-out on pause. The Colorado leaders hope to relaunch the national program one day soon.
Wan “just loves reaching the next generation (ages 12 to 16) and really opening their eyes and having the conversation about bias.” The letters the program receives from teachers echo how valuable the Hate Crimes Education Program is. Kids may decide to go to college or be a lawyer after participating in the program. The volunteers try to mix up the jury groups so kids aren’t with those they normally hang out with. Wan loves working with the Lawyers Committee and all the work that they do. “It makes me feel that I can take my skills and apply them to change things in some small way and the ripple effect it has.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hate Crimes Education Program has faced a decline in participation to eight to ten schools last year. Because of teacher retirements, a new generation of teachers has come on board, so there is a need to make new connections and reengaging in schools. This is not due however, to a lack of attorney volunteers. At a recent “road show” lunch at Holland & Hart’s Denver office, half a dozen attorneys who attended signed up to volunteer for the Hate Crimes Education Program alone.
At Holland & Hart, connecting with lawyers and business professionals and being a resource for them is extremely fulfilling for Wan. She enjoys connecting them with people in the community or potential clients, the people aspect. “So many people pulled me up, and I enjoy doing that for others.”
The most challenging aspect about her work at Holland & Hart has been the amount of time she spends on administrative matters. However, a new DEI specialist has freed her up considerably. DEI surveys and inquiries from third parties and clients have exploded, and folks are still very interested in moving the ball forward in the legal profession. Wan get surveys from the ABA, Law 360, diversity organizations, and clients. The awards and recognitions Holland & Hart receives are based on doing these surveys, so she sees the value in the time spent as they help to expand opportunities for the firm. Wan sometimes finds it challenging engaging attorneys in DEI initiatives because they are busy billing and working on a hybrid basis. While attorneys believe in DEI, it’s hard to get them to find time in their day. Holland & Hart has a 25-hour DEI requirement for its lawyers, which does help in fostering engagement. In the last annual evaluation period, over 84 percent of Holland & Hart’s attorneys recorded at least 20 hours of DEI work, but Wan admits that it is still hard to corral people.
Wan believes we should all have a “board of advisors,” and these individuals should come from different walks of life. For her, Niki Tuttle, a senior partner who brought her in at Hogan Lovells, was a great mentor and sponsor. They worked closely together for 21 years, and Tuttle brought Wan along in her practice. Tuttle took a chance on Wan even though she had no prior experience in television programming or commercial contracts. According to Wan, Tuttle (who has since retired) was wonderful and influential in her success as a programming lawyer.
Ron Sally, a former general counsel of the Nuggets and Avs and COO of the AFL Colorado Crush, has been a life mentor in addition to lawyer mentor. He and his wife started a nonprofit called Project Greer Street, which prepares African American students from East High School for college. Sally was a client and became a close personal friend. He has always encouraged and supported her, especially in her DEI and pro bono endeavors. “He’s a wonderful parent, role model, and human. We talk about life, working as a diverse lawyer, and parenting. His kids are a little older.”
Wan is no stranger to accolades, have been recognized as a “40 Under Forty” by the Denver Business Journal in 2003; having received the Award for Distinguished Service in 2007 from the Black, Latino, Asian Pacific American Law Alumni Association of her alma mater, NYU School of Law; having been named a “2010 Top Women Lawyer” by Law Week Colorado; and having received the Inclusiveness@Work award in the “Individual” category from the Center for Legal inclusiveness in 2023, among other awards. Of all the accomplishments in her career, this individual award from the Colorado Lawyers Committee is particularly meaningful to Wan because she dedicated 30 years to the CLC with peers she admires the most from the legal community. “It embodies the best of what lawyers can do with their skills.”
Because most of Wan’s clients and business contacts were national and from the coasts, Wan has not been as involved with the CWBA as she might otherwise have been. However, she first got to know Kim Sporrer when Wan was interim executive director at the Center for Legal Inclusiveness and became a CWBA member. She tries to steer lawyers to CWBA opportunities and encourages women lawyers to join and take advantage of the many resources the CWBA offers, noting she is always impressed with how much the CWBA does, from legislative efforts to networking to programming.
For those who are interested in furthering DEI initiatives at their workplaces, Wan says it is about helping the next generation. She recommends getting law students involved and “finding people where they are and making sure they feel welcomed.” It is about creating a sense of belonging. She suggests starting at your own workplace and then getting involved in organizations where you have a passion. “There are many ways to get involved. The most important thing is to find your passion, so you don’t peter out and you do your best work.”
When trying to balance work and personal life, Wan always knew what her values were when life circumstances took over. Pro bono work was always important, and when she became a parent, she knew that was her priority.
Wan’s kids are now 22 and 24. She was separated when they were 1 and 3, so she had a reduced-time schedule for most of 15 years. Working at about 80 percent most of that time, she knew it would mean giving up certain things, but she also knew what was important to her. “Hogan was supportive, to their credit.” “Having a full family life and honoring the time with my kids was always a non-starter, something I was not willing to compromise on.” Wan says she was lucky to pick employers that supported living full lives. She also feels it helped working between college and law school, having that time to figure out what she valued most. She saw friends working gruesome hours at New York law firms and knew that was not what she wanted. She has told her kids, “It’s just as important to learn what you don’t want as what you do want.”
Outside of the law, Wan enjoys eating good food, traveling, NYT puzzles, and time spent with family and friends. For her recent “big” birthday, she took a month abroad and worked half-time remotely for two weeks, with the other two weeks as vacation. She and her family traveled to Portugal, Florence (her favorite city), and Mallorca. Wan enjoys the research that goes into planning a trip and being exposed to new cultures and things. She also enjoys team sports such as pickleball, volleyball, and softball.
Kate Noble is a CWBA Publications Committee member and a legal editor with Colorado Bar Association CLE, the nonprofit educational arm of the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations
“A mind is like a parachute; it works better when its open.” LOVE THIS!!!!
Thanks so much for sharing this piece. I stand in awe of Phyllis.