Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Denver partner Franz Hardy has been elected President of the Denver Bar Association (DBA). As the incoming President, Hardy wrote a letter introducing himself to DBA members in The Docket, the official magazine of the DBA. The introduction titled "A letter from Your Incoming President Franz Hardy: From There to Here," describes his childhood, raised by his African American father and his path to becoming a lawyer.
"During one of the many rough stretches, we lived in a small detached garage until the weather got so cold that we had to move into a distant cousin’s house. I also remember a few nights sleeping in the car."
"Having little and struggling were part of my everyday life. Being a bi-racial kid with a different name was who I was."
"After high school, I was accepted to Colorado State University, where I thought I could get a little lost in a big crowd. During spring break of my sophomore year, my father passed away unexpectedly. Over the one-week break, I buried him, packed up his few belongings and cleaned out his small apartment. I remember that his bank account only held a couple hundred dollars. The teller helped me close the account even though I did not have the right paperwork."
"Left to fend for myself, I knew that I had to get serious. With a lot of hard work, I was accepted to the University of Colorado Law School..."
In 2000, Hardy graduated from law school and worked for a mid-sized firm in Denver for seven years. In 2007, Hardy joined Gordon & Rees when the Denver office opened.
Today, Hardy chairs the firm’s Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee. As the DBA President, Hardy plans to reinforce the value of membership and promote a culture of diversity and inclusiveness within the legal community. Hardy’s overarching philosophy is “everyone is welcome here.”
To read the letter that appeared The Docket, please click here.