Areas of Practice

Corporate Law

We provide a full range of legal services to our business clients. Our firm and its attorneys have a proven record with a wide range of companies including manufacturing, technology, healthcare, retail, sports, and real estate companies. We can work with you and your business from its formation through a liquidity event.

Areas of Focus:
- Corporate Law and Governance
- Start-Ups and Emerging Companies
- Entity Structuring and Formation
- General Advice
- LLCs and Partnerships
- Venture Capital, Private Equity and Related
- Transactions Mergers and Acquisitions
- General Business Counseling
- Equity Incentive Plans and Compensation
- Real Estate Equity and Financing Succession
- Planning
- Trademark
- Intellectual Property
- Tax

Attorneys and Paralegals:

Business Litigation

Litigation in today’s environment can be complex, time consuming, and expensive. Our attorneys will work to ensure that your litigation strategy takes into account your unique circumstances and strategic objectives. We will help you manage and understand the litigation process from start to finish so that you will be able to plan for each stage and work with us during each phase of your matter. We handle all aspects of your litigation needs including trials, arbitration, and appeals.

Areas of Focus:
- Business Disputes
- Trials
- Appeals
- Creditors’ Rights
- Defending Employment Claims
- Real Estate Litigation
- Intellectual Property Litigation

Attorneys and Paralegals:

Business Litigation

Estate Planning and Probate

Assisting clients with estate planning is an intensely personal process, from choosing how to create and implement a plan to pass on your legacy, to providing guidance after the death of a loved one. Our attorneys work with you to ensure that your plan reflects your desires, and that you have a clear understanding of how your plan works, and why it takes the form that it does. In providing guidance for the administration of trusts and estates, we work with family members as beneficiaries and as fiduciaries to see to it that the deceased’s plans are carried out as intended and beneficiaries are kept informed on a timely basis regarding the progress of trust or estate administration. We take a collaborative approach to the administration process, routinely coordinating our efforts with the deceased’s accountants and financial advisors.

Areas of Focus:
- Estate Plans
- Estate Administration
- Tax and Tax Planning
- Succession Planning
- Probate and Litigation

Attorneys and Paralegals:

Tax

All our tax attorneys have advanced tax law degrees (LL.M. in Taxation). We handle and resolve a broad range of federal, state, and local tax issues. We advise on income and estate tax planning for individuals and businesses, IRS controversies, mergers and acquisitions, state or local sales or use tax matters, and tax issues affecting non-profit organization. Every client’s tax concerns are unique. We strive to provide clear explanations, explore available alternatives and tailor the solution to achieve your objectives.

Areas of Focus:
- Tax Planning and Strategy
- Business Support
- Disputes with IRS/State/Local

Attorneys and Paralegals:

Tax

Business Real Estate

We advise and represent our clients on a full range of commercial, industrial, and residential real estate transactions. Our experienced, responsive team of real estate lawyers provide a full spectrum of legal services to commercial, industrial, and residential real estate matters. Whether it’s a complex real estate transaction, a trial or county board proceeding, or the process of assisting our corporate lawyers with real estate issues, our real estate lawyers seek the creative solutions that serve your particular needs.

Areas of Focus:
- Commercial Real Estate Purchases and Sales
- Commercial Leases
- Financing

Attorneys and Paralegals:

Employment

Our employment law practice focuses on advising and defending employers in a full range of employment issues.

We represent and defend employers in claims and litigation involving noncompetition agreements, trade secrets, breach of contract, wrongful discharge, discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation, including defense of claims with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal Department of Labor, the Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD), and the Colorado Department of Labor.

We pride ourselves on providing proactive counseling and advice to our business clients in a variety of areas, such as protecting trade secrets and confidential information, drafting employment and executive agreements, independent contractor agreements, employment policies and handbooks, severance agreements, wage and hour issues, employee discipline, employment termination, and avoiding wrongful termination and discrimination claims. We also advise clients on compliance with federal and state law, including Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA), and the Colorado Wage Claim Act.

Areas of Focus:
- Employment Contracts
- Employment Policies and Handbooks
- Employment Litigation
- Defense of Title VII / CADA
- Wage & Hour Disputes
- Severance Agreements
- Noncompetition Agreements
- Trade Secret Policies and Agreements

Attorneys and Paralegals:

Employment

Intellectual Property

Many businesses rely heavily on the value of their intellectual property. This is especially important to our clients who are start-ups and emerging companies. We can help you develop a practical and cost-effective strategy to protect your intellectual property.

Areas of Focus:
- Trademarks
- Copyrights
- Licensing

Attorneys and Paralegals:

Education Law

We represent charter schools, private schools, school districts, colleges, and universities in a wide range of legal issues. Whether you are founding a charter school, negotiating a charger contract with your authorizer, addressing employment issues, drafting school policies, revising your handbook, buying or selling property, or facing litigation, our attorneys can help you achieve success. P-12 schools and higher education are facing more and more legal regulation and threats of litigation. Let our experienced attorneys help you and your team with the legal issues so you can focus on your mission of educating students.

Areas of Focus:
- Board of Governance
- Contracts
- Employment
- First Amendment – Speech and Religion
- Internal Investigations
- Litigation
- Real Estate
- Special Education
- Social Media
- Sunshine Laws – CORA and Open Meetings

Attorneys and Paralegals:

Education Law

Sports

Global growth in the popularity and visibility of sports has created a high-profile, multi-billion-dollar industry. Such growth has been accompanied by an increase in the complexity and importance of the legal issues facing the industry. We provide a full range of legal services to our diverse client base, including athletes, coaches, executives, professional sports teams and leagues, sports venues, college conferences, health clubs, nonprofit corporations and charity sports organizations, and sports officials.

Areas of Focus:
- Contracts
- Licensing
- Regulatory Advisement
- National Governing Bodies for Sport
- Grievances and Sports Arbitrations
- Governance

Attorneys and Paralegals:
- William J. Robers
- Alison L. Harano

Location

Sparks Willson, P.C.
24 South Weber Street, Suite 400 | Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Phone: 719.634.5700 | Fax: 719.633.8477

Disclaimer

The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by Sparks Willson, P.C. and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.