- J.D., University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Colorado
- National Association of Bond Lawyers
- Colorado Bar Association
- Denver Bar Association
Rick represents and advises Colorado governments in financial transactions and in publicly marketed and privately placed securities offerings that finance public infrastructure projects. He most often serves as bond counsel to Colorado cities, towns, counties, school districts, special districts and urban renewal authorities for the issuance of general obligation and revenue bonds, tax and revenue anticipation notes, tax increment and industrial development revenue bonds, and lease revenue certificates of participation.
Rick frequently serves as disclosure, underwriter’s and letter of credit bank counsel. He also maintains expertise in the application of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) to Colorado local governments. With more than 40 years of experience as a public finance attorney, Rick is able to structure a wide variety of public finance transactions to ensure his clients comply with Colorado state law, TABOR, Colorado state and federal tax laws and Colorado state and federal securities laws.
- Formulated the solution to the development of an airport city or "aerotropolis" at Denver International Airport by utilizing companion ballot issues in Denver and Adams County that were approved overwhelmingly by the voters in 2015.
- Bond Counsel for the 2007 "Deal of the Year" in the seven-state Southwest region of the United States as selected by The Bond Buyer, the national daily newspaper of public finance, that eliminated a major Colorado brownfield site.
- Bond Counsel to Boulder Valley School District in the first major TABOR case in 1993, Bickel, et al, v. City of Boulder, Boulder Valley School District and Boulder County, in which the Colorado Supreme Court upheld and adopted Rick's forms and wording of the School District's TABOR ballot issues and notices, which became models for all subsequent TABOR elections.
- Drafted the Performance Promise ballot issue that was approved by the voters of Jefferson County School District and was reported in the Wall Street Journal.
- One of 100 Coloradans selected to attend the Colorado Capitol Conference in Washington, D.C. to meet with Colorado's U.S. Senators and Representatives.
- Bond Counsel to Jefferson County School District for what was, in 1992, the largest bond issuance in Colorado history ($325,000,000).
- Experience as Bond Counsel to the State of Colorado, the University of Colorado, and the City and County of Denver.
- Experience as drafter of securities offering documents for the State of Nevada and the University of Utah.
- Represented numerous Colorado governments as bond or disclosure counsel, including more than half of Colorado School Districts, in hundreds of financings resulting in the construction of billions of dollars in public infrastructure.
- Represented numerous Colorado special districts and assessment districts of all types, and business improvement districts as bond counsel for financings of public infrastructure for residential and commercial development projects.
- Local counsel to regional and Wall Street banks for the purchase of local Colorado bond issues.
- Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent for 20+ years