Ms. Rhoades is of counsel in Kutak Rock’s Litigation group and focuses her practice on telecommunications, regulatory and commercial litigation. Ms. Rhoades represents telecommunications companies nationally before state and federal courts, administrative bodies, and utility commissions concerning use of the public rights-of-way, franchising, facility relocation, wholesale contracts, special construction, inter-carrier finance facilities cost, carrier management, and network maintenance, integration and interconnection. Ms. Rhoades also has represented corporations in complex commercial disputes, including intellectual property, antitrust, trade secrets, contract, labor and employment, business torts, non-compete agreements and other general civil litigation matters.
Before joining Kutak Rock, Ms. Rhoades served as in-house counsel for a Fortune 200 company, where she successfully implemented a cost-effective litigation strategy. Ms. Rhoades is also active in her community. She is a Past President of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association and currently the Regional President for the Hispanic National Bar Association. She is also a past Chair of the Diversity in the Legal Profession of the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations, where she ran a mentoring program pairing law school students with practicing attorneys. She serves on the Board of Directors for Easter Seals Colorado, one of Colorado’s largest charities helping individuals with disabilities and special needs, and the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, which provides critical advocacy for the poor. In 2009 she was appointed Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Center for Legal Inclusiveness. In 2011 she joined the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ Board of Directors. She also was appointed to the University of Colorado School of Law Alumni Board and the HNBA/Association of Corporate Counsel’s Executive Leadership Training Program. She received appointments from then Colorado Governor-Elect John Hickenlooper to serve on his Department of Regulatory Agencies Transition Team, the Mayor of Denver’s Latino Advisory Commission and the former Governor Ritter’s Colorado Counts! Committee. In 2009 she graduated from the Colorado Bar Association’s Leadership Training Program and in 2006 from the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce's Impact Denver Program. Ms. Rhoades was named the Outstanding New Hispanic Lawyer by the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association in 2006. Ms. Rhoades was also recently selected by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity to participate in its inaugural fellowship program.
In her spare time, Ms. Rhoades is a volunteer attorney at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and on the Hispanic Advisory Council for Florence Crittenton High School, an alternative high school for pregnant and parenting teens. In 2010 Ms. Rhoades co-founded a networking group for professional women who meet quarterly to informally provide mentoring and advice. She also is planning, along with Latina Chamber leaders, an event aimed at recognizing women leaders in the community.
Ms. Rhoades regularly speaks at local events, including at colleges, high schools and elementary schools, about the importance of education and community. She also coordinates two “Dream Teams” consisting of judges, law students, attorneys and legal professionals to encourage students to join the legal profession. To date, she has visited over 30 schools to talk about her journey. Prior to law school, Ms. Rhoades played women’s collegiate basketball at Regis University, earning several national academic and athletic honors.
-
Successfully litigated and won judgment in telecommunications carrier's favor involving its long-distance network regarding right-of-way access, fees and mandatory relocation in Maryland.
-
Obtained summary judgment for a Fortune 100 Company that its primary trademark was not general and Defendant unauthorized use constituted infringement.
-
Obtained temporary restraining order for Company that Defendant falsely advertised the Company's trademark in violation of the Lanham Act.
-
Successfully represented telecommunications carrier in disputes nationwide.
-
Litigated and negotiated a favorable multimillion-dollar land use access settlement involving telecommunications carrier's local telecommunications network.
-
Successfully negotiated favorable relocation reimbursement under significant time constraints with large transportation district.