On Jan. 18, the 2005 Richard Marden Davis Award was presented to Davis Graham & Stubbs litigation partner Kenzo Kawanabe at a dinner in his honor at the Brown Palace. The award is presented annually by Davis Graham & Stubbs, the Denver Bar Foundation and the Davis family to a young Denver lawyer under 40 who has "combined excellence as a lawyer with creative civic, cultural, educational and charitable leadership" in the tradition of Dick Davis early in his career.

Kenzo Kawanabe (left) accepts the Davis Award from DBA President Chris Little (right).

"I am indebted to DG&S for helping me build my practice, and continually supporting my pro bono and community service work," said Kawanabe. "All the credit should go to my family. My foundation consists of my wife (Irene) and two daughters (Mika and Aya), who inspire me to be a better person."

Kawanabe, 34, has already distinguished himself as a trial lawyer and a leader, currently heading up a litigation team handling several hundred mass tort cases in the pharmaceutical industry, and chairing the Davis Graham & Stubbs Diversity Committee. He is a respected leader in the legal community, serving as past-president of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Colorado, former member of the: CBA’s Board of Governors, DBA’s Board of Trustees, Colorado Lawyers Committee Education Task Force and the Colorado Legal Aid Foundation Fundraising Committee. Recent pro bono work includes successfully representing a Togo refugee in his asylum claims through the Rocky Mountain Survivors Center; defending two blind tenants in a landlord-tenant Legal Aid matter; and advocating for a Colorado student challenging her college’s closed meeting policies in its presidential search.

Kenzo also finds time for his commitment to the community, serving on the boards of the Community Resource Center and the Rose Community Foundation Education Committee. He was a 2001 Denver Business Journal "Forty Under 40" Denver Business Leader, one of the 2003 National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s "Best Lawyers Under 40," a 2004 University of Colorado Recent Alumni Award recipient, and 2005 Denver Bar Association "Young Lawyer of the Year." Kenzo is a 1997 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, and received his B.A. from the University of Colorado in 1994. After law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Mary J. Mullarkey, Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court.