[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 129 (Monday, September 14, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DANIEL S. HOFFMAN

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                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 14, 2009

  Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the extraordinary life 
and remarkable achievements of Daniel S. Hoffman. Dan Hoffman was an 
icon in the legal community, an educator, and a public servant who 
spent his life working for justice.
   Dan Hoffman was a leader of Colorado's legal community. He served as 
president of both the Colorado Bar Association and the Colorado Trial 
Lawyers Association (the only person who has held both those posts) and 
state chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In recognition of 
his outstanding work, Dan was honored with the Colorado State Committee 
of the American College of Trial Lawyers Lifetime Achievement Award, 
the American Jewish Committee Judge Learned Hand Award, and the 
University of Denver Sturm College of Law Outstanding Alumni Award.
   Dan was an inspiring teacher at the University of Denver Sturm 
College of Law, where he also served as Dean from 1978 to 1984. The 
Hoffman Cup, Sturm's most prestigious trial advocacy award, is named 
for Dan. Students remember Dan as a legal giant who was nonetheless 
accessible to everyone, including first-year law students, and made 
them feel that he cared. He mentored many law students and lawyers 
early in their careers, including my husband, Lino Lipinsky.
   Dan was a stellar litigator and advocate. In the 1970s, Dan became 
part owner of the Denver Nuggets of the American Basketball Association 
and negotiated the merger of the ABA with the NBA. In one notable case, 
he represented Michael Jackson against a Denver woman who claimed she 
had written one of Jackson's hits. Dan's masterful direct examination 
of Jackson, which included having Jackson sing two songs a cappella, 
giving the jury a new view of Michael Jackson, is taught in law schools 
and at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy as a model of direct 
examination. Whether representing his corporate clients or the ``little 
guy,'' he was, in the words of Colorado Supreme Court Justice Michael 
Bender, ``the ultimate model of a wonderful lawyer.''
   Dan Hoffman was born May 4, 1931, in New York City. He graduated 
from high school at 15 and enrolled in college at the University of 
Colorado at 16. He received his law degree magna cum laude from the 
University of Denver. At age 32, he became the City of Denver's 
youngest-ever public safety manager and led a successful campaign to 
clean up corruption in the Denver Police Department. Public service was 
always part of this life.
   Dan's commitment to justice and fairness was lifelong. In 1965, he 
joined Martin Luther King on his civil-rights protest march in Alabama 
from Selma to Montgomery. He was state director for Sen. Robert 
Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. He joined the protests later that 
year at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. As an activist 
and an advocate, he stood up for the injured and those without a voice.
   The Colorado legal community has seen many notable lawyers pass 
through its diverse community, but none like Dan Hoffman. A champion of 
justice, a crusader for civil rights, a community leader and a teacher 
and mentor to many, Dan Hoffman has left an indelible mark on all those 
privileged to have known him. Please join me in paying tribute to the 
life of Daniel Hoffman.

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