rgarfield

Ronald Garfield

Managing Shareholder

Contact Information
Email: garfield@garfieldhecht.com
Phone: 970-925-1936
Fax: 970-925-3008

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Education

Bucknell University (B.S.B.A., 1966)
Brooklyn Law School (J.D., 1969)

Court Admissions

State of Colorado (1972)
State of New York (1969)

Bar Associations
& Professional Societies

Pitkin County Bar Association
Colorado Bar Association
American Bar Association (Member, Sections on: Real Estate; Business Law; Law Office Management)

Practice Areas

Banking, Business Transactions, Commercial Lending, Contracts, Creditors Rights, Foreclosures, Associations, Landlord/Tenant, Including Retail and Commercial Leasing, Opinion Letter Practice, and Real Estate

Experience

Ron, along with Andy Hecht, is a founding partner of Garfield & Hecht, which first opened its doors in 1975 and has maintained an unwavering commitment to helping clients traverse the complicated legal landscape. Ron is the managing shareholder of Garfield & Hecht, which has six locations on the Western slope and a front range office at the Denver Tech Center. Ron remains active in various practice areas by representing individual and corporate clients, including several banks, and he also oversees Garfield & Hecht’s opinion letter practice.

In addition to representing both landlords and tenants in negotiating retail, office and residential leases, Ron has authored covenants and declarations for a variety of developments from duplexes to planned urban developments (PUDs) and even highend subdivisions such as Wildcat Ranch near Aspen.

Banks and private lenders trust in Ron’s representation for their lending activities, as well as the restructure of non-performing loans and, where needed, collection activity including foreclosures and UCC sales. Ron has represented both purchasers and sellers in a variety of real estate transactions including fractional ownership, single-family residences, duplexes, commercial properties, hotels, farm, and ranch lands, as well as parcels earmarked for development. He has also represented buyers and sellers of businesses, including stock and asset sales with and without leverage.

Ron has authored helpful articles on the Garfield & Hecht website for clients and potential clients including Purchasing Mountain Property, Renting Mountain Property, and Selling Mountain Property.

Community Involvement

Under Ron’s guidance, G&H has demonstrated a deep commitment to giving back to the communities where its employees live and work. Since 2007, G&H has given over $350,000 to charities throughout the Western slope of Colorado and elsewhere. Along with charitable donations, G&H has provided pro bono assistance with the same level of professionalism that it provides to clients retaining its services

Ron was elected to serve on Pitkin County’s Home Rule Charter Commission. Over the years, Ron has also served on the boards of various nonprofits, homeowner associations, and special districts. Under Ron’s guidance, G&H was the original sponsor of the Aspen Young Professional Association.

Awards & Ratings

Ron is a Martindale Hubble AV rated attorney. Year after year, the lawyers at Garfield & Hecht consistently earn accolades from industry groups, have been recognized by publications, and are highly rated by their peers and clients. A snapshot of Garfield & Hecht’s recent positive ratings and reviews includes: Super Lawyers®, US News and World Reports®, “Best Lawyers Best Firms” (2020), Martindale-Hubbell®, “Pre-Eminent Lawyers” (2018), Martindale-Hubbell, Ethic Standards and Legal Ability (2018) and AV, the highest rating of many of its lawyers by Martindale-Hubbell.

Published Articles/Speaking Engagements

Public Trustee Foreclosures: Be Aware of What Remains, The Colorado Lawyer, September 2011 (Vol. 40 No. 9) http://www.cobar.org/tcl/tcl_articles.cfm?articleid=7204

This article regarding public trustee foreclosures discusses what third-party liens may survive a foreclosure. Examples discussed in this article include leases, easements, homeowners association liens, tax and mechanics liens and in some cases equitable subrogation with respect to an already recorded prior lien. 

Third Party Opinion Letters: Limiting Liability of Opinion Givers, The Colorado Lawyer, November 2013 (Vol. 42 No. 11)  http://www.cobar.org/tcl/tcl_articles.cfm?articleid=8325 

This article regarding opinion letters addresses ethical and other considerations and drafting suggestions for attorneys interested in limitations on potential liability with respect to opinion letters provided to non-client third parties.

When Homeowner Associations Borrow – What Attorneys and Lenders Should Know, The Colorado Lawyer, December 2015 (Vol. 44 No. 12) http://www.cp2law.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/12-2015_RealEstate.pdf 

This article on homeowner association borrowing discusses, in light of recent legislation, what bank attorneys should know about collateral for these loans (typically a pledge of assessments) and what attorneys who represent homeowner associations should know about how these loans are structured. 

SK Peightal v. Mid Valley – Construction Defect Litigators and Bank Attorneys Take Note, The Colorado Lawyer, September 2016 (Vol. 45 No.9) https://law-journals-books.vlex.com/vid/s-k-peightal-v-657463397

The article, co-authored by Ron with his partner Dave Lenyo, discusses an important construction defect case as well as Colorado’s Economic Loss Rule and potential defensive strategies for banks. 

Phase I Environmental Site Assessments: Are they Enough? The Colorado Lawyer April 2018 (Vol-No.11) https://www.cobar.org/Portals/COBAR/Repository/TCL/April%202018/REAL_ESTATE.pdf

This article describes what a Phase I does and does not address in the way of due diligence and what other tools real estate attorneys may want to utilize on environmental due diligence. 

Condominium Obsolesce: The Final Act or a New Beginning, The Colorado Lawyer January 2020 (Vol 19 No.1) https://community.cobar.org/HigherLogic/System/DownloadDocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=ed0c2ddb-b0df-a590-4c94-363c2dd90618

This article addresses what options owners may have as older condominiums approach obsolescence that may require major upgrades or redevelopment. 

Commercial Leasing in a Post Pandemic World The Colorado Lawyer June 2021  (Vol.50 No.6) https://cl.cobar.org/features/covid-19s-effects-on-real-estate-law-part-1-commercial-leasing-in-a-post-pandemic-world/

This article addresses lessons learned from the COVID pandemic with respect to landlord and tenant relationships, and suggests that, under the pandemic conditions, more general force majeure provisions in the lease are not a good fit. This article includes lease provisions that can be utilized to address pandemic conditions.  

Ron has made numerous in-house presentations to the Garfield & Hecht bank clients on various topics of interest to lenders including reserve studies for homeowners associations, secured lending under the Colorado Uniform Commercial Code, lending to homeowner associations, water rights in real estate secured loans and title insurance. Ron has also been a Strafford Publications presenter on the topic of “Homeowners Documents for Developers and Project Owners: Financial, Governance, Control, and Liability Provisions. https://www.sp-04.com/r.php?products/tlfrpcehna. 

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