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richard hennessey, jd


For the first 14 years, practiced law in the public sector: legal services to the poor through a government-funded community legal services program; litigation enforcement for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; attorney discipline enforcement as Committee Counsel for the Colorado Supreme Court Grievance Committee; and government policy and regulation as Chief Deputy Attorney General for the State of Colorado.

For the next 30 years until retirement, practiced law in the private sector with a mid-sized Denver law firm.  Practice emphasized: health law (representing physicians, medical practices, and single and multi-specialty healthcare provider groups, and mental health professional societies and their ethics committees; the law governing lawyers, representing individual lawyers and law firms regarding risk management, professional responsibility and attorney disciplinary defense; expert witness consultation and testimony regarding standards of care and conduct applicable to attorneys; and certain areas of commercial law, business transactions and employment law

Education & Specialized Training

  • University of Notre Dame, AB-1964 (Program of Liberal Studies)
  • Notre Dame Law School, JD-1968
  • Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship Program through the University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1968, which focused on poverty and related civil rights law.
  • Training in Applied Behavioral Science through the National Training Laboratories, emphasizing Organization Development (1971)

Professional Activities

  • Colorado Supreme Court Grievance Committee, member (1981-1985), vice-chair (1983-1984), and chair (1985)
  • Colorado Supreme Court Rules of Professional Conduct Committee, member and vice-chair (1987-1992)
  • Colorado Bar Association Ethics Committee, member (1974-2012) and chair (circa1993-1994)
  • Colorado Bar Association Lawyer Assistance Program Task Force, chair (circa 1991); chair of the charter board of directors of Colorado Lawyers Health Program (circa 1993), member of the advisory board of the subsequent Colorado lawyer assistance program, Colorado Lawyers Helping Lawyers.
  • Colorado Supreme Court Attorney Regulation Advisory Committee, member (circa 2004-2012)
  • Public Board Member, American Board of Psychoanalysis (2015-present)

Honors & Awards

  • Honored by The Colorado Psychiatric Society “for outstanding contributions to the development of psychiatric ethics through innovative leadership and ongoing consultation” (circa 2000)
  • Colorado Lawyers Committee 2002 Individual of the Year in recognition of “the one individual [member] who has made the greatest single contribution to the needs of children and the poor in Colorado.” (2003).  The Colorado Lawyers Committee is a consortium of Colorado law firms engaged in pro bono activites targeting certain needs of children and the poor in Colorado.  This presentation was tied to activities in serving as chair of the Committee’s Health Care Task Force.
  • Colorado Bar Association’s Don W. Sears Ethics Award “for ethical enhancement of the legal profession in Colorado” (circa 2008)

Contact Us:
501 S. Cherry Street, #1100, Denver, CO 80246
Phone: (303) 676-8008  |  Email:  info@abpsa.org

The American Board of Psychoanalysis is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to serving the public interest and promoting the profession of psychoanalysis through certification and maintenance of certification. 

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