Hank Lacey joined the editorial team this month and began reporting on legal education, natural resources and energy law, public sector legal news and the Colorado legislature for Circuit Media’s in-house publication, Law Week Colorado.
Hank was born in Colorado but, as the son of an Air Force NCO, he moved around frequently throughout his childhood. He lived in Colorado, New York, South Carolina and New Mexico before moving to Arizona to pursue his undergraduate and law degrees at Arizona State University.
He began his legal career as a law clerk to a federal appellate judge and then, from 1992 to 2006, Hank worked as an attorney in Arizona. During that time he also served as a visiting instructor at a Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon and as in-house counsel for an environmental advocacy organization in the Pacific Northwest. He has also held adjunct faculty appointments at Northern Arizona University and Columbia College.
When his first daughter was born, Hank stepped away from the courtroom to be a stay-at-home parent. After moving to Colorado and welcoming his second daughter, he decided to pursue a career as a journalist. After taking graduate journalism courses at CU Boulder, he began working as a reporter in 2007. Since then, Hank has been published in a variety of publications, including the New York Daily News and The Gazette.
Of his pivot from law to journalism, Hank said, “I didn’t find it as difficult as it could have been. When you practice law you need to learn very early how to read people… I think those are skills that are useful in journalism.”
When he’s not learning or working, Hank likes to spend time with his two teenage daughters, who are both in high school. He takes care of a “menagerie” of beloved pets in his spare time as well, including an older Labrador retriever and a couple of cats. Hank’s hobbies include riding his bike, hiking, photography, reading, watching baseball and cheering on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Like any typical Colorado native, he is a craft beer lover and enjoys being outside whenever he can.
Welcome to the team, Hank! We’re so happy to have you on the Law Week team!
