Bennett S. Aisenberg

1931 - 2021

Aisenberg, Bennett S.

The Colorado legal community has lost a champion for justice, diversity, and professionalism. Ben Aisenberg, a principled and compassionate man who loved the law and the practice of law, died January 10, 2021, a month shy of his 90th birthday. Ben was an eminent and highly accomplished trial lawyer. In addition, Ben served as an arbitrator and mediator in hundreds of disputes, finding great satisfaction in his role as a problem solver.
Ben was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on February 17, 1931. He graduated from Brown University Phi Beta Kappa in 1952 and Harvard Law School in 1955. After being stationed in Colorado Springs in the Army, Ben fell in love with Colorado and made Colorado his home. Ben joined the Denver law firm Gorsuch Kirgis in 1958, the first Jewish lawyer hired by a major Denver law firm, and he practiced there as a partner until 1980. Ben then formed his own law firm where he practiced until 2020, when he regretfully closed his practice.
Ben was active in and committed to the Colorado Bar Association, the Denver Bar Association, the Sam Cary Bar Association, and the Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Ben was the only Colorado attorney to serve as the President of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, the Denver Bar Association, and the Colorado Bar Association. Ben also served on the Denver Judicial Nominating Committee for six years.
Ben found great joy in all aspects of the law and he particularly embraced the field of legal ethics. An expert on lawyer professional responsibility, Ben served as an expert witness, authored articles, and taught courses at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. He served on the Colorado Bar's Ethics Committee for 35 years, relishing the monthly Saturday half-day meetings, where he and lawyers and judges from throughout Colorado wrestled with thorny ethics issues while enjoying exceptional camaraderie.
Ben considered mentorship a sacred duty and throughout his career he counseled hundreds of Colorado lawyers. Ben remained a dedicated proponent of civility in the practice of law and was a founding member of the Denver Bar Association Conciliation Panel.
Ben received many awards and honors over the course of his distinguished career. In 2003 he received the Denver Bar Association's Award of Merit, its highest honor. The Ethics Committee awarded Ben the Don Sears Award of Merit in 2005. He received the Colorado Bar Association's Award of Merit, its highest honor, in 2013. In 2014 the Sam Cary Bar honored Ben with its Warrior For Justice award for promoting human rights, civil liberties, and equality. In 2004 the Colorado Bar Foundation created the Aisenberg Society in honor of Ben. The Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Foundation created the Aisenberg Award in 2007 in honor of Ben. Ben remarked that to be honored by his peers was one of the greatest gifts he received.
Ben was an ardent advocate for social justice. He remained an optimist on the arc of the moral universe and worked tirelessly to promote human rights, civil liberties, and equality. Ben was a serious student of history and politics and read voraciously.
Ben was a gifted bridge player, becoming a Life Master by the age of thirty.
Ben also was an avid fan of sports of all kinds. Ben loved baseball and the Rockies. Ben's friends knew him well enough not to call him or expect a response to emails on Sundays during the football season. It was rumored that Ben might occasionally place small wagers on the outcomes of those games.
Ben was preceded in death by his mother, Minna Cohan Aisenberg, his father, Joseph S. Aisenberg, and his sister Toby Aisenberg Skiest. Ben is survived by his nieces Nancy Skiest Andrews and Jody E. Skiest, and his nephew Daniel J. Skiest.
Ben possessed a brilliant, incisive mind and a warm, self-deprecating sense of humor. Ben was graced with a multitude of dear friends whom he cherished and who will miss him greatly.
A memorial service will be scheduled later when the world is safer from the pandemic. Contributions in honor of Ben can be made to the Colorado Bar Foundation, the Sam Cary Bar Foundation, the Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Foundation or Harvard Law School.