Caroline Dickey, a Denver labor and employment lawyer at Barnes & Thornburg, has been selected for promotion to partner, effective January 1, 2027.[6] The firm announced the promotion on October 28 as part of a class of 25 lawyers across six practices and 10 offices.[6] For Dickey, whose practice combines employer representation in disputes with advice on workplace decisions, the announcement marks a move from counsel to the partnership.[7][6]
ColoradoBiz reported the promotion on October 29, identifying Dickey as the Denver employment attorney in the firm's new partner class.[5] The effective date is still ahead: Barnes & Thornburg's professional biography currently lists her as counsel, with both Denver and Los Angeles office affiliations.[7]
A practice in litigation and workplace counseling
Dickey represents employers in wage and hour class and collective actions, as well as lawsuits brought by individual plaintiffs.[7] Her experience includes proceedings in federal and state courts, administrative agencies and alternative dispute resolution forums.[7] That range of work sits alongside a counseling practice focused on employment decisions before they become disputes.[7]
Her firm biography identifies wage and hour compliance, discrimination and harassment claims, employee discipline, terminations and leaves of absence among the subjects on which she advises clients.[7] It also describes her work with business leaders and human resources professionals on workplace policies, settlements and litigation strategy.[7]
Legal training and admissions
Dickey earned her J.D. from Duke University School of Law in 2014, where she was a Zimmer Family Scholar.[7] She previously graduated from the University of Georgia in 2011 with a B.A., magna cum laude; her biography also lists Phi Beta Kappa membership.[7]
The firm's credentials section confirms bar admissions in California and Colorado.[7] It lists admission to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the federal district courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[7] These credentials establish her status as a practicing lawyer and provide context for the two office locations listed in her profile.[7]
Partnership recognition in employment law
Dickey is the sole lawyer listed under Labor and Employment in Barnes & Thornburg's October 28 promotion announcement.[6] The broader class includes lawyers in corporate law, government services and finance, healthcare, intellectual property and litigation.[6] In announcing the class, managing partner Andrew J. Detherage credited the lawyers' work, industry knowledge and client service.[6]
For readers following women's careers in law, Dickey's promotion offers a specific example of advancement through an employer-side practice that includes both litigation and counseling.[6][7] The work described in her biography ranges from class and collective actions to advice on individual employment decisions, rather than a single type of case or assignment.[7]
Her promotion also comes during a period of hiring at Barnes & Thornburg: the firm reported adding more than 160 lawyers in 2026, including 80 partners, when it announced the new class.[6] Dickey's advancement is part of the separately announced internal promotions, which take effect on January 1.[6]
Read more appointment, leadership and professional-achievement coverage in the Influential Women in Law™ journal.
Sources
[5] https://coloradobiz.com/barnes-thornburg-promotes-denver-attorney-caroline-dickey — ColoradoBiz: Caroline Dickey promotion, October 29, 2026 [6] https://btlaw.com/en/insights/news/2026/barnes-thornburg-elevates-25-lawyers-to-partnership — Barnes & Thornburg: October 28 partnership announcement [7] https://btlaw.com/en/people/caroline-dickey — Barnes & Thornburg: Caroline Dickey biography and admissions