‘How I Made Partner’: Kayla Scroggins-Uptigrove on Mentorship as the Key to Legal Success at Spencer Fane
In the cutthroat world of Big Law, where billable hours can eclipse work-life balance and the path to partnership feels like a gauntlet, one message rings clear from newly minted equity partner Kayla Scroggins-Uptigrove: Mentorship isn’t optional—it’s the lifeline that turns ambitious associates into enduring leaders.
As Kayla Scroggins-Uptigrove mentorship advice resonates across legal circles, this Spencer Fane partner elevation story amid young associates mentors imperative highlights the legal career mentorship 2025 evolution and how I made partner insights from a litigator who’s mastered insurance battles and class actions. In her candid Law.com interview published November 14, Scroggins-Uptigrove, 35, emphasized: “We all know you don’t learn how to be a lawyer in law school; you learn it from working alongside people who know how to do it well. It’s imperative young associates find good mentors and learn from them side-by-side.” For U.S. law grads entering a field where only 20% of associates make partner amid rising burnout rates, her blueprint offers a roadmap to resilience in an era of AI-drafted briefs and hybrid courtrooms.
Scroggins-Uptigrove’s ascent at Spencer Fane, a midsize powerhouse with 13 offices and a national footprint in commercial litigation, exemplifies the grind-and-guidance formula. A Denver native with a math degree from the University of Colorado and a JD from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law (Order of the Coif, Order of St. Ives), she joined the firm in 2021 as part of a high-profile lateral hire from Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell—a team of 10 that bolstered Spencer Fane’s insurance defense bench. Fast-forward to 2023: Elected partner alongside 10 peers, she dove into high-stakes cases, drafting motions that clinched “walkaway” settlements and arguing hearings that shielded clients from multimillion-dollar exposures. Her pro bono prowess shines too: Securing a $100,000 settlement and lifting an unconstitutional campus ban for a defamed professor, all while earning nods as a Colorado Super Lawyers Rising Star and Best Lawyers Ones to Watch.
The mentorship mantra? It’s woven into her DNA and Spencer Fane’s fabric. “Find a mentor you trust—someone ethical, talented, and invested in your success,” she advises, echoing the firm’s summer associate program where writing mentors dissect drafts and personal guides align on career arcs. Scroggins-Uptigrove credits her own trailblazers—senior partners who looped her into depositions and strategy sessions—for demystifying the “black box” of partnership. At Spencer Fane, this manifests in cross-office rotations, like her Nashville seminar on extra-contractual liability in June 2024, where she shared tactics for taming bad-faith claims. In a profession where women hold just 25% of equity partnerships (per NALP data), her emphasis on “side-by-side” learning counters isolation, fostering networks that propel underrepresented voices.
The legal landscape she’s navigating is no cakewalk. With AI tools like Harvey automating research and remote work blurring mentorship moments, young associates face a “guidance gap”—a 2025 ABA survey found 40% feel under-mentored, correlating to higher attrition. Scroggins-Uptigrove’s fix? Proactive pairing: Seek sponsors who vouch in rooms you’re not in, and reciprocate by mentoring juniors. Her firm’s model—24 summer associates across 13 offices in 2025, including rising stars like Kayla Bowen—embodies this, blending social mixers with substantive assignments to build “lawyerly intuition.”
Reactions pour in from the bar. On LinkedIn, #HowIMadePartner threads exploded post-interview, with Denver litigators like Nicole Peykov (fellow 2023 partner) commenting: “Kayla’s right—mentors aren’t assigned; they’re cultivated. Grateful for the Spencer Fane ecosystem.” Law.com readers echoed: 75% in polls agreed mentorship trumps law school for practical skills. Critics note systemic hurdles—billables over coffees—but Scroggins-Uptigrove counters: “Invest in relationships early; they pay dividends in tough spots.”
For aspiring lawyers—from first-year clerks in Phoenix to lateral hopefuls in Kansas City—this Kayla Scroggins-Uptigrove mentorship advice lands as empowerment amid a $400 billion legal services market. In states like Colorado, where insurance disputes spike 15% post-wildfires, her expertise translates to real stakes: Shielding carriers from $50M verdicts, per her case log. Economically, strong mentorship pipelines cut turnover costs ($200K per lost associate) and boost diversity—women and minorities advance 30% faster with sponsors, per McKinsey. Lifestyle-wise, it humanizes the hustle: Her balance of family time and firm retreats models sustainability, vital as burnout claims 50% of Big Law grads within five years.
As Spencer Fane partner elevation stories like Scroggins-Uptigrove’s inspire via legal career mentorship 2025 and young associates mentors imperative, one truth endures: In law’s marathon, mentors aren’t luxuries—they’re the wind at your back. For the next wave, her call to “learn side-by-side” isn’t just advice; it’s the blueprint for breaking through.
By Mark Smith
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