Biographies of Key Advocates

Marcus Ollig

Marcus is a business veteran with over 20 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. The Advocates' unique processes, designed to save our clients time and reduce turnover through a deeper level of understanding of our clients and candidates, reflects the best practices learned over that career. He has consulted with several law firms, both local and national in scope, on interviewing practices and consultative sales techniques.

Marcus' practice at the Advocates is focused on senior lateral associate and partner level placement along with retained search and consulting services. He has been asked to speak and consult to national and local law firms on hiring practices, law firm compensation and differentiation and has been published in Colorado Lawyer on law firm best practices and other publications.

Prior to founding The Advocates, Marcus served as Vice President, Western Region for Randstad, N.A. In that role, he opened several branches for the company in California, Colorado and Oregon, while successfully managing as many as 30 branches and over 160 people in five states. At its peak, his region was responsible for putting in excess of 2000 employees to work weekly. Marcus was quoted in various news outlets in Seattle and Denver on employment trends during that time.

Marcus started his professional career serving the Lt. Governor of Colorado for three and a half years. He started out a special assistant, was promoted to Special Projects Director and liaison to Always Buy Colorado, and finally served as Chief of Staff. He left the Lt. Governor's office to learn about corporate sales at Airborne Express.

He spent five years at Airborne Express serving as an Account Executive, Sr. Account Executive and District Sales Manager in that time. Among his accomplishments at Airborne were several multi-million dollar national account sales and turning the second smallest district of its class into the second largest one in his first year as a manager. As a sales manager, he first employed an early version of a Behavior/Trait-based interview process, parts of which were later incorporated into the Chronological Behavior-based interview utilized by The Advocates. While there, he also initially employed a consultative sales approach featured in the best selling book "The Discipline of Market Leaders" for the excellent way that this approach develops a deeper understanding of prospects and clients.

In 1995, Office Specialists (which became part of Randstad through acquisition) recruited Marcus to tackle the newly created Major Account Executive position. In that role, he sold multi-million dollar accounts while assisting the company with the development a national account sales process, products and training tools. After that he served as Area Manager for Colorado, Western Regional Manager and finally, Vice President of the Western Region.

His most recent experiences at Randstad included: starting a successful legal staffing business for the company in Denver based on interviewing and selling principles learned; performing due diligence in several acquisitions, which helped him gain additional insight into best practices around the country; working on a team with the Hay Group to re-design the company's compensation structure; implementing new behavior-based interviewing and hiring practices; and assisting in the design and implementation of a completely new field structure for Randstad. In 2001/2002 Marcus was one of three executives chosen from North America to study international staffing trends at IESE and TIAS in Europe.

He is active in the community volunteering his time as a soccer coach and serving on the Logan School Board of Trustees, and in his spare time, Marcus enjoys spending time with his family, reading, biking, hiking, travel and just about any active pursuit.

Patrick M. Donegan

Patrick Donegan has been with The Advocates since 2005. Originally from New Hampshire, he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire.

His experience includes serving as an Event Marketing Manager for a leading international energy drink company, playing an active role in its North American launch. Patrick then joined the Portland, Maine office of a Fortune 500 company. He held positions during his tenure as Sales Consultant, Human Resource Director and was the Director of Customer Satisfaction for the Northeast region, helping the company achieve record growth in New England.

While researching opportunities in the recruiting industry, Patrick was drawn to the thorough and comprehensive approach developed by The Advocates' candidates and clients, recognizing it as an excellent fit with his corporate experience.

Patrick's work at The Advocates is focused on the placement of lateral associates and in house counsel. Additionally, Patrick provides Denver area firms and companies with custom contract attorney solutions to meet short term project and work overflow needs.

Away from the office Patrick is an avid backcountry skier and mountain climber, enjoys playing soccer, is a youth soccer coach and is active in other Denver area charitable groups.

Greg Miller

Greg Miller began his career in New York in the media industry, but has spent the majority of his professional life in financial services, with experience in investment banking, private equity, and M&A, in New York and Denver. Most recently, he has been a private investor with Miller Partners, a partnership involved in early stage private investment opportunities and consulting engagements.

Greg brings to the Advocates a strong analytic background and superior interpersonal skills. His exposure to a broad range of firms, from companies as large as Gannett and First Albany, to a locally owned start-up biofuel company, have impressed upon Greg the importance of people in carrying out an organization’s mission, and how critical hiring decisions are to achievement of an organizations’ goals.

Greg graduated from the University of San Diego with a B.S. in Business Administration. In junior year, he studied at Oxford University. He returned to England for graduate school, where he received a Graduate Diploma in Economics at The London School of Economics and Political Science.

Greg has lived in Denver since 1992, and enjoys cycling, skiing and spending time with his family.

William (Bill) E. Brashier, CPA

Bill Brashier, a Certified Public Accountant for the past 25 years graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1978. He was awarded four varsity letters in both swimming and water polo and was a captain of the swim team for three seasons. His childhood residence on the Rolling Hills Estates in California, where surfing became his passion, influenced Bill's athletic accomplishments.

Upon graduating from the University of Wyoming, Bill passed the CPA exam and gained experience in performing audit, review and compilation engagements as well individual and corporate tax planning and preparation while working for firms in Wyoming, New Jersey and Colorado. Early in his career, Macy and Associates employed him, a national public accounting firm. Bill worked as part of a team responsible for preparing new companies for public trading and held reporting duties to the Security and Exchange Commission. Bill has audited companies in construction, not-for-profit, real estate, hospitals, retail, colleges, homeowner associations and professional firms, including national legal firms.

In 1987 Bill founded William E. Brashier, CPA's PC in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. The firm is now Brashier & Foss, CPAs, PC and specializes in individual and corporate tax returns, Homeowner Association audits and provides an array of services for small business owners.

Mr. Brashier is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Colorado Society of CPA's, the Wyoming Society of CPA's and the New Jersey Society of CPA's. He is active in politics and has aided congressmen in writing and rewriting new tax law. He is currently a board member and financial consultant for 1 Liquid House, a community based teen outreach facility in Douglas County.