Colorado Judicial Employees - The Court of Justice

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1 CONVERSATIONS WITH JUDGES How Courts Ensure Justice 2016 Spring Semester Tuesdays, 1-3 pm FEB 16 Lincoln s Legacy of Equality & Liberty SPEAKER: HON. RUSSELL E. CARPARELLI (RET.) Russell Carparelli is a mediator and arbitrator at Conflict Resolution Services, Inc., in Denver, Colorado. He retired as a judge of the Colorado Court of Appeals in December He served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from 1970 to 1990 and retired in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel. Judge Carparelli is a frequent speaker, lecturer and teacher on the subjects of fair courts, judicial selection, negotiation, attorney professionalism, and trial advocacy. In February 2007, Judge Carparelli co-founded the Our Courts adult public education project, and in February 2010, the American Bar Association Coalition for Justice awarded the Our Courts project its 2010 national award for public education regarding the importance of fair and impartial courts. He is also a co-founder of Our Courts America, a national project to replicate the success of Our Courts in other states. He also serves as the chair of the ABA Judicial Division Public Education Initiative and the Judicial Outreach Network. In 2008, Judge Carparelli received the Denver Bar Association s award for Judicial Excellence. In January 2012, he received the University of Virginia William J. Brennan, Jr. Award in recognition of his of the outstanding skills as a member of the judiciary as well as his contributions to the National Trial Advocacy College and the legal profession. And in October 2012, he received the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section Civility and Law Award. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver College of Law, and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. Judge Carparelli and his wife, Sue, have been married for 34 years, and live in Centennial, Colorado.

2 FEB 23 OUR STATE COURTS SPEAKERS: HON. GALE MILLER & KENT WAGNER Gale T. Miller was appointed to the Colorado Court of Appeals to fill one of the vacancies created by the retirements of Judges Rothenberg and Vogt. Miller was a partner at Davis Graham & Stubbs from 1978 through 2008 as a commercial litigator. His practice included general commercial, natural resources, antitrust, and other complex litigation. He previously worked as a trial attorney for the Federal Trade Commission. He received his bachelor s degree from Augustana College (Phi Beta Kappa) in 1968 and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School (Law Review Managing Editor and Order of Coif) in Before joining the Court on January 13, 2009, he served on and chaired the boards of the Colorado Judicial Institute, the Colorado Lawyers Committee, and Senior Housing Options. He received the Colorado Lawyers Committee s Individual of the Year Award (1994) and Outstanding Sustained Contribution Award (2005) and the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association Community Service Award (1996). Miller co-authored the ABA Section of Antitrust Law Sample Jury Instructions in Civil Antitrust Cases (1990 ed.) and has also written articles and lectured on numerous antitrust and civil procedure topics. Miller currently serves on the Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors, the Colorado Access to Justice Commission, and the Our Courts executive committee. He and his wife Jan are the parents of Jeremy, Amanda, and Tim. Kent J. Wagner Kent J. Wagner is the Executive Director of the Office of Judicial Performance Evaluation in Denver Colorado. In that role Kent manages the Colorado Judicial Performance program established by the Colorado Legislature in The program provides fair, responsible and constructive evaluations of trial and appellate judges and justices enabling voters to make informed decisions in judicial retention elections, and also provide judges with information that can be used to improve their professional skills. Prior to his appointment as executive director Kent served as the Staff Development Administrator for the Colorado Judicial Branch overseeing all educational programming for Magistrates, Judges and Justices of Colorado. Kent came to the Colorado court system from the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, VA where he served as the Director of National Programs for the Institute for Court Management. Prior to joining the NCSC he served as the Associate Director of the Office of Supreme Court Continuing Education for Court Personnel in Minnesota. In that capacity he developed and taught education programs for judicial and non-judicial personnel. He has also served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Minneapolis

3 handling both civil and criminal matters as well as advising and training city personnel on human resource and personnel matters. Kent holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Minnesota and Juris Doctor from Hamline University School of Law. He is a licensed attorney in the State of Minnesota. MARCH 1 Our United States Courts SPEAKERS: HON. DAVID RICHMAN Upon graduating from Harvard Law School in 1975, I served as law clerk to Judge William Holloway, Jr., Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals from August 1975 through August In August 1976, I became a staff attorney in the Denver Regional Office of the Federal Trade Commission. In February 1978, I became an associate in the Denver law firm of Coghill Goodspeed & Horowitz, and in 1980 I became a shareholder in the successor firm, Coghill & Goodspeed, P.C. Upon the dissolution of the firm, I moved to an of counsel position with Burns, Figa & Will, P.C., Englewood Colorado. My work in private practice consisted solely of litigation and litigation related matters, primarily commercial business litigation, with occasional involvement in criminal matters including representation of clients before grand juries. When Phillip S. Figa was appointed to the federal bench in November 2003, I moved with him to the U.S. District Court where I served as his career law clerk until he unfortunately passed away on January 5, I continued to serve as clerk for the federal judges until July 2008, when I was sworn in as a Judge on the Colorado Court of Appeals. MARCH 8 An Economic Fresh Start Bankruptcy Basics SPEAKERS: HON. MICHAEL E. ROMERO Hon. Michael E. Romero was appointed to the bench for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado in Judge Romero grew up in Westminster and received an undergraduate degree in economics and political science from Denver University in 1977.

4 He thereafter ventured into the freezing Midwest to secure his law degree from the University of Michigan in He joined the bench after leaving the firm of Pendleton, Friedberg, Wilson & Hennessey, P.C., where he considered himself as a trial attorney, specializing in bankruptcy related matters. While practicing, he served as a co-chair of the Bankruptcy Subcommittee of the Colorado Bar Association, was an active member of the Faculty of Federal Advocates discharge program, as well as serving on numerous committees for the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations. He further lectured and authored articles on bankruptcy and related topics for bar and trade associations. Since his appointment to the bench, Judge Romero has been extremely active in not only administering his caseload, but also in the operations of the courts. He serves as one of the nine members of the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Tenth Circuit, as the Chair of the Bankruptcy Judges Advisory Group in Washington and has been appointed as the Bankruptcy Court representative to the Judicial Conference of the United States, the governing arm for the federal judiciary. Outside of the legal profession, Judge Romero is an avid fan of the Broncos, Avalanche, Nuggets and his beloved Michigan Wolverines. In all his spare time, Judge Romero has oftentimes been seen participating in musical theater productions throughout Colorado. He admits that while he can carry a tune, his dancing skills leave much to be desired.

5 MARCH 15 Divorce in Colorado Courts SPEAKERS: SHEILA GUTTERMAN Sheila M. Gutterman is a well-known litigator, mediator, lecturer, author, and Mother of Collaborative Law in Colorado. Sheila is co-founder and President of Gutterman Griffiths Family Law, an award winning firm which holds an AV preeminent status ranking in Martindale Hubbell; the highest rating a firm can receive. Both Sheila and the firm have won numerous awards. Most recently, the Colorado Women s Chamber of Commerce presented Sheila with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions in family law. Law Week Colorado honored Sheila as the People s Choice for Best Family Lawyer the past two years in a row. In addition, the Denver Business Journal honored Sheila as an Outstanding Business Woman of the Year, and the Denver Bar Association has recognized Sheila as Volunteer Lawyer of the Year. Amongst her legal leadership, Sheila has held all offices, including Chairperson, of the Colorado Bar Association Family Law Section; is a former Colorado Judicial Institute Chair, current board member and Membership Chair; taught the Barbri Bar Review course for 19 years, and has chaired, or been a member of, numerous Supreme Court commissions and family law task forces throughout the years. MARCH 22 See You In Court: The Life of a Civil Lawsuit SPEAKERS: JUSTICE RICHARD GABRIEL Appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper to the Colorado Supreme Court June 23, Judge, Colorado Court of Appeals ( ). Private practice ( ): Partner ( ) and Associate ( ), Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, Denver, CO; Associate, Shea & Gould LLC, New York, NY ( ). Practice focused on commercial, intellectual property, probate, and products liability litigation, all including appeals. Also served as City Prosecutor for Lafayette, Colorado. Judicial clerkship ( ): Law clerk, Hon. J. Frederick Motz, U.S. District Court, District of Maryland, Baltimore, MD. B.A. cum laude in American Studies from Yale University (1984); J.D. from University of Pennsylvania School of Law (1987). Articles editor, University of Pennsylvania Law Review ( ). Winner, Keedy Cup Moot Court Competition (1987). Admitted to state bars of New York (1987) and Colorado (1990) and to numerous federal district and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Member: American, Colorado, Denver, and New York Bar Associations. Honors: Champion for Children, Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center (1997); Forty Under 40, Denver Business Journal (2002); Richard Marden Davis Award, Denver Bar Foundation (2002);

6 Colorado Super Lawyer ( ); Chambers Leading Lawyers for Business ( ); Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year, Law Week Colorado (2007); Named as a Lawyer of the Year, Lawyers USA (2007); Denver Bar Association Award of Merit (2014). Chief Justice's Commission on Professional Development (member, 2011-present; chair, professionalism working group, ); CBA Board of Governors (DBA representative, , ; vice president, ); DBA Board of Trustees (2013-present), CBA/DBA Professionalism Coordinating Council (member, present); CBA Judicial Liaison Section (member, 2008-present; secretary, ; vice chair 2016-present); American Bar Foundation (fellow, 2013-present); Colorado Bar Foundation (fellow, 2003-present); Colorado Judicial Institute (director, 1999-present, vice chair, , chair, ); Our Courts (executive committee, 2008-present, federal courts committee, , content committee chair, 2009-present, chair, present); Minoru Yasui Inn of Court (member, 2009-present, vice president, , president, ); Colorado Wind Ensemble (trumpeter, 1990-present, director, , president, ); Colorado Lawyer (Civil Evidence column editor, , Civil Litigator column editor, ). "The Strickland Standard for Claims of Ineffective Assistance of Counsel: Emasculating the Sixth Amendment in the Guise of Due Process," 134 U. Pa. L. Rev (1986); "Rule 702: Admissibility of Expert Testimony Regarding Eyewitness Identification," 21 Colo. Law. 927 (1992); "Rule 1006: Admissibility of Summary Evidence," 22 Colo. Law. 35 (1993); "Rule 501: The Privilege of Self-Critical Analysis," 23 Colo. Law (1994); "Rule 615: Exclusion of Witnesses," 24 Colo. Law (1995); Book Review, "Modern Evidence: Doctrine and Practice," 25 Colo. Law. 48 (1996); Coauthor, "Chapter on Rule 26," Colorado Civil Procedure Forms and Commentary (Debra Knapp ed. 1996); "Rule 606(b): Competency of Jurors as Witnesses," 25 Colo. Law 47 (1996); "Professionalism in Today's Competitive Legal Market," 39 Colo. Law. 65 (2010); Co-author, "The Mentoring Relationship: How to Make it Work and Why it Matters," 42 Colo. Law. 53 (2013); Co-author, "Caveat Advocatus: Some Traps for the Unwary in the Colorado Court of Appeals," 44 Colo. Law 51 (2015); numerous continuing legal education papers (1990-present). Justice Gabriel was born in Brooklyn, NY. He and his wife have two daughters. MARCH 29 Law & Order: The life of a Criminal Case SPEAKERS: HON. VALERIA SPENCER Valeria N. Spencer was appointed to the District Court bench in the 18 th Judicial District in September She currently sits in a trial division which handles family law

7 matters; including juvenile delinquency, divorce and parental terminations matters. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Spencer was a criminal prosecutor; first as a Deputy District Attorney in Denver ( ) and later as an Assistant United States Attorney ( ). She practiced in the areas of bankruptcy litigation and general civil litigation before becoming a public servant. Judge Spencer graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1991, and was a member of the Order of the Coif. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Colorado in She and her husband of 20 years and their two children live in Centennial, Colorado. APRIL 5 Introducción a los Tribunales de Inmigracción SPEAKERS: DAVID N. SIMMONS David Simmons has practiced immigration law in his native Denver since He represents a broad variety of immigration clients from all countries in the world. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he teaches Immigration Law in Spanish as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Denver s Spanish in the Law program. He is a former Chapter Chair of the Colorado Chapter, American Immigration Lawyers Association. He served as Honorary Legal Counsel to the Mexican Consulate General in Denver for twelve years. He is active in a number of pro-bono projects.