Brian Kinnear

Cheryl F. Smith earned her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science at Lehigh University and her J.D. from New York Law School, where she earned the public service certificate and was on the Dean’s List. Prior to joining RWO, Cheryl worked in boutique law firms in New York City. Cheryl practices in the area of domestic relations. She understands that going through a divorce is difficult and approaches every case with the client’s best interest as her main focus. Her wor...

For twenty years, Carrie Bernstein has used her experience and expertise in the areas of eminent domain law and real estate litigation to advocate for her clients. Without excess drama, Carrie has a no-nonsense approach to helping her clients that people appreciate. At Alderman Bernstein, Carrie represents private landowners, quasi-municipal corporations, and public entities in eminent domain in both litigation and appeals. She has been designated as one of the Best Lawyers in America for Emi...

Ryan Lessmann is the office managing principal of the Denver, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah offices and is a client solutions leader of Jackson Lewis P.C. He practices primarily in the area of employment litigation, including representing employers against claims alleging discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination, matters involving trade secret protection, restrictive covenants and unfair competition, and various contract issues. Ryan also counsels and defends employers in wa...

Katy Miller earned her reputation as a first-rate employment attorney, tough litigator and savvy negotiator over a 25-year career that included successfully pursuing class/collective actions in age and gender discrimination cases. Katy began her legal career in 1980 with Holland & Hart, and in 1985 joined the law firm of Miller & Steiert, P.C. She emphasized employment law and workplace disputes before moving to full-time practice as a neutral. Having spent decades in the courtroom, K...

Jim Rigberg is a seasoned business lawyer who provides end-to-end client representation in a variety of contexts. With particular expertise in the real estate and healthcare industries, Jim puts his years of courtroom experience to work advising clients on front-end strategies to secure optimal leverage and avoid exposure to costly litigation down the road. Jim also focuses his practice on Intellectual Property, where he helps clients protect their investments in their brands and creative out...

Terry Freeman is a Shareholder and a member of the Firm’s Commercial Finance practice group and practices in Denver and Dallas. Mr. Freeman represents banks and other financial services clients in connection with commercial and corporate lending transactions and related activities. Mr. Freeman has over 40 years of experience in structuring, documenting, servicing, and workout of commercial and corporate finance transactions. During his almost 30 years of providing legal counsel to finan...

James Eklund is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Environmental. James, who practices law in Denver, Colorado, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Duncan focuses his practice on difficult and complex civil litigation and family law matters. He has significant experience in a variety of fields including construction defect, insurance, real estate and commercial litigation. He also assists with complicated domestic relations matters, and is especially useful in complicated property situations, or when there are concurrent civil lawsuits, receiverships, business torts or partnership dissolutions.Duncan’s work has led him to represent...

Thirty years of corporate restructuring and Chapter 11 experience. Committed to exploring all workout options—both in and out of court. Respected counsel on distressed asset disposition and acquisition. Mike Pankow takes a comprehensive approach to advising his clients on their business reorganization or Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings or purchases. Focusing on each client’s unique legal and business objectives, he offers sophisticated, actionable solutions to organizations navigati...

Diane Carlton is Special Counsel at Griffiths Law. She has over 40 years of experience dedicated to helping clients and their families move through the difficult process of divorce. She is a skilled trial lawyer as a result of her previous experience as a Colorado deputy public defender, municipal judge and her extensive trial experience in divorce cases. Diane is compassionate and works closely with clients to reach a constructive and productive resolution of their case. Diane focuses on ach...