Kathleen C. Schroder

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...

Pat Ridley represents individuals and entities in criminal, regulatory and civil matters involving significant risk to liberty, financial and reputational interests. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Ridley has served as lead trial counsel in more than 75 jury trials, has second chaired dozens of jury trials and trials to the court. He has tried cases involving securities fraud, tax fraud, computer fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, congressional redistricting, Ponzi schemes, bre...

Kristen is an experienced trial lawyer who brings determination, skill, and success to individual and corporate clients facing a myriad of legal issues. She specializes in white collar and criminal antitrust matters and in general criminal defense in various jurisdictions. She has tried numerous complex cases as lead counsel in federal court, throughout Colorado and in Illinois and Virginia. Kristen passionately fights for the accused at all times, notwithstanding the nature of the accusation...

Melissa Cizmorris focuses her practice on employment litigation and counseling. Melissa has litigated in state and federal courts throughout Colorado, Kansas, New York, and New Jersey and represents employers in a variety of labor and employment matters involving Title VII discrimination and harassment claims, FLSA and other wage actions, claims brought under the ADA and FMLA, and non-compete and trade secret enforcement. Melissa also advises human capital and human resources outsourcing comp...

Laura A. Mitchell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Laura A., who practices law in Denver, Colorado, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Laura A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Tia M. Zavaras is the founder and CEO of Evolved Law, a fully remote Colorado law firm providing strategic representation, mediation, divorce coaching, and litigation support in family law, divorce, allocation of parental responsibilities, and animal law matters. With nearly two decades of litigation experience, Tia helps clients navigate complex family law disputes with clarity, preparation, and practical strategy. Her work includes divorce, child custody, post-decree matters, mediation, lit...

Mike has practiced in the area of construction defect litigation since 1983 and he has practiced exclusively in this area for the past 30 years. In that time, he has represented over 300 homeowners associations and 600 individual homeowners in construction defect claims brought against developers, builders and subcontractors. He has also represented owners of commercial buildings, high rises, apartments, raw land and even self-storage facilities. Mike has spoken at numerous seminars concernin...

Jay Tiftickjian Tiftickjian Law Firm, P.C. – DUI Defense www.criminallawdenver.com Jay Tiftickjian is one of Colorado’s most recognized and respected DUI defense attorneys. He has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in DUI Defense by Best Lawyers and has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for over a decade. He has also been voted Colorado’s Best DUI Lawyer multiple times by Law Week Colorado , the official publication of the ...

Traci L. Van Pelt is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Health Care Law, Legal Malpractice Law - Defendants, Litigation - Health Care, Litigation - Insurance, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants and Professional Malpractice Law - Defendants. Traci L., who practices law in Denver, Colorado, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Traci L. is held by other top lawyers in...

David D. Powell, Jr. is a partner in the firm’s Denver office, focusing his practice on employment and commercial litigation. Before co-founding the firm with his colleagues in 2023, David served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, managing the eight separate legal units comprising the State Services Section. In this role, he oversaw those responsible for representing the state’s key elected officials and providing legal services in the ar...