Douglas County Juvenile Law Lawyers

Prior to establishing Gold Law, L.L.C., Matthew Spencer Gold was a felony prosecutor, serving Colorado's First Judicial District (Jefferson and Gilpin Counties). Matthew began working in the District Attorney's Office as a legal intern in 2011 and after becoming a sworn Deputy, worked his way up from handling misdemeanor and traffic cases to prosecuting all manner of felony cases up to and including First Degree Murder. During that time Matthew handled thousands of DUI and domestic violence cases. Matthew also worked in the Juvenile unit, where he gained specialized knowledge in the area of juvenile law. As a felony prosecutor,...

Jacob E. Martinez is a Denver native who earned his undergraduate degree from the Colorado College and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado. Having dedicated many years to his legal career, Mr. Martinez is a strong, knowledgeable, and committed advocate for his clients. Indeed, he is the smart choice at a time that matters most. Prior to starting The Law Office of Jacob E. Martinez, Mr. Martinez spent six years with another of Denver’s respected criminal defense law firms. While at that firm, Mr. Martinez learned the skills necessary to be a top flight Denver...

Lisa R. Shellenberger is a Managing Partner at Setter Roche Smith & Shellenberger, LLC, and she is an award-winning lead litigator. She is the Chairperson of the Family Law & Juvenile Law division at the firm. Ms. Shellenberger has been awarded the Super Lawyers Rising Star award in the area of family law for 5 years running: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Ms. Shellenberger has also been recognized as the Nation’s Top One Percent by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. Additionally, in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Attorney Shellenberger has also been named as a Top 10 Attorney...

Erika is an attorney at The Harris Law Firm and recipient of the Colorado Office of Respondent Parent Counsel's Family Defender of the Year award, known for her zealous advocacy for parents. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver Sturm College Law. With her experience at the Department of Human Services, Erika can represent clients in a wide range of divorce, child custody, and other family law matters. Erika aims to defuse high-conflict situations and educate her clients while vigorously defending their interests to achieve the best solutions in court.

Steven R. Newell is a strong, forceful, respected defense advocate for his clients. He is a Colorado native and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado and his Juris Doctorate degree from Seattle University. He then opened his private law practice. His pursuit of justice for the criminally accused began when he interned at the Seattle Public Defender’s Office while enrolled in the Robert F. Kennedy Street Law Program. Once a licensed attorney, his passion for defending the accused led him to increasingly focus his practice on criminal defense work. Mr. Newell has held the highest...

Ricardo is a native of Wyoming. He ventured to Colorado, beginning his undergraduate studies at the University of Denver (DU) in the fall of 2009. After graduating in 2012, he continued his studies at DU's Sturm College of Law. Upon admission to the Colorado bar, Ricardo joined the office of a solo practioner as an associate. Ricardo's practice focused exclusively on domestic relations matters. In March 2017, Ricardo joined a law firm located in Denver's Westwood neighborhood. His practice still focused on family law, including the state court predicate order portion of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status matters. With the growing nature of...

The law is not just my profession. I went to Duke University and CU Law and found that criminal defense is my calling, and compassion for my clients is my compass. With over 10 years of trial and litigation experience, I know how to be an uncompromising advocate for my clients, who never loses sight of my clients’ goals. But, I also know that you are possibly feeling scared or anxious or ashamed. Whatever allegations you are facing, I can help. I am not a judge – I am a fighter. If you want a compassionate, zealous advocate on your...

Patterson Weaver is an experienced trial attorney dedicated to providing his clients with first-class personalized service and excellent outcomes.

As a former felony prosecutor, Mr. Weaver tried cases ranging from DUIs to felony Crime of Violence cases, with an outstanding rate of success. While a County Court prosecutor, Patterson became one of the few attorneys in the state of Colorado to try and win an evidentiary “Shreck” hearing on the admissibility of Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) testimony. For his efforts, the Pikes Peak Region DUI Taskforce gave him the “Complex Prosecution Award." More recently, Mr. Weaver has...

From Cincinnati, Ohio, Chelsea grew up the daughter of an Ohio Family Law attorney and followed in his footsteps. Licensed to practice in Colorado and New York, Chelsea has experience in family law with divorce, guardianship, adoption, mediation of high-asset estates, allocation of parental responsibilities, and paternity. She is also experienced with military families and the unique obstacles military persons face in family law. Before making Colorado her home, she worked with the Valparaiso Law School Clinic combating deportation in Chicago, Illinois. She’s also worked with The Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati.

Chelsea has a warm and welcoming personality. She believes...

Ryan C. Shellady is an associate attorney with Burnham Law and has a practice dedicated to Family law. Before moving to Colorado, Ryan graduated from the University of Iowa in 2016, receiving his B.A., with high distinction and honors, in Ethics and Public Policy. He received his J.D., with distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2019. During law school, Ryan was involved in the Pro Bono Society, was a Student Writer for the Iowa Law Review, a member of the National Moot Court Team, and a Student Representative for the Iowa Student Bar Association. He received the...

Ali was born and raised in Southern Kansas. Ali began her career as a general practitioner in Iowa, handling casing in the areas of family law, juvenile law, real estate, and estate planning. Ali has now dedicated her practice to solely family law. Ali recently relocated to Colorado with her husband. They love taking full advantage of the many ski resorts and mountains to hike.
• Ali is an avid Nebraska Cornhuskers’ fan.
• Ali enjoys running and hiking in her free time.
• Ali and her husband have an adorable and ornery Siberian Husky.

Strategy
Ali is keenly aware of the toll family law cases...

David Moorhead has provided criminal defense representation in the Boulder area and throughout Colorado for over 31 years. He has a graduate degree from Southern Methodist University Law School and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 1989 David began his legal career as Deputy District Attorney in Grand Junction. In 1992 he started his private practice focusing solely on criminal defense work and has been the Attorney of Record in over 4000 cases, in counties all over Colorado. If you have been accused of a crime, hiring an seasoned criminal defense...

Leta has been a Colorado licensed attorney since 2004. Leta has dedicated her legal career to providing quality legal services to her clients and helping the most vulnerable members of our society. Leta also served as a court appointed guardian ad litem for abused and neglected children for approximately eleven years.

Awards
Leta and her team were awarded with the 2010 Attorney, Guardian ad Litem of the year for the State of Colorado by the CASA organization. Leta was also awarded the 2005 Guardian ad Litem of the year award for 17th Judicial District by the CASA organization. Leta...

Born in the Midwest, Mark was raised in the small rural town of Logan, Iowa. A natural communicator, Mark pursued and education in Journalism and English at the University of Iowa. Mark’s introduction to the legal field was as a child support enforcement specialist serving the Omaha, Nebraska area. There Mark developed a drive to assist clients with family law-related issues. Mark brings a wide variety of experience and expertise to the firm, having a background in employment law, family law, mediation, criminal defense, criminal prosecution, estate planning, and municipal law. While in Atlantic, Iowa Mark worked simultaneously as the...

Scott was born and raised in Riverside, California. He attended Pacific Union College, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Scott specialized in psychiatric nursing while advancing his career with a Masters in Business Administration from La Sierra University. Scott earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 2004. He worked at the prominent civil litigation law firm of Fogel, Feldman, Ostrov, Ringler and Klevens. Scott moved with his wife and two children to Colorado in 2005.

Scott is a specialized attorney dedicated to the effective and efficient management of every individual's...

Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers since 2013 Colorado Super Lawyer since 2019 AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Matindale-Hubbell since 2013 AVVO Superb 10/10 rating since 2015 Colorado Defender of the Year recipient by Colorado State Public Defender

I am a full-time criminal lawyer. That means I don't have a personal injury or divorce practice on the side. It takes all my time to know the details of criminal law better than anyone else. I get better results than other attorneys because I work harder and care more. I am the one who travels to the courthouse to track down the DA who won't call me back. I am the one who subpoenas records of government agencies just in case there is helpful evidence. I am the one who meets personally with every one of...

Clifton Black is a veteran attorney and life-long Colorado Springs resident. Cliff began his career as a sole practitioner in 2000, when he discovered a passion in practicing criminal defense while representing a family friend in a DUI matter. For much of his career he practiced as a criminal defense attorney and assisted thousands of clients in this area of law. Cliff has always advocated for his clients and has their best interest when fighting for them. With the legalization of medical marijuana, Cliff began practicing in this area representing the marijuana industry in 2009. At that time...

Aaron P. Gaddis is the seasoned Colorado Springs attorney at Gaddis Law with an extensive background in criminal defense litigation and over a decade of professional experience. He has appeared in Court and fought for his clients and their rights thousands of times, ranging from homicide to sexual assault to driving under the influence, with countless contested hearings and trials behind him. Through successful negotiations, the pre-trial process, and successful motion hearings, he has saved his clients from lengthy prison sentences. He knows that when clients come in with criminal charges, it is likely the lowest point in their lives,...

Steven Rodemer was born and raised in Colorado Springs, and graduated from Palmer High School. He attended Cornell College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. Steve then attended California Western School of Law in San Diego and after graduating went on to work with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. Steve returned to Colorado and after passing the Colorado Bar Exam, accepted a position as a Deputy District Attorney in the Fourth Judicial District. Before leaving the DA’s Office, Steve received the “Tradition of Excellence” Award. After working for a criminal...