Michelle focuses her practice on civil and commercial litigation and appellate law. She has litigated in numerous areas ranging from intellectual property to municipality contracts to employment disputes. Before joining the firm, she served as a law clerk for Justice Alex Martinez of the Colorado Supreme Court where she gained valuable research and writing experience as well as exposure to diverse areas of civil and criminal law.

At the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Michelle graduated in the top three percent of her class and received numerous academic awards and scholarships. Since law school, she has been named to the Rising Stars List published nationwide in Colorado Super Lawyers® magazine since 2011 and was nominated for the Colorado Lawyers Committee’s “Individual of the Year” Award in 2011. In 2010 and 2011, she was also a Finalist for Law Week Colorado’s “Up and Coming Lawyers.”

Consistent with her belief in the importance of commitment to one’s community, Michelle maintains an active pro bono practice. She tried and won a First Amendment prisoner rights case in 2007 and argued a Tenth Circuit appeal regarding the constitutionality of a federal prison regulation in 2009. Additionally, she currently serves as the Chair of the Colorado Lawyers Committee Task Force that created and operates the Greeley Legal Night Clinics which works to bring volunteer attorneys to a rural community with limited legal resources. She earned her undergraduate degree with highest honors in International Affairs (with a minor in Latin American Studies and a focus on fluency in Spanish) from Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

Here are some examples of Michelle’s commitment to seek creative solutions for the client:

• A local municipality client sued to enforce a preferred rate in its contract for water. Under the terms of the settlement, the municipality will save approximately $10 million in future costs related to contracts for water.
• After changing its name back to a legacy brand that it had used previously for decades, a national insurance company client was sued for infringing on another insurer’s registered trademark. In discovery, the plaintiff presented hundreds of alleged incidents of confusion in which calls were made and correspondence sent to the wrong company. However, through aggressive defense of the lawsuit and creative business solutions, Reilly Pozner ensured that its client would continue to operate under its legacy brand.

“I am thankful to work at a firm filled with high-energy, dynamic individuals that approach every problem with creative insight. To the extent that law practice is about developing the story that resonates with the judge or jury, this is an incredible group of story tellers.”