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Overview

An experienced litigator, Jessica partners with religious, commercial, and governmental clients to create solutions to complex legal challenges in and outside of the courtroom.

Jessica has always been fascinated by the complexity of the litigation process and how it can help clients resolve disputes. These characteristics made her a natural fit for the multilayered nature of class action defense, and she has overseen massive class action lawsuits and settlements with tens of thousands of complainants. As a result of her experience with these cases and settlements, Jessica began assisting religious organizations who were seeking to build and administer private voluntary settlement programs to resolve historical abuse claims out of court—work that has led to Jessica’s further representation of nonprofits and religious institution clients.

Today, Jessica continues to handle bet-the-company, mass exposure cases, class action defense and settlement work, and other complex commercial litigation matters. While many of the clients she represents prefer to resolve matters outside of court through various forms of alternative dispute resolution, she has substantial trial experience in both state and federal courts and in briefing and arguing appeals.

Although Jessica represents clients in a variety of industries, she has a special focus on nonprofit organizations and religious institutions, representing them in litigation and during government investigations, advising on the management of legal risk and other corporate legal matters, overseeing internal investigations, and offering guidance on crisis management and public relations. Jessica works with organizations from a diverse array of faith traditions; however, she most often represents those in the Catholic and Sikh communities.

Jessica appreciates the opportunity to integrate legal strategy with clients’ values, faith principles, and responsibilities to their communities. She’s passionate about building litigation strategies layered with moral and spiritual care. She finds her work especially rewarding when she has the opportunity to immerse herself in a client’s mission.

Jessica has a reputation for fully getting to know each client’s needs and objectives: she realizes that each client and each case is different, and she ensures that every action she takes fits the situation precisely. Jessica offers clients a customized approach that puts their goals front and center.

Industries

Services

Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers In America®
    • Commercial Litigation, 2021-2025
    • Insurance Law, 2021-2025
  • Benchmark Litigation; Future Star, 2022-2024; 40 & Under Hot List, 2016-2021; Top Litigator Under 40, 2017, 2018; Rising Stars Under 40, 2016
  • Law Week Colorado, Barrister’s Best
    • Barrister's Choice for Best Class Action/Mass Tort Lawyer for Defendants, 2024

Education

  • J.D., University of Denver Sturm College of Law
  • B.A., Pennsylvania State University

Admissions

  • Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • American Bar Association
  • Colorado Bar Association
  • Colorado Women’s Bar Association
  • Denver Bar Association
  • Faculty of Federal Advocates
Experience
  • Represented numerous religious organizations across the country in defense of personal injury and abuse claims, and resolved more than 1000 claims through private settlement and reparations programs.
  • Represented various corporate clients in complex commercial disputes regarding breach of contract actions, oil and gas leases, insurance coverage, and bad faith actions, and aggressively defended insurance companies and rental car companies in class actions.
  • Second-chair lawyer in four-day jury trial before Colorado district court establishing negligence of title insurance company in failing to disclose known easement through commercial property and obtaining $1.5 million verdict.
  • Second-chair lawyer in two-day trial to Colorado district court defending breach of commercial lease claim, where alleged damages exceeded $150,000, and prosecuting counterclaims for conversion and breach of covenant of quiet enjoyment.
  • Second-chair lawyer in eight-day jury trial before the Honorable Judge Matsch of the U.S. District Court of Colorado defending contractual claims and asserting counterclaims for breach of distributor agreement and tortious interference with contract and business advantage for alleged lost profits of $14.1 million.
  • Second-chair lawyer in five-day arbitration before FINRA panel of arbitrators seeking damages for breach of employment contract and tortious interference with contract resulting in $335,000 award for client.
  • First-chair lawyer in trial to U.S. Bankruptcy Court of Colorado defending claims of non-dischargeability and fraud and, after first day of trial, settled case for fraction of $300,000 in alleged damages.
  • Lead lawyer at hearing before U.S. District Court of Colorado and obtained default judgment in excess of $400,000 for client.
  • Successfully vacated default judgment in excess of $300,000 on behalf of employer in employment discrimination case in Colorado state court.
  • Authored successful briefs to U.S. District Court of Colorado regarding survivability of claims pursuant to Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-20-101 that led to dismissal of approximately $37 million in potential liability for corporate client.
Outside the Office

Jessica values time with her family: she and her husband share a blended family with three young adult children and one pre-teen, and they love getting together with everyone. Jessica’s youngest son keeps her especially busy with state, national, and international sports competitions.

A dual citizen of both the United States and Brazil, Jessica also loves to travel, anywhere and everywhere. When she’s at home in Colorado, she’s at her happiest in the mountains, especially when surrounded by fall colors.