COBALT Class of 2024
Theresa Wardon Benz is a partner in the Trial Group at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP, where she leads the firm’s appellate practice. She has represented leading companies, including Ford, Michelin, and Whirlpool, in complex commercial, class action, product liability trials, litigation, and high-stakes appeals. Ms. Benz received her J.D. magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from Northwestern University Law School and earned her B.A. summa cum laude in History from Boston College. Ms. Benz maintains an impactful pro bono practice from her representation of asylum seekers fleeing violence in their home countries to previously serving as a long-time board member for The Gathering Place, Denver’s only daytime shelter for women, children, and transgender individuals experiencing poverty. In addition, she is a mentor for Law School . . . Yes We Can, which is the first law school pipeline program in Colorado to target high-achieving first-year college students from diverse backgrounds and provide them access to the legal profession. Ms. Benz is also a fellow for the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity (LCLD) and serves as the co-chair of the DGS Women in Leadership Lecture Series (WILLS). .
Gaby Corica serves as a Senior Assistant City Attorney in the Denver City Attorney’s Office. She maintains a diverse practice focused primarily on real estate, municipal finance matters, complex transactions, and general municipal law. Additionally, Gaby has considerable legislative and government affairs experience. Prior to joining the City Attorney’s Office, she served as Deputy Legislative Director during Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s administration where she was the Administration’s liaison to City Council, helping to identify and implement the Administration’s legislative priorities. Gaby was involved in some of the biggest policy initiatives that emerged from the Hancock Administration. Prior to her time in the Denver Mayor’s Office, she served as Chief of Staff to State Senator Irene Aguilar in the Colorado General Assembly. There, Gaby helped manage the Senator’s legislative portfolio, assisted the Senator in preparing for committee hearings and floor votes, and oversaw the Senator’s internship program. Gaby received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Boulder and her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Gaby is fluent in Spanish and volunteers as pro bono attorney with Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network. She is a member and past board member of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association and a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Lauren Davison is an Assistant Attorney General in the Tort Litigation Unit of the Colorado Department of Law, where she represents state agencies and state employees sued in federal and state district court. Lauren co-chairs and founded the Department of Law's Pride Employee Resource Group, which provides a supportive and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ employees and opportunities for allies to learn. Lauren previously clerked for Judge John R. Webb and Chief Justice Nathan B. Coats. She received a BA in Philosophy from CU Denver and a JD from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She and her wife enjoy camping, paddleboarding, and eating fancy food.
Patrick Esser was appointed as Magistrate in July of 2021. He began his career as a public defender with the Fort Collins office of the Colorado State Public Defender. He later became a partner with the law firm of Schwartz, Waible, and Esser, LLC, where his law practice focused on criminal defense and representing the best interest of juveniles as guardian ad litem. Magistrate Esser graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from Colorado State University in 2004. He received his Juris Doctorate from the George Mason University School of Law in 2008.
Ellen K. Giarratana is the Managing Attorney at the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, where she advocates for the equitable enforcement of legislation and represents community members in anti-poverty litigation. In her role, she has represented groups of mobile home owners and co-counseled class cases on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries. During the 2022 legislative session, Ellen provided testimony for and worked with legislative staff to draft House Bill 22-1224, which imposed a stricter burden on district attorneys prosecuting theft of public benefits, and Senate Bill 22-099, which automated the record sealing process for eligible offenses and modified motion-based record sealing practices. Prior to joining CCLP, Ellen clerked at the Colorado Court of Appeals for the Honorable Stephanie E. Dunn. She then moved to Jackson, Mississippi to work at the Southern Poverty Law Center where she represented individuals convicted under the state’s harsh three strikes law who sought parole eligibility and early release, as well as geriatric incarcerated people pursuing conditional release. Following her return to Denver, she practiced civil rights and employment discrimination litigation.
During law school, she completed an externship at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and spent a summer in Lima, Peru, interning with Berninzon & Benavides Abogados. She founded the Students for Mental Health and wellness organization and was Staff Editor for the ABA Journal of Labor & Employment law.
Codi is licensed to practice in the State of Colorado. She sits on the board of directors for the Collaborative Healing Initiative Within Communities (CHIC Denver). She is a member of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association, The Colorado Bar Association, The Denver Bar Association, and the National Association of Women in Construction.
Jenna Goldstein is deputy legal counsel to Governor Jared Polis, where she works at the intersection of law, government, and policy. Previously, she was deputy legal counsel to Governor John Hickenlooper, an associate at Arnold & Porter LLP, and a judicial law clerk for Justice Monica M. Márquez of the Colorado Supreme Court. She serves on the Colorado Common Cause board and the Rose Medical Center Advisory Council. She attended the University of Michigan Law School.
Christine Harbison Chris (she/her/hers) is a Deputy District Attorney in the Seventeenth Judicial District. She is currently assigned to a district court docket. She obtained her B.A. in Psychology from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH) and her Master’s in Social Science Administration from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. Chris spent roughly 25 years working as a licensed clinical social worker. When her youngest child began college, Chris entered the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. Chris enjoys combining social work with her work as a Deputy District Attorney and considers the transition to law one of the best decisions she has ever made. Chris and her spouse have two grown children. Her son is a Marine currently working on a degree in Mathematics, her daughter is working in finance and studying Computer Science. In her free time, Chris enjoys mentoring students, reading, knitting and bike riding.
Eric Hobbs is a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. where he represents companies as both plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation throughout the country. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Eric attended Mizzou and then moved to Colorado to attend the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he met his wife (Molly) and graduated in 2012. He has three kids and enjoys spending time outside skiing, hiking, and mountain biking. Eric is passionate about the Kansas City Chiefs, music, philosophy, trial work, and finding ways to give back to the community.
Dan Kramer has served as the Town Attorney for the Town of Estes Park since 2019. Prior to that, he worked as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Longmont beginning in 2012. He received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where he served as Editor in Chief of the Ecology Law Quarterly and earned a certificate in environmental law. He then clerked at the Colorado Supreme Court for the Honorable Gregory J. Hobbs, Jr. Dan's published work is primarily in the fields of natural resources and land use law, and he has also presented before the Colorado Municipal League on matters of public safety and homelessness. But mostly, Dan is content to serve his municipal client on whatever assorted matters arise from day to day. Lately, that has involved a lot of work on workforce and attainable housing.
Ari Krichiver after a brief stint doing class action disability law and other plaintiff’s civil rights work, Ari landed in the appellate division of the Colorado State Public Defender in 2008. In 2010, he transferred to the Brighton Trial Office and handled misdemeanors and felonies, as well as becoming the County Court Supervisor in 2016. In that office, Ari handled every type of criminal case, including DUIs, domestic violence, sex assaults, homicides, and some death penalty work. He also argued two cases in front of the Colorado Supreme Court. In 2021, looking for a change, Ari accepted a position as the Deputy Chief Municipal Public Defender in the Denver Municipal Public Defender’s Office.
Alex Mancero provides general counsel for Ria Money Transfer’s digital products in 190 countries, a segment of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: EEFT). Alex focuses on product counseling, cross-border commercial contracting, international and domestic privacy, consumer, employment, and regulatory law. Alex is a first generation Ecuadorian American and a former space command and control officer in the United States Air Force for military satellite communications and crew force manager of 130 servicemembers. He is the Vice President of Committees of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, board member of the CHBA Foundation, founder of the Colorado Lawyers Committee Racial Justice Summit and a member of the inaugural class of the Colorado Diverse Attorney Community Circle. Alex was recently honored by the 2023 CHBA Outstanding New Hispanic Attorney Award, and in the nationally recognized Lawyers of Color’s Hot List 2023. Alex is committed to promoting racial and economic justice. He is a mentor in Law School Yes We Can and the Denver Law Ascent programs. He has been a regular volunteer at the Colorado Lawyers Committee Nonprofit Legal Audit Clinic since 2017. As a former co-chair of the CHBA Charitable Contributions Committee, he facilitated over $45,000 in charitable donations to Hispanic-serving community centers, schools, and cultural programs. At his previous firm, Alex spearheaded the Colorado Pledge to Diversity hiring committee. He is also deeply dedicated to adopting and fostering pets and encourages everyone to “Adopt, Don’t Shop.” Prior to joining Ria, Alex practiced corporate law at two national law firms focusing on space, technology, telecommunications, and renewable energy.
Emily McDonnell received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2015 and earned dual undergraduate degrees in International Business and French. During law school, Emily interned as a law clerk for an immigration firm located in Hartford, Connecticut, and continued working there until she relocated to Denver. Emily joined Hernandez & Associates, P.C. in 2017 to continue focusing her practice in immigration law. She is currently a Director, overseeing family-based cases and affirmative immigration filings with USCIS. Emily was admitted to the bar in Colorado and Connecticut.
Maria Monclova started her law practice right out of law school in 2008. With the help of her parents, Maria transformed her parents’ living room into an office and started serving the Latino community. Later, Maria’s mother and sister became officially employed by Monclova Law P.C. and in 2012, they purchased a building. Maria currently practices Immigration and Family law. Her office is located in the neighborhood of Westwood, where Maria grew up. She continues to serve the community she grew up with. Maria’s sister, brother, and sister in law all work at Monclova Law P.C. Monclova Law is actively involved in the community and often presents to the community about immigration law. She is a board Member of the Miguel Pro Mission, an organization that helps build houses for people living in misery in Ciudad Juarez. Maria is happily married and has a 3 year old son named Cuauhtémoc, the name of the last Aztec Emperor in Mexico.
Yev Muchnik, an experienced corporate and securities transactional attorney, is on a mission to champion early and growth stage tech companies with a passion for innovation across all sectors. Delving into the web3 domain since 2016, she’s distinguished herself as an early adopter and respected legal consultant. Yev’s commitment extends beyond adoption; she actively advocates for policy shifts and champions widespread adoption of non-traditional assets in an effort to expand wealth equity and financial inclusion, especially those anchored in blockchain. .
Geraldo Parrilla hails from New Haven, CT, where he graduated from Quinnipiac University School of Law in 2019. After clerking for two years in Connecticut State and Federal court, he moved to Denver in 2021 to work as an associate at a litigation boutique, focusing his practice on medical malpractice defense in the Mountain West region. In June 2023, Geraldo joined Hall & Evans as an associate, where he handles civil litigation matters involving healthcare, premises liability, products liability, and general liability defense. Outside of his practice, Geraldo serves as co-chair of the Business Development Committee of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association. He also volunteers as a mock trial coach at Arrupe Jesuit High School and a student mentor for Law School Yes We Can. He is passionate about equal access to justice and student mentorship in underserved communities; and he hopes to continue finding ways to serve marginalized groups in Denver metro and beyond. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, live music, fashion, camping, cycling, and rooting for all the inferior New York sports teams.
Tom Plake is a lawyer at the firm of Coan, Payton & Payne, LLC, and is based out of the firm’s Fort Collins office; however, he supports clients throughout Colorado and Oklahoma, as well as handling Federal and International law matters in other jurisdictions. Tom is licensed to practice law in both Colorado and Oklahoma. He is admitted to practice before all courts in the State of Colorado and the State of Oklahoma, as well as the US District Court for the District of Colorado, the US District Courts for the Northern, Eastern & Western Districts of Oklahoma, and the US 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Tom received his Bachelor of Arts in English in 1989, and his Juris Doctorate in 1993, both from the University of Tulsa. During law school he interned at the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals for the Honorable Daniel J. Boudreau and was a member of the Energy Law Journal. Tom was awarded American Jurisprudence Awards for both Legal Advocacy and Real Estate Transactions. He is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, but previously lived in Estes Park, Colorado where he managed a successful law practice serving business clients in from offices in Tulsa, Estes Park & Loveland. He has lectured on topics such as contract negotiation, real estate transactions, US sanctions regulations, and international compliance programs, and has been a regular guest speaker at his alma mater, the University of Tulsa College of Law. Tom has more than 29 years of experience handling legal matters for both individual and institutional clients. In addition to his private law practice, Tom has held senior positions in the in-house law departments of several large corporations. Most recently, Tom served as the General Counsel & Secretary of an international equipment manufacturing company headquartered in Tulsa with over 25 offices worldwide. He has handled both transactional and litigated matters worldwide, including in the US, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, India, South Korea, Japan, China, Singapore and Southeast Asia. Tom practices in the areas of corporate, business, M&A, construction, real estate, finance/banking and other transactional matters, as well as general business litigation. Tom enjoys fly fishing, hiking, and motorcycling. He lives in Timnath, Colorado with his wife, Monica, and their Miniature Schnauzer, Lily.
Lucas Ritchie focuses his litigation and trial practice on complex business and securities disputes, investigations, and enforcement actions involving federal and state securities laws, the False Claims Act, consumer protection laws, and corporate governance and fiduciary laws. His clients include businesses ranging in maturity from development-stage to public and across sectors from fintech and traditional financial services to manufacturing, as well as their officers, directors, and compliance professionals. I often participate in or lead joint-defense efforts on behalf of entire management teams and involving some of the most respected lawyers and law firms in the country. I have been interviewed or quoted in the Wall Street Journal, NPR’s Marketplace, the Denver Business Journal, the Colorado Sun, and Law Week Colorado, among other publications and I regularly present to the legal and business communities on topics related to litigation, investigations, and legal ethics. I currently serve as a member of the Colorado Supreme Court’s Civil Rules Committee, on the CBA’s Board of Governors, as the Immediate Past-Chair of the CBA’s Business Law Section, and on the Executive Councils of both the CBA’s Business Law Section and Litigation Section. I formerly served as Chair of the CBA’s Business Law Section, Litigation Section, and Securities Law Subsection.
Amy Rogers hails from West Virginia, where she was born, raised, and educated. She graduated from West Virginia University (WVU) with a BA in Philosophy and a BS in Business Administration, before attending WVU College of Law. Amy is the first in her family on either side to attend law school. During law school, she learned about the many ways in which the mine strikes and labor wars informed our modern-day labor laws and employment protections. Moving from one mountain state to another, Amy has resided in Denver, Colorado, since May 2015. She is proud of her Appalachian identity, which has certainly informed her belief systems and notions of justice. Amy is a live music and animal lover and has two tuxedo cats, named Bubbles and Olliver. In her free time, Amy loves hiking, camping, rock climbing, rafting, yoga—all the Colorado activities. She also organizes voter registration drives for a non-partisan, non-profit called HeadCount and co-chairs the WTLN (women’s section of CTLA). Amy practices plaintiffs personal injury law at Ogborn Mihm, LLP, where she specializes in assisting individuals who have sustained traumatic brain injuries. Amy is looking forward to getting to know her COBALT Class of 2024 classmates.
Kiera Schwartz attended the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, where she played D1 soccer. Kiera graduated from the University of North Carolina, Wilmington with a BA in Psychology. After graduating from University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, she joined the team at RBS Law, where they primarily focus on Estate Planning and Estate Administration. Family is deeply important to Kiera for many reasons, and she loves to be able to educate and inform people on how to best protect their loved ones. While she was born in Iowa and grew up in North Carolina, Kiera visited Colorado for most of her life. She moved to Colorado full-time to attend law school and is happy to call it home! Skiing, camping, and the 300+ days of sunshine per year are some of the reasons she fell in love. Kiera loves learning and loves to discover new ways to get involved and give back to her community.
Jared West is an experienced litigator and transactional attorney at CHILDS MCCUNE, LLC. Jared focuses his practice on intentional torts, commercial litigation, products liability, and medical malpractice defense in both Colorado state and federal courts. Before joining CHILDS MCCUNE, Jared gained significant experience in civil and commercial litigation at an elite litigation firm in Boulder where he represented both plaintiffs and defendants dealing with personal, business, construction, and real estate disputes. Additionally, Jared has extensive transactional experience, having helped individuals and small businesses with a wide range of commercial and real estate transactions, including business formation, contract drafting, regulatory compliance, and risk management. Jared lives in Boulder County with his wife, dog, and two cats. He enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, running, and attending concerts.