About CBA YLD
Definition of a "Young Lawyer" by CBA YLD standards are lawyers younger than 37 or who have been in practice less than five years.
Want to learn more about the CBA YLD? Come to an Executive Council meeting! We meet the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. both in-person and via Zoom. If you are interested in attending a meeting, please email Jess Ham
2024–25 CBA YLD Council Members
Chelsea Princell (Current Co-Chair) | Denver
Chelsea is a staff attorney with the Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services. Chelsea received her JD from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where she served as an executive editor of the Indiana Health Law Review, the vice president of the Student Bar Association, and an associate justice on the school's Moot Court Board. After practicing law in Indiana for three years, Chelsea moved to Colorado where she advises Colorado state legislators and state agencies on legal matters ranging from Medicaid and human services, to criminal justice and education. In her free time, Chelsea enjoys traveling internationally, hiking, going to concerts, and running.
Email: [email protected]
Kellian Coggswell (Current Co-Chair) | Denver
Kellian Coggswell is an associate attorney at Griffiths Law Firm PC, and her practice is focused exclusively on family law related matters, including divorce, common law marriage, allocation of parental rights, post-decree disputes, and child support. Before joining Griffiths Law, Kellian started her legal career working as a criminal defense investigator with the Colorado Public Defender’s Office. Kellian is passionate about helping those who are less fortunate and has continued volunteering throughout her schooling and career with disadvantaged populations. Most recently, Kellian volunteered with Denver Legal Nights, providing legal advice and assistance on family law issues to low-income individuals in the Denver Metro Area. Kellian earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and her undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Colorado in Criminal Justice, with a double minor in Political Science and Sociology. Kellian received many honors and accolades for her high academic achievement during law school, including numerous scholarships and scholastic excellence awards. When she is not working, Kellian loves hiking around the country, working on her golf game, and trying out new restaurants.
Email: [email protected]
Kaela Zihlman (Immediate Past Chair) | Denver
Kaela works at The W Law firm. A Colorado native, Kaela is a graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and was editor in chief of DU's Criminal Law Review. During and following law school, Kaela clerked for the Honorable Robert L. McGahey, Jr. in Denver District Court. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling the world with her trusty backpack and exploring the Denver brunch scene.
Email: [email protected]
Karen Blau | Denver
Karen Blau is a partner working on a variety of civil cases including personal injury, sexual assault, premises liability, wrongful death and medical malpractice. Karen is passionate and experienced, working tirelessly to come up with strategic and creative solutions to help clients who have been harmed by the negligent acts of others. She has been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers for 2023, and she has also been recognized by The National Trial Lawyers Top Trial Lawyer 40 under 40 in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Karen is an active member of the legal community serving as a member of the Executive Council of the Colorado Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and as a co-chair of the New Lawyers Division of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. She is also a member of the American Association for Justice. She is licensed to practice law in Arizona, in Colorado and in New Mexico.
Prior to joining the firm, Karen clerked at the Second Judicial District Court for the Honorable Edward Bronfin. During her time at the court she had the opportunity to clerk in the civil, criminal, and domestic rotations. While in the civil rotation, Karen witnessed numerous jury trials where she gained insight and knowledge on how jurors view facts, parties, attorneys, and, most importantly, how they reach their verdicts.
Born and raised in California, at the age of seventeen Karen moved to Israel to enlist in the Israel Defense Force. There she served for two years reaching the rank of sergeant in the Field Artillery Division. She was the youngest ranked and only female to receive the 61StAnnual Israel Independence Day Grant for her service. Upon discharge from the military, Karen returned to California where she attended the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Immediately thereafter, she continued to law school at University of California, Hastings College of the Law. While in law school, Karen held a summer externship in Washington D.C. at the Office of General Counsel at Homeland Security working in the Technology Programs Law Division. She was also an Executive Editor of the journal Constitutional Law Quarterly, and a coach and member of Hastings’ nationally ranked Moot Court Team.
After law school, Karen seized the wonderful opportunity to clerk in the great state of Colorado. Upon her arrival, she quickly felt at home. During her free time Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, and playing with her dogs.
Email: [email protected]
Hannah Taylor | Denver
Hannah Taylor is an associate attorney at Sherman & Howard, LLC in Denver, Colorado. Hannah currently practices primarily family law but began her career at the 17th Judicial District DA’s Office where she spent over three years as a Deputy District Attorney. Hannah attended law school at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, which is where she found her passion for advocacy and trial work as a member of the National Trial Team. Hannah was named a 2023 Super Lawyers Rising Star and volunteers with Metro Volunteer Lawyers. In her spare time, Hannah enjoys Orange Theory, reading, and spending time with her dog Mack (short for Reba McEntire).
Email: [email protected]
Makenna X. Johnson | Denver
Makenna X. Johnson is an associate in the Property Rights Group at Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP. Her practice focuses on eminent domain, land use, and other real estate-related dispute resolution and litigation. Prior to joining DGS, Makenna was an associate at a boutique law firm that specializes in eminent domain and other real estate litigation matters. Makenna’s expertise in this area enables her to represent property owners and condemning authorities in eminent domain proceedings, including appraisal review, negotiation of possession, and litigation. Makenna received her J.D. from William & Mary Law School. While in law school, she was a Property Rights Fellow, the Membership and Alumni Coordinator for the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, and a recipient of the American Bar Association State and Local Government Law Award. Makenna earned her B.A. in Political Science with minors in Communication and Pre-law from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Outside her practice, Makenna enjoys hiking, running, and serving as a volunteer judge for high school speech and debate tournaments.
Email: [email protected]
Spencer Aitken | Denver
Spencer B. Aitken is a Litigation Attorney at Ramos Law. Spencer is licensed to practice in Colorado, the Federal District Court for the District of Colorado, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, Denver Bar Association, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and the Colorado LGBT Bar Association. Additionally, he serves on the Colorado Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division Executive Council and as a Co-Chair of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association’s New Lawyers Division. Spencer graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH with his B.A. in 2017, majoring in Classical Humanities, Classical Languages, History, and Biology. Spencer then graduated from Boston College with his M.A. in Classics in 2019. Spencer returned to his home state of Colorado and received his law degree from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law in 2022. During his last semester, Spencer was a member of the University of Denver’s Civil Litigation Clinic, representing low-income clients in protective order cases. When not in the office, Spencer can be found enjoying the outdoors, singing in the Law Club, or preparing for his favorite holiday, Halloween.
Email: [email protected]
Ciara Anderson | Denver
Ciara is an attorney at Rathod | Mohamedbhai LLC, and her practice focuses on complex civil rights litigation. Ciara represents children and adults subjected to excessive force, deadly force, wrongful arrest, cruel and unusual punishment, sexual abuse, and other constitutional violations. Ciara also represents employees who have been treated adversely by their employer. Ciara received her law degree at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Tennessee. As a first-generation college graduate, Ciara enjoys mentoring other first-generation students. In addition to her legal work, Ciara oversees her law firm’s internship program, dedicating substantial time to law students wishing to practice civil rights law. Ciara is also actively involved in the legal community. She serves as the Chair of the CBA Civil Rights Section and is a member of the Colorado Lawyers Committee, Faculty of Federal Advocates, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Colorado Women’s Bar Association, Women Trial Lawyers Network, and Denver Bar Association. In her free time, she enjoys searching for the best espresso martini in town, going to concerts, planning themed parties, and making greeting cards.
Email: [email protected]
Alexis de Wet | Denver
Alexis is an Associate Attorney at Goodspeed Merrill in Englewood, Colorado. Her practice is focused on family law related matters, estate and trust administration, and protective proceedings. She began her legal career in Cape Town, South Africa where she was admitted as an attorney in March 2020, and practiced as such at Abrahams & Gross Inc. She holds dual citizenship of South Africa and the United States and moved to Denver in 2021, with plans to start her legal career in Colorado. She started working at Goodspeed Merrill as a Paralegal in May 2021 and continued working at the firm while completing her LLM at CU Boulder and passed the Colorado Bar in 2023. In her free time Alexis loves to be outdoors and her ideal weekend includes a walk with her dog, Thor, and a huge cup of coffee with a croissant.
Email: [email protected]
Natalie Tafuri | Denver
Natalie is Commercial and Procurement Counsel for Xactly Corporation. Natalie received her JD from the University of Massachusetts School of Law, where she served as Vice President of the Student Bar Association and achieved 400+ hours of pro bono services as a Public Interest Law Fellow. Natalie grew up in Colorado and moved back to begin her career after graduation and the bar exam. As in-house counsel, Natalie negotiates a variety of contracts involving sales, procurement, lease agreements, M&A and more. In her free time, Natalie enjoys traveling, going to concerts, golfing, and playing team sports.
Email: [email protected]
Abby Kregor | Denver
Abigail “Abby” Kregor is an associate attorney at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani in Denver, Colorado. Her practice focuses on the representation of businesses and individuals in complex civil litigation. To that end, she regularly handles matters concerning commercial claims and professional liability disputes. Additionally, she represents insurers in coverage and first-party bad faith actions. She also has experience in the representation of energy and utility companies in a wide variety of matters. Before joining Gordon & Rees, Abigail clerked for Denver District Court Judge Morris B. Hoffman, where she worked on a broad range of civil litigation cases. Abby earned her J.D. from Tulane University Law School, where she excelled in her clinical program, receiving the CALI Award for Litigation Skills and the Outstanding Clinical Student Award. She also served as the Senior Comments and Notes Editor for the Tulane Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Tulane University. Outside of her practice, Abby enjoys cycling and spending time with her husband, Chase.
Email: [email protected]