Colorado Personal Injury Lawyers

Colorado charges two separate impaired driving offenses, and the difference is not cosmetic. DUI requires the state to prove substantial incapacity — or a BAC of 0.08 or above under the per se statute. DWAI is the lesser offense, requiring only that alcohol or drugs affected you to the slightest degree, and it can be charged at a BAC as low as 0.05. Marijuana DUI is charged on a permissible inference at 5 ng/mL of Delta-9 THC, which is an inference a defense can rebut — we have won jury trials on exactly that point.

Every impaired driving case is really two cases: the criminal case in court and a separate DMV revocation proceeding on your license, with its own deadlines. Missing the DMV deadline costs you the hearing whether or not the criminal case goes well.

In Colorado, domestic violence is not a standalone charge. It is a sentence enhancer attached to an underlying offense — assault, harassment, criminal mischief — when the act was committed against someone with whom you have or had an intimate relationship. That enhancement triggers mandatory arrest, a mandatory protection order, firearm restrictions, and a treatment requirement on conviction. Prosecutors cannot simply drop these cases; there are internal policies against it.

Because the enhancer attaches to the relationship, not the severity, ordinary disputes escalate into cases with permanent consequences. These cases are defensible, and we have had them dismissed and sealed.

Legalization did not make marijuana law simple. Possession limits, public consumption, cultivation counts, open container in a vehicle, and distribution to minors all remain enforceable, and impaired driving on marijuana is prosecuted aggressively. On the narcotics side, Colorado’s drug felony and drug misdemeanor classifications turn heavily on quantity and on whether the state can establish intent to distribute rather than personal possession — a line that is frequently overcharged.

Assault charges in Colorado run from third degree, a misdemeanor, up through first degree, a serious felony, with the dividing lines drawn by injury severity, use of a deadly weapon, and the identity of the alleged victim. Menacing, harassment, and child abuse counts are commonly stacked onto the same incident. Self-defense is a real and frequently successful defense in Colorado, and it is often the whole case.

These carry consequences no other category matches: indeterminate sentencing, lifetime supervision, and registration. They are also frequently built on a single account with no corroboration. They require immediate, careful, and aggressive defense — never a conversation with a detective first.

Theft, criminal mischief, trespass, tampering, burglary, arson, and robbery. Most of these are graded almost entirely by a number — the alleged value of the property or damage — and that number is the prosecution’s burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. It is often an estimate, often inflated, and often the most attackable element in the case. Burglary charges turn on unlawful entry and intent at the moment of entry, which is a harder thing to prove than it sounds.

Official misconduct, embezzlement of public property, perjury, bribery, and abuse of public records. These cases are document-driven and usually investigated for months before anyone is charged, which means the government arrives with a built case. They also usually hinge on intent — whether an act was knowing and corrupt, or an error. Professional licensure is frequently on the line alongside the criminal exposure.

Reckless driving, careless driving, eluding, hit and run, driving under restraint, and habitual traffic offender designations all carry jail exposure and license consequences. Colorado also prosecutes impaired and reckless operation of boats and snowmobiles, which carry their own penalties and can affect your driving privileges.

A conviction is not always final. Depending on the offense and the time elapsed, you may be eligible for record sealing, a reduction, a probation modification, appeal, or executive clemency. We have obtained case seals following dismissal, and we secured a full gubernatorial pardon for a client on a 1990s felony.