Practice Areas: Family Law, Employment Litigation; view more
Licensed in Colorado since: 2013
Education: Western Michigan University Cooley Law School
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2025 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2019 - 2023 Call today:
720-759-2535
Kontnik | Cohen, LLC
201 Steele StreetSuite 210
Denver, CO 80206 Visit website
Details
Attorney Austin M. Cohen is a founding partner at Kontnik | Cohen, LLC, in Denver, Colorado. A seasoned trial attorney and trained in mediation, Mr. Cohen focuses his practice primarily on family law, and he has achieved noteworthy success assisting clients throughout Colorado with obtaining the favorable results they seek for their legal matters involving child custody and support, property division, alimony and other matters pertaining to their divorces or requests for the allocation of parental responsibilities.
In addition to family law, Mr. Cohen maintains a selective practice in employment and public entity disability discrimination, reasonable accommodations, and civil rights. In this arena, Mr. Cohen has been an attorney on several high-profile and precedent setting cases including, recently, Randy Gregory v. National Football League et al. (D. Colo. 2024) and Waetzig v. Halliburton Energy Servs., Inc., 82 F.4th 918 (10th Cir. 2023). This experience, especially defending against some of the top firms in the country and working on novel issues undecided by the courts, provides his family law clients with a unique benefit that distinguishes him from many of his esteemed peers in family law.
Through his family law practice, Mr. Cohen has gained a reputation of meticulously handling complex issues including high-conflict Parenting Time and Decision Making issues like parental alienation dynamics, and complex financial issues like phantom income, tracing premarital assets, and the concepts of voluntarily unemployed or underemployed in the areas of child support and maintenance.
Mr. Cohen delivers personalized counsel to all he serves with the utmost compassion, respect and integrity, and he approaches each case to strategically find the best solutions possible for his clients to help them achieve their goals efficiently and cost-effectively.
Mr. Cohen has been a guest lecturer for the trial advocacy class at the University of Colorado Law School. He has also served as a judge for the moot court board at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He has also received Distinguished Service honors from Federal Appeals Court Judge Helene N. White and State Trial Court Judge Rosemarie E. Aquilina.
In honor of his outstanding professionalism and service, Mr. Cohen has earned consistent top rankings and endorsements from his peers, including a Top 40 Under 40 designation in Family Law from the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys and a Top 10 Family Law Attorney in Colorado designation from Attorney and Practice Magazine. He has also received the 10 Best in Client Satisfaction Award from the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, and he has
He is admitted to practice before the Colorado Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, and he is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations, and the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys.
Practice areas
Family Law, Employment Litigation: PlaintiffFocus areas
Employment Discrimination
- 90% Family Law
- 10% Employment Litigation: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 2013, Colorado
Professional Webpage: https://www.kontnikcohen.com/austin-cohen
- Aldrich v. Industrial Cooling Solutions, et al., 14-cv-03206 (D. Colo. 2014) (FLSA; breach of contract and wrongful termination in violation of public policy)
- Krantz v. Dulacki, 2014cv34756 (Den. Dist. Ct. 2014) (Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act; attorney's fee award of $40,111 after finding denial was “arbitrary and capricious”)
- Dines v. Visiting Nurses Association, 14-cv-03132 (D. Colo. 2014) (ADA disability discrimination and retaliation in employment context)
- University of Northern Colorado, B.A.
- Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Moot Court Board, Judge
- American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, Member
- Colorado Bar Association, Member
- Denver Bar Association, Member
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Member
- While a student law clerk for the Honorable Rosemarie E. Aquilina, received distinguished service for work completed during the preceding one year and seven months. , Distinguished Service, Ingham County Circuit Court & Michigan Court of Claims, 2011
- Attorney for Amicus Curiae Colorado Trial Lawyers Association in Bd. of Cty. Commissioners of Summit Cty. v. Rodgers, 355 P.3d 1253 (Colo. 2015) (reversing Court of Appeals)
- All-Star Team Selection for Div. II American Collegiate Hockey Association and Team Captain of 2-Time High School State Champion in Ice Hockey
- Second Place, International Law School Mediation Tournament, International Academy of Dispute Resolution
- While a full-time Judicial Extern to the Honorable Helene N. White, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a Certificate showing that the Court's files and records will reflect this honor. , Distinguished Service, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, 2012
- According to the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, the “10 Best” is a prestigious honor for the Attorney as each Attorney must: (1) Be formally nominated by the Institute, client, and/or a fellow Attorney; (2) Have attained the highest degree of professional achievement in his or her field of law; and (3) having done so with an impeccable Client Satisfaction rating. Many Attorneys can achieve high degrees of success but this is often times at the expense or satisfaction of the most important person in the case- the client. American Institute’s Family Law Division looks for Attorneys that have achieved unparalleled success but most importantly have done so for the benefit of their client. Very few Attorneys can do so and our organization recognizes this significant achievement., 10 Best in Client Satisfaction - Colorado, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, 2018
- According to Attorney and Practice Magazine's website discussing the selection process, the Top 10 attorney award is an achievement reserved for only those attorneys who have demonstrated the highest degree of excellence in his or her area of law. Less than 1% of attorneys nationwide will receive this invitation for membership, Top 10 Family Law Attorneys - Colorado, Attorney and Practice Magazine, 2018
- According to the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, the attorneys that make this list have to first be nominated by a licensed practicing attorney or one the organizations in-house research staff members. Second, the organization's research staff verifies that the attorney meets the minimum requirements of membership. Then the attorney have to be 1 of 50 attorneys chosen to advance to the final selection stage by the organization' processing committee, and then the organization's Board of Governors officially selects the Top 10 in each state. , Top 10 Under 40 Years Old - Colorado, National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, 2019
- According to the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, the “10 Best” is a prestigious honor for the Attorney as each Attorney must: (1) Be formally nominated by the Institute, client, and/or a fellow Attorney; (2) Have attained the highest degree of professional achievement in his or her field of law; and (3) having done so with an impeccable Client Satisfaction rating. Many Attorneys can achieve high degrees of success but this is often times at the expense or satisfaction of the most important person in the case- the client. American Institute’s Family Law Division looks for Attorneys that have achieved unparalleled success but most importantly have done so for the benefit of their client. Very few Attorneys can do so and our organization recognizes this significant achievement., 10 Best in Client Satisfaction - Colorado, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, 2019
- The Super Lawyers list recognizes no more than 5 percent of attorneys in each state. The Rising Stars list recognizes no more than 2.5 percent of attorneys in each state. To be eligible for inclusion in Rising Stars, a candidate must be either 40 years old or younger, or in practice for 10 years or less., Rising Stars - Family Law, Super Lawyers, 2019
- Completed 40-hour course of basic mediation training in Michigan , 2012
- Amicus Curiae Co-Counsel for Colorado Trial Lawyers Association in Board of County Commissioners of Summit County v. Rodgers, 13SC404 (Supreme Court of Colorado) (judgment reversed), 2015
- Judge at University of Denver School of Law's Moot Court Competition , 2016
- Anti-Defamation League's Glass Leadership Institute - Sturm Fellow
- Denver Active 2030 Children’s Foundation: non-profit donating $1,000,000 + per year to at-risk youth, Member and Grant Review Committee
- Wish of a Lifetime: international non-profit fulfilling life-long wishes to our country's oldest generations - Pro Bono Counsel
- Sturm Fellow - Anti-Defamation League's Glass Leadership Institute. , 2016
- Judge at University of Denver School of Law's Moot Court Competition , 2017
- Judge at University of Denver School of Law's Moot Court Competition , 2015
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2024 - 2025
- Rising Stars: 2019 - 2023
