Michael P. Zwiebel

Bar / Professional Activity

• Colorado, 1984
• U.S. District Court District of Colorado, 2002
• U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 2003
•  U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2015

Representative Clients

• Aloi v. Union Pacific Railroad, 129 P.3d 999, Colo., 2006
• People v. Pollard, 307 P.3d 1124 (Colo. App. 2013)
• U.S. v. Santistevan, 701 F.3d 1289 (10th Cir. 2012)
• In re M.W., 292 P.3d 1158 (Colo. App. 2012)
• People v. Guatney, rev'd 214 P.3d 1049, Colo., 2009
• Lederman v. Frontier Fire Protection, 685 F.3d 1151 (10th Cir. 2012)
• People v. Jiminez, 863 P.2d 9981, Colo., 1993
• In re Marriage of Chalat, 112 P.3d 47, Colo., 2004
•  Bovard v. People, 99 P.3d 585, Colo. 2004
• Klen v. City of Loveland, 661 F.3d 498, 10th Cir., 2011
• United States v. Finn, 375 F.3d 1033, 10th Cir., 2004
• People v. Guatney, 183 P.3d 620, Colo.App., 2007
• In re Marriage of Slowinski, 199 P.3d 48, Colo. App., 2008
• People v. Maestas, 199 P.3d 713, Colo., 2009
• Krutsinger v. People, 219 P.3d 1054, Colo., 2009
• Accident & Injury Med. Spec. v. Mintz, 279 P.3d 658 (Colo. 2012)
• Schneider v. Caterpillar, Inc., 301 Fed. Appx. 755, 10th Cir., 2008

Educational Background

• Colorado State University, M.A. in English, 1981
• State University of New York at Stony Brook, B.A., 1974

Other Outstanding Achievements

• Accepted as expert witness in criminal defense in Adams, Routt, and Denver County District Courts.

Honors

• Colorado State Public Defender Attorney of the Year Order of the Coif, 1995
• Boalt Hall Law School American Jurisprudence Award in Constitutional Law, 1995
• Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2013 through 2017, in the field of Appellate Practice; 2014 through 2017 in the field of White Collar Criminal Defense; and 2016 through 2017 in the field of Non-Whie Collar Criminal Defense.
• AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale Hubbell®

“Michael combines a sharp and nimble mind with unerring intuition, years of experience, and efficient work methods. His writing is clear, logical, powerful, and persuasive. He is a wonderful appellate lawyer.”

“Michael Zwiebel is one of the very best lawyers with whom I have worked in over 25 years of practicing law. Michael has an extremely fast and nimble mind. Over the years I have met only a few other people who can assimilate complex situations as quickly as Michael. He combines his fast comprehension with a sound foundational knowledge of many areas of the law, to formulate strong legal arguments at the outset of his involvement in a case. If there are no strong legal arguments (as sometimes occurs for all appellate practitioners), then he will say so in direct terms, and he will cogently explain why. Michael's quick comprehension, and his direct communication patterns, allow him to work with astounding efficiency. He often generates a large amount of high-quality appellate briefing in a relatively short time. His appellate writing (I have read many of his appellate briefs) is clear and persuasive. It conveys logic, reason, and power without arrogance. Similarly, his legal judgment - including his assessments of the likely outcomes of appellate issues - has, in my experience, always proven to be "spot on" once the appellate court has issued its opinion.I have watched Michael deliver two oral arguments to the Colorado Supreme Court. His oral advocacy is as good as any I have seen. He uses understatement to significant advantage. Michael also is an experienced trial lawyer, and I have heard a highly-regarded Colorado trial lawyer refer to him as a "master" in the trial courtroom. Last, Michael's ethics are beyond reproach; I once heard another highly-regarded lawyer refer to him as a "class act." Based on my own experience, the compliment is apt. He should be a Superlawyer every year.”