Paula Greisen

Paula Greisen is the founding principal of Greisen Law, LLC, in Denver, Colorado, where she has dedicated her career to advancing civil rights, combating discrimination and holding government actors accountable. Over more than three decades, she has successfully litigated hundreds of matters on behalf of executives and professionals, law enforcement officers, service workers, parents, and members of minority and vulnerable communities. Her practice spans employment and labor law – particularly whistleblower and sexual harassment claims – as well as police misconduct, race discrimination, disability discrimination and broader civil rights causes.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from the University of Oklahoma – where she graduated at the top of her class – Ms. Greisen graduated from the University of Colorado Law School in 1990. Early in her legal career, she served as lead counsel in two landmark prison reform class actions. Most recently, she spearheaded the nation’s first consent decree securing safe housing and appropriate medical care for hundreds of transgender women in Colorado’s correctional facilities. In a prior class action, she compelled the state prison system to provide accessible housing, programs and medical services to thousands of incarcerated individuals with disabilities.

A tireless advocate for LGBTQ rights, Ms. Greisen has been instrumental in high-profile matters from the Masterpiece Cakeshop litigation – earning the Colorado LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s 2018 Case of the Year award – to grassroots work on behalf of transgender youth. She has served on the boards of Colorado Legal Services, One Colorado, and various national and state-level LGBTQ advocacy groups. As a founding director of Towards Justice, she has championed economic fairness for workers across the country. Her leadership roles also include the Colorado Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado’s legal panel, the Faculty of Federal Advocates (including a term as president) and the Federal Court Ethics Committee.

Ms. Greisen’s achievements have been recognized repeatedly in The Best Lawyers in America, where she was often named Lawyer of the Year for plaintiffs’ employment law. Local honors include Denver’s Top Lawyer listings and inclusion among 5280 magazine’s Top 50 Women Lawyers in Colorado. The Colorado Trial Lawyers Association awarded her Case of the Year for her work on behalf of more than 3,000 disabled inmates who endured inhumane conditions. A sought-after speaker and adept commentator, she continues to educate legal professionals and the public on employment and civil rights law, and mentor the next generation of advocates.