Spencer Kontnik

Spencer Kontnik is a founding partner of Kontnik | Cohen and one of the premier civil rights litigators in Colorado. In 2025, Spencer successfully represented a client in the Supreme Court of the United States -- securing a unanimous 9-0 win in Waetzig v. Halliburton, 145 S.Ct. 690 (2025). Spencer has gained national attention for his civil rights work involving discrimination lawsuits. In 2024, Mr. Kontnik was appointed by Colorado Governor, Jared Polis, to serve on a task force to rewrite the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. He has drafted legislation in Colorado, testified before the Colorado State Legislature, and has been instrumental in ensuring basic civil rights for all individuals regardless of age, race, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, and disability.

Mr. Kontnik has represented clients before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the Colorado Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court of Colorado, numerous state trial courts throughout Colorado and other states, and in numerous administrative courts and arbitration settings. Mr. Kontnik has tried numerous jury trials, bench trials, injunction hearings, and arbitrations. In the process, he has secured verdicts and settlements in the six and seven figures for his clients. Mr. Kontnik expects to go to trial, and he expects the attorneys in his firm to take cases to trial. Trial attorneys try cases, and the best results are won in the courtroom.

As part of his commitment to ensuring equality, Mr. Kontnik regularly consults, provides training, and education on civil rights issues. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and he has presented numerous Continuing Legal Education Courses to various bar associations. He has also presented to numerous professional organizations including the Colorado Bar Association, the Association of Late Deafened Adults, the Faculty of Federal Advocates. Mr. Kontnik is also a founding member of the Colorado Disability Bar Association and has been on the board of several non-profit organizations.

Mr. Kontnik provides counsel and support to clients who have legal needs involving any of the following:

· Employment and disability law

· Employment litigation

· Civil rights litigation

· Contract disputes and business litigation

Mr. Kontnik has always been driven by competition and a desire to overcome any obstacle. From an early age, he excelled in sports and was an All-American swimmer in high school. While attending law school, he was recognized as a leader of the National Trial team and was given the prestigious “Directors Award” from which in only given out in exceptional cases. Prior to starting his own firm, Mr. Kontnik worked for a prominent defense law firm in Colorado. He was one of Chipotle’s trial attorneys in a high stake multi-million-dollar lawsuit in Texas. Ms. Kontnik routinely draws from his experience as a defense attorney to obtain competitive advantages for his clients.

Mr. Kontnik is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States District Court for the District Court of Colorado, and he has been admitted pro hac vice in other jurisdictions on a case-by-case basis for other cases throughout the United States.