Practice Areas: Appellate, Criminal Defense; view more
Licensed in Colorado since: 2013
Education: University of Denver Sturm College of Law
Languages Spoken: English, Norwegian, Spanish
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2025 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2022 - 2023 Call today:
303-232-5160
Virtual Appointments The Noble Law Firm, LLC
215 Union BlvdSuite 305
Lakewood, CO 80228 Visit website
Details
Tara Jorfald is a criminal defense attorney who has dedicated her entire legal career to criminal appeals and postconviction work. As a senior associate at The Noble Law Firm, LLC, she is known for her outstanding client service and thorough litigation. Tara specializes in working with clients that are convicted of the most serious offenses and are serving life, or lengthy prison sentences. She handles cases at every level, from the county court to our state supreme court. She also works on various sentencing mitigation, special needs, deregistration, expungement, and clemency projects. She also works on various policy issues and advises on Amici. She also advises other attorneys on complex appellate issues, and helps prepare attorneys for oral argument, and teaches various CLEs.
Tara has specialized in representing juveniles in both juvenile delinquency and direct file cases. Tara remains committed to fighting for sentencing reductions individually, in her clients’ cases, and on a policy level. After completing her Bachelor of Arts at Concordia College in 2004, Tara obtained her Master’s in Philosophy in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Oslo, Faculty of Law in 2008. Later in 2013, she received her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She has taken part in numerous national trainings in juvenile defense, trial advocacy, and appellate writing.
Prior to beginning her work at the Noble Law Firm, in 2013, Tara worked at the Norwegian Centre for Human, the Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers, as a legal intern at the Denver District Attorney’s Office, and briefly as a judicial fellow for Justice Hood at the Denver District Court.
Tara gives back to the community by serving professional and youth organizations and providing pro bono services. She is a longstanding member of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar. Proficient in Spanish and Norwegian, Tara holds an Avvo 10 ‘Superb’ client rating. She has received many endorsements from her peers and testimonials from her satisfied clients.
Practice areas
Appellate, Criminal DefenseFocus areas
Appeals, Criminal Law, Felony, Juvenile Delinquency
- 60% Appellate
- 40% Criminal Defense
First Admitted: 2013, Colorado
Professional Webpage: http://www.noble-law.com/tarajorfald.html
- Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Association, Member/Volunteer Lobbyist, member since 2010, 2024
- Colorado Women's Bar Association, Member, Public Policy Committee (2019, 2024). , 2024
- I have litigated over 135 cases in the court of appeals/supreme court (the majority of which in the court of appeals). I have done oral argument in over 90% of those cases. , 2024
- Rules of Juvenile Procedure Work Taskforce, 2018
- Published Opinions: Peo in Interest of C M W R, 2024COA4 (A court must consider the factors set forth insection 18-1-405(6)(g)— a statute that addresses continuances in trials of adult defendants — when deciding whether continuance of the trial in a juvenile adjudicatory action would violate the juvenile’s speedy trial rights, adjudication vacated with instructions to dismiss) (certiorari pending); Peo v Cooper, 2023COA113 (Rojas did not announce a new constitutional rule of criminal procedure); People in Interest of B.D., 477 P.3d 143 (Colo. 2020) (at-risk victim statute, imposing greater penalties when a theft happens in presence of an at-risk victim, is a sentence enhancer rather than an element of offense) People in Interest of J.D., 464 P.3d 785 (Colo. 2020) (magistrate who accepted juvenile's guilty plea in juvenile delinquency proceeding retained jurisdiction to hear juvenile's motion to withdraw plea based on ineffective assistance of plea counsel) M.A.W. v. People, 456 P.3d 1284 (Colo. 2020) (the test for prejudice in the context of a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel in a dependency and neglect proceeding is the test for prejudice set forth in Strickland v. Washington) People v. Yakas, 461 P.3d 568 (Colo. App. 2019) (the statutory right to a speedy disposition guaranteed by the Uniform Mandatory Disposition of Detainers Act, and the required statutory advisement of rights, may be waived by counsel) People in Interest of J.V.D., 442 P.3d 1030 (Colo. App. 2019) (because the juvenile court did not fulfill its constitutional or statutory duties to secure an effective waiver, the juvenile’s right to counsel was violated) People in Interest of B.D., 479 P.3d 21 (Colo. App. 2019) (for court to impose enhanced sentence, prosecution was required to prove that juvenile was aware that the victim was an at-risk person or that an element or portion of the crime would be committed in the at-risk person’s presence) People in the Interest of J.C., 428 P.3d 617 (Colo. App. 2018) (a court may not sentence a juvenile to commitment with the Division of Youth Corrections for an indeterminate term) People in the Interest of J.D., 468 P.3d 35 (Colo. App. 2017) (in juvenile delinquency case, magistrate has jurisdiction to consider a motion to withdraw a previously entered guilty plea based on ineffective assistance of counsel) Estrada-Huerta v. People, 394 P.3d 1139 (Colo. 2017) (the categorical ban on sentences of life without parole for juveniles who were not convicted of homicide does not apply to an aggregate term-of-years sentence) People v. Penn, 379 P.3d 298 (Colo. 2016) (where a petition for rehearing is timely filed in the district court, the district court judgment does not become final for purposes of the forty-two-day period to file a petition for writ of certiorari under C.A.R. 52(a) until the district court denies the petition for rehearing People v. Graves, 368 P.3d 317 (Colo. 2016) (Colorado's public indecency statute, section 18-7-301(1)(d), is not unconstitutionally overbroad or vague), 2024
- Specialized in juvenile defense. Attend special NJDC Juvenile training in 2019 and other relevant juvenile trainings. , 2019
- NITA Trial Training Advocacy Certificate , 2023
- Assisted in lobbying and amending criminal justice state bills. In 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024. , 2023
- Soccer (Coach) and Basketball (Team manager) to numerous youth teams from 2019-present., 2024
- Colorado Juvenile Defender Center, Member/Volunteer, 2022
- Mentor new attorneys and law students, assist with their appellate briefs and preparation for district court, and oral argument in the court of appeals. Provide advice to juvenile defense attorneys on complex litigation issues. Judge Mock Oral Arguments for 1st year Law Students. ( I having been doing this for the past 5+ years)., 2024
- Jonathan L. Olom Trial Advocacy Scholar for passion for criminal defense. , Jonathan L. Olom Trial Advocacy Scholar, Jonathan L. Olom Trust, 2011
- Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, B.A. in International Relations and Spanish
- Law School
- Year long study, in Spanish, in the political science department.
- Diploma, Justiciability of Socio-Economic Rights Diploma, Justiciability of Socio-Economic Rights Nov 2009 - Nov 2009
- University of Oslo Faculty of Law, MPhil in the The Theory and Practice of Human Rights
- Wrote/Edited 3rd Edition Colorado Juvenile Defense Manual (Appeals Chapter). , Writer, 3rd Edition Colorado Juvenile Defense Manual (Appeals Chapter), 2018
- Lecture, on how to handle Crim. P. 35(a)s after change in law., Lecturer, Implications of People in Interest of J.C., Alternate Defense Counsel, 2018
- Recorded CLE, to 50+ individuals, in person. Writing to Win., Lecturer, General Principles of Legal Writing and Editing-CLE, Alternate Defense Counsel, 2018
Office location for Tara Nicole Jorfald
215 Union Blvd
Suite 305
Lakewood, CO 80228
Phone: 303-232-5160
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2025
- Rising Stars: 2022 - 2023
