Chris Bryan

Chris is the Chair of Garfield & Hecht’s Litigation Department. He has handled hundreds of cases in state and federal courts throughout Colorado, including frequent appearances before trial courts throughout the state and on the appellate level in the Colorado Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. He routinely practices in the United States District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

His civil and commercial litigation practice covers a wide array of practice areas: land use matters, community association disputes, and real estate cases, as well as matters both for and against governmental entities, plus business disputes and contract disputes and fraud cases. He has litigated several high-profile election law cases in Colorado. His practice also includes advising banks and businesses, ranging from start-ups to established companies.

In addition, Chris handles creditor-side bankruptcy litigation matters in numerous federal bankruptcy courts throughout the country. His local, regional, national, and global clients include individuals, investment groups, companies, corporations, and other organizations. Each year from 2013-2017, he was named one of the Top Young Attorneys in Colorado and recognized as a SuperLawyer Rising Star. 

Chris has appeared in Colorado’s state courts at all levels and has also been admitted pro hac vice and appeared in various state and federal courts, including in Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. 

Judicial Performance Commission for the Ninth Judicial District (Member, 2017-present)                                                                                                              Colorado Bar Foundation (Fellow) Aspen Words (Board Member, 2015-present)  Aspen Young Professionals Association (President, 2011-2012)                          Aspen Institute (Member, 2013-present)                                                            Society of Fellows (Member, 2013-present)                                                        Justice Circle of Justice & Society Program (Member, 2016-present) 

The Buddy Program 
Leadership Development Board (Member, 2009-2011) 
Scholarship Committee (Member, 2009-2014)

KDNK Board of Directors (Vice-President, 2005-2006) 
City of Aspen Election Commission (Member, 2009) 

• Receiving CLE Credit for Pro Bono Service, The Colorado Lawyer, Vol. 41, No. 8, pp. 115-120 (August, 2012)
• RPC 4.5: The Ethical Prohibition Against Threatening Prosecution, The Colorado Lawyer, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 99-101 (May, 2006)
• The Role of Law Clerks in Reducing Judicial Backlog, The Colorado Lawyer, Vol. 36, No. 5, pp. 91-96 (May, 2007)
• Implementing “Time-Denied” Pre-Trial Motions in Civil Cases, The Colorado Lawyer, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 59-62 (February, 2010)
• Book Review: “My Beloved World” by Sonia Sotomayor, Aspen Daily News, February 28, 2013
• Book Review: “The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism” by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Aspen Daily News, December 20, 2013
• Book Review: “Reflections on Judging” by Judge Richard A. Posner’s, THE SIDEBAR, 6-7 (Winter, 2014)
• Op-Ed: “Grateful for the right to vote, the rule of law,” Aspen Daily News, May 1, 2014
• Opinion: “Right to Vote, Rule of Law, and Independent Judiciary – Law Day and Beyond, ”The Colorado Lawyer, Vol. 43, No. 6, p. 17 (June, 2014)
• “Game Change: The New Amendments to the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure” – CLE presentation: Pitkin County Bar Association (September, 2015) & Ninth Judicial District Bar Association (November, 2015)

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