Kurt Michael Zaner

Kurt Zaner has dedicated his legal career to representing folks against the modern-day Goliaths. In battling corporations that refuse to take responsibility, Kurt enjoys the challenge of standing up for people that seemingly have the odds overwhelmingly stacked against them.

A sought-after national speaker, Kurt frequently lectures on his winning trial techniques, effective legal writing strategies, and iconic discovery tactics that force top-value settlements. Kurt has secured the largest premises liability verdict in the history of Colorado ($16,000,000.00) and recently secured one of the largest personal injury verdicts in Federal Court for $30,000,000.00.

He has appeared on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and every local media outlet including the Denver Post and local CBS, ABC, and Fox affiliates. He is a published author of Federal and State case law, including Colorado law establishing the right to punitive damages for victims of drunk drivers; he also authored legal articles on distracted driving as well as articles on ancient Roman trial methods.

As a trained stage actor, Kurt credits much of his trial success to his theatrical training in college and in Los Angeles prior to law school.

After graduating law school near the top of his class and receiving the American Bar Association’s and American Law Institute’s Best Graduate Award – awarded to the one student of the graduating class who best represents a combination of scholarship and leadership – Kurt went on to clerk for United States District Judge Ken Marra.

Working side by side with a Federal Judge on one of the largest caseloads in the country, Kurt learned the art of persuasive advocacy both through legal writing and courtroom theatrics.

In 2017 he and his partner were recognized as having two of the largest verdicts of the year across all practice areas, including a 1,700,000.00 verdict against an oil company’s distracted driver as well as a $2,500,000 verdict against a drunk driver that killed his client’s son and then fled the scene.

This drunk driving verdict landed on the front page of the Denver Post as the community was fed up with these kinds of reckless drivers avoiding accountability by running away. Kurt defended this verdict all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court.

In 2018, Kurt secured the largest premises liability verdict in the history of Colorado – $16,000,000.00 in Boulder for a father of three who was diagnosed with the crippling neurological condition CRPS after a temporary electrical box exploded. A few years later, Kurt secured a verdict on another electrocution case where his client also developed CRPS, with a Denver jury delivering a $10,600,000.00 verdict (with interest). A year after that, Kurt secured a $4,300,000.00 verdict for a client hurt in a trucking crash. Less than a year later, Kurt won a $30,000,000.00 verdict for a client injured in a fracking explosion. All of these verdicts were the largest in their respective categories.

No matter how big or small the case, Kurt takes great pride in helping those that entrust their most significant legal problems to his law firm.

Kurt is very active in the Trial Lawyer community, both locally and nationally. He has served on the Boards of both the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association of Justice for nearly ten years.

Kurt is invited to speak across the country on novel legal strategies and methods that he has developed – techniques that have resulted in unprecedented successful results for his clients. He has been a regular speaker for the American Association of Justice, having spoken in Boston, Palm Springs, Denver, Los Angeles, Montreal, and many other cities on a variety of topics. He also speaks regularly for Trial Lawyers University (formerly Trojan Horse) as well as The National Trial Lawyers’ national trial seminars.

On the State level, Mr. Zaner regularly teaches for the Colorado Trial Lawyers at their state convention, statewide CLEs, and for CTLA’s new lawyer bootcamps, and has been the keynote speaker for many other State Trial Lawyers Associations around the country including Arkansas, Michigan, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Wyoming. His favorite topics to teach on include using theatrical drama at trial and transplanting 2,000-year-old trial techniques from the Roman trial lawyer Cicero and demonstrating how they can be effective in today’s trials.

When not practicing law, Mr. Zaner spends much of his time with his wife and three young boys, outdoors in the mountains, coaching their endless sports teams, or training them in the dojo with their weapon of choice in Kenpo Karate. Inspired by Prince Oberyn in Game of Thrones, and Kaladin in The Way of Kings, Kurt took up the bowstaff and the spear.

Bar Admissions

• State of Florida
• Federal Southern District of Florida
• State of Colorado
• Colorado Federal District Court