Michael Lee Bender

Michael L. Bender is a former Justice and Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, and a former noted civil and criminal trial lawyer for 20 years who tried more than 50 jury trials in state and federal courts.  Mike has also been an adjunct member of the University of Colorado Law and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law teaching trial advocacy and professional ethics.  First, as a trial lawyer, and then as a justice, Mike was a leader in the profession and received numerous honors--including the University of Colorado Law School's most prestigious alumni award.  He has also been recognized for his judicial leadership by the Colorado Chapter of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, and the Colorado Judicial Institute. 

As Chief and Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, Mike spearheaded a number of initiatives for the state and the legal profession, including reorganization of the attorney and judicial disciplinary systems.  He encouraged the civil action pilot program in the Denver Metropolitan area designed to provide a less expensive forum for the resolution of civil disputes; established a leadership training program for the statewide leaders of the judicial branch; created the Chief's Commission on the Legal Profession; started a procedural fairness initiative for the courts; encouraged access to the court system for indigent civil litigants by seeking legislative authorization of pro se coordinators in each judicial district; increased the practice of evidence-based sentencing in criminal cases, and oversaw the design and construction of the new Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center.  During his tenure on the court, Mike authored approximately 300 separate opinions and, as Chief, supervised 3600 employees, including 330 judges in twenty-two districts, and oversaw the state judicial budget of approximately $400 million.

Now, at Perkins Coie, Mike's practice involves commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and appeals.

Litigation Experience

Before joining the Colorado Supreme Court, Mike was in private practice for more than 20 years.  He represented numerous individuals and private and public entities in civil and criminal matters throughout Colorado and the nation.

One noteworthy case he prosecuted successfully was a class action claim in federal district court on behalf of women, African-Americans and Hispanics seeking jobs as Denver police officers. The trial court's order and subsequent consent decree (Hogue v. Bach), is still in effect today - more than 40 years later. He also acted as the court-appointed attorney to represent the lead defendant in the civil rights homicide of Denver radio talk show host Alan Berg.

Prior to private practice, he served as a trial lawyer as Chief Public Defender for Jefferson County, CO; Associate Regional Attorney, Denver Regional Litigation Center of the EEOC; and Chief Deputy State Public Defender in Denver.

He also spent a year in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP's Labor Department in Los Angeles, CA in 1977.