Jeffrey S. Gard

Jeffrey S. Gard is a lawyer focusing on criminal defense, civil litigation and serious injury cases. He has litigated hundreds of cases, many through trial, in both state and federal courts. Jeff also successfully litigated and argued cases before the Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court.

Jeff is a hard-nosed litigator whose tenacity earns him the respect of his colleagues, judges and clients. Based on his reputation for meticulous preparation and well-honed trial skills, Jeff is often hired by fellow attorneys to help with cases where settlement has failed and the case must be taken to trial.

Jeff represents numerous patients, doctors and marijuana businesses throughout the state of Colorado and has advised people from all over the country.  He advises federal, state and local governments in their development of marijuana business regulations.  Jeff is widely considered one of Colorado’s leading marijuana attorneys.

Since the passage of Amendment 64, which legalized adult possession and cultivation of marijuana in Colorado, Jeff has been working with state and local officials in developing regulations for the retail marijuana industry and was appointed by the state to participate in the rule-making progress. 

Over the last few years, Jeff has been advising and assisting the U.S. Congress with an analysis of the Federal Code to determine the various areas which are impacted by the state marijuana laws in hopes of reconciling state and federal law in the near future. Numerous draft bills resulted from these efforts and hopefully these bills will become law.

Jeff now shares his knowledge and experience with other attorneys and has given several lectures on various aspects of marijuana law, including:

·       December 2011, Inns of Court, Denver Chapter: Marijuana Law Debate with Attorney General John Suthers;

·       September 2012, Colorado Bar Association: Marijuana and Social Media;

·       November 2012, Human Services Network of Colorado: Medical Marijuana Issues for Human Service Providers;

·       July 2013, Colorado Bar Association: Marijuana and Banking Issues;

·       July 2013, Colorado Bar Association: The Business of Marijuana;

·       October 2013, Denver Law Club: Recreational Marijuana: Legal Considerations;

·       December 2013, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association: Changes in Marijuana Laws and Your Practice;

·       May 2014, National Business Institute: Colorado Marijuana Law.

·       October 2014: Arapahoe Community College, Marijuana Business Law and Licensing;

·       December 2014, Longmont Realtor’s Association: Marijuana and Landlord/Tenant Issues;

·       March 2015, Foxmoor Continuing Education Cannabis Summit: Marijuana Business Licensing and Regulatory Compliance;

·       March 2015, National Business Institute: Marijuana Business Legal Considerations;

·       October 2015, Nevada Justice Association Annual Retreat: Sword and Shield Tort Law Concerning the Legality of Marijuana;

·       November 2015,  National Business Institute: Marijuana Business Legal Considerations Part 2;

·       November 2015, University of Colorado, Guest Lecturer: The Practical and Ethical Aspects of Representing Marijuana Businesses;

·       December 2015, Colorado Bar Association: Medico Legal Aspects of Legalized Marijuana;

·       May 2016, American Intellectual Property Association, Marijuana Labeling Laws and Regulations.

·       June 2016, National Business Institute: Marijuana and Local Government: What You Need to Know;

·       June 2016, DRI Seminars at the University of Colorado School of Law: Marijuana Law, Developing Business, Regulation, Law and Policy;

·       July 2016: National Business Institute: Marijuana Business Legal Considerations;

·       September 2016, National Business Institute: Marijuana Law The Ultimate Guide;

·       October 2016, National Business Institute: Medical Marijuana Business Law;

·       October 2016, National Business Institute: Recreational Marijuana Business Law in Colorado;

·       February 2017, National Business Institute, Advanced Marijuana Business Law;

·       March 2017: National Business Institute: Guns, Drugs and Alcohol: The Ultimate Attorney’s Guide;

·       May 2017, National Business Institute: Marijuana Law, The Ultimate Guide Part 2;

·       May 2017, DRI 2017 Business Litigation Seminar: What Business Litigators Should Know About Marijuana Law;

Scheduled for Summer and Fall 2017:

·       August 2017, National Business Institute, Marijuana Business Legal Considerations.

·       September 2017, National Business Institute: Recreational Marijuana Business Law in Colorado.

·       November 2017, National Business Institute: Advanced Marijuana Business Law, Part 2.

By way of background, Jeff is a Colorado native and a Cum Laude Philosophy graduate from the University of Colorado, where he also was elected Phi Beta Kappa, the country’s oldest honor society. While attending the law school, Jeff won the William De Souchet Award for best individual performance in trial advocacy and won a multi-state moot court competition during his first year of law school. After graduation, Jeff accepted a position with Sanderson & Associates (later Sanderson & Gard), a respected litigation firm in Boulder, Colorado. Jeff later formed his own firm and moved the office to downtown Boulder.

Jeff served two terms as the chair of the Civil Litigation Section of the Boulder County Bar Association, where he received special recognition for conscientious performance. Jeff is a member of the Faculty of Federal Advocates, a small group of lawyers and judges working to improve the federal court system.

Finally, Jeff is one of only a handful of attorneys in the state of Colorado to become a Life Member of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar. The Colorado Criminal Defense Bar is dedicated to protecting the rights of people accused of crimes.