Paula D Greisen

Paula Greisen has dedicated her entire legal career to vindicating her clients’ civil rights. Her practice focuses on all aspects of employment discrimination, the advancement and protection of LGTBQ rights, and government abuse of power cases. She has successfully represented a wide variety of clients against some of the biggest companies and law firms in this country, as well as the local, state, and federal governments, fighting aggressively for her clients when their civil rights have been violated.

In addition to being a staunch advocate for her clients, Paula is a leader in the legal and civil rights community. She was the lead trial lawyer representing the gay couple in the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop. In that case, a cakeshop owner refused to serve the couple based on his religious beliefs. While Paula is a staunch advocate of the First Amendment and the freedom of religion, she believes that the rights of the LGTBQ community must be protected in the same manner as gender, age, disability, and other protected groups. She also represents transgender women in the Colorado prison system who are fighting for equal protection and respect for their gender identity. Paula is on the Board of Directors for OneColorado – the largest and most effective advocacy organization for LGTBQ rights in Colorado, and has worked with other LGTBQ advocacy groups across the country.

Paula also volunteers for numerous organizations that protect the rights of those in our community who have been victimized or taken advantage of by their employers or others in a position of power. For several decades, she has been on the Board of Directors of Colorado Legal Service, the organization that provides legal aid to those in poverty in Colorado. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Towards Justice, a non-profit organization that fights for fair treatment of low-wage earners, and is on the Board of the Plaintiffs Employment Lawyers Association and the Legal Panel for the American Civil Liberties Union. She also currently serves on the committee selected by the judges at the United States District Court in Colorado to address ethical grievances against lawyers.

Paula was previously the President of the Faculty of Federal Advocates – the group of lawyers that practice in our federal courts. She has been repeatedly recognized in The Best Lawyers in America and as a “Top 50 Women Lawyers in Colorado” by 5280 Magazine. She has published and lectured extensively on a variety of employment and civil rights issues, and is regularly interviewed by the press regarding her cases and other current events.

In 2011, Ms. Greisen received the Edward Sherman Award from the ACLU of Colorado for her outstanding legal work to ensure equal access for people with disabilities in the Colorado state prison system. In 2003, Ms. Greisen received the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Case of the Year Award for her work as lead counsel on a successful ten-year class action disabilities case against the State of Colorado. She also received the University of Colorado’s School of Law Alumni Association’s Young Lawyer of the Year Award for 2000.

Ms. Greisen graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1990. She received her Geological Engineering degree from the University of Oklahoma, where she graduated first in her class.