Joe Pickard

Joe has practiced law in Colorado since 1982. He is a former assistant County Attorney for Jefferson County, where he primarily represented the Human Services Department. He has been continuously engaged in private practice since April 1, 1986. Joe has practiced in both State and Federal Court, and has tried approximately 100 jury trials in his career. He is very excited when challenged to solve complex problems, and relishes a fair resolution. He is equally able to settle a matter out of court, or to bring the matter to trial when required. Joe is a past President of the First Judicial Bar Association and past Vice President of the Colorado Bar Association. Joe has recently been appointed to serve on the Office of Respondent Parents Counsel Commission.

Supreme Court of Colorado, 1982.
U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, 1983.
10th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1983.

J.D., University of Colorado, 1982.
B.B.A., Summa Cum Laude, Management, Incarnate Word College, 1977.

Private practice of law, 1986 to present. General and diversified civil and criminal practice; trials and appeals; practice emphasizes criminal, personal injury, medical malpractice, domestic relations and children’s issues.

Assistant County Attorney, Jefferson County, Colorado 1983-86. Responsible primarily for the litigation of dependency and neglect matters. Spent one year as the designated emergency custody attorney. Advised on matters of social services’ eligibility. Prosecuted hundreds of physical, sexual, and emotional child abuse cases.

The Linda T. Palmieri Award, For Outstanding Service On Behalf of Children, by The First Judicial District Bar Association, 2009.
Colorado Supreme Court Pro Bono Commitment since inception of program.
AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
10.0 Superb Rating by Avvo.com.
Top 1% Most Endorsed in United States for Litigation by Linked-In.

Founding Member of the Turelli Foundation (2012-present). The Turelli Foundation is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to empower parties in a divorce to reach agreements that foster healthy environments for their children now and in the future.

Colorado Bar Association (Vice-President 2008-09) (Executive Counsel of the Family Law Section 2012-present); American Bar Association; First Judicial District Bar Association (President 2005-06); Colorado Trial Lawyers Association; Colorado Criminal Defense Bar (Life Member); American Association for Justice; National Association of Counsel for Children; International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect; American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children; and Metropolitan Denver Interdisciplinary Committee; Association of Family and Conciliation Courts; Board of Directors, Pinehurst Country Club (2015-present); Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel Commission (2015-present).

Jefferson County Leadership Committee Training, invited speaker, annually, from 2006 to present.
Costs of Prosecution, Family Law CLE on behalf of the First Judicial District Bar Association, Golden, Colorado, 2015.
Evaluating PERA, Family Law CLE on behalf of the First Judicial District Bar Association, Golden, Colorado, 2012.
Intervention and Foster Parent Rights, presentation for The Office of the Child’s Representative & The Office of the State Court Administrator, Larkspur, CO, 2012.
Shreck/Rector Hearings In Shaken Baby Cases, Criminal Law CLE on behalf of the First Judicial District Bar Association, Golden, Colorado, 2011.
Testimony For Experts and Those Who Testify From Written Reports, Law Enforcement Training for the Wheat Ridge Police Department, Denver, Colorado, 2011.
Forensic Child Abuse Experts; Effective Reports & Testimony, Training at the El Paso County Attorney’s Office, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2011.
No Reasonable Effort, for CLE credit on behalf of the Colorado Office of the Child’s Representative, Golden, Colorado, 2010.
Forensic Child Abuse Experts; Effective Reports & Testimony, presenter at 18th ISPCAN International Conference, Honolulu, HI, 2010.
LEGAL TEACHING EXPERIENCE (continued):

Deal or No Deal; Why Divorce Cases Don’t Settle, for CLE credit on behalf of the First Judicial District Bar Association, Golden, Colorado, 2010.
D&N and Criminal Law: What Family Lawyers Need to Know, for CLE credit on behalf of the First Judicial District Bar Association, Golden, Colorado, 2009.
A Paralegal’s Guide, Preparing a Summary Judgment Motion, for CLE Credit
on behalf of the Institute for Paralegal Education, Denver, Colorado, 2009.
What is TRAILS?, for CLE credit on behalf of the Juvenile Law Section of the
CBA, Denver, Colorado, 2009.
What is TRAILS?, for CLE credit on behalf of the Family Law Institute,
Breckenridge, Colorado, 2008.
Civil Trial Practice “A View From the Trenches” for CLE credit on behalf of the First Judicial District Bar Association, Golden, Colorado, 2006.
Abstract, Re: Expert Witness Issues in Child Abuse Cases, with C.B. Smith, Chosen for Presentation at 15th ISPCAN International Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 2004 (Did not attend).
Dependency and Neglect for Criminal Practitioners, for CLE credit on behalf of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, Lakewood, Colorado, 2004.
Colorado Children’s Records Law, for CLE credit, Denver, Colorado, 1999.
Colorado Children’s Records Law, for CLE credit, Denver, Colorado, 1998.
Child Abuse Investigations… Putting the Pieces Together presenter of free paper at 11th ISPCAN International Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 1996.
Child Abuse Investigations. . .Putting the Pieces Together, for CLE credit on behalf of the Juvenile Law Forum moderator, Denver, Colorado, 1993.
Panel Presentation: Legal Responsibility and Diagnosis for Physicians in Child Abuse Cases and Repercussions, panelist, Poudre Valley Hospital Continuing Medical Education, Ft. Collins, Colorado, 1992.
§1983 Civil Rights Litigation Seminar, for CLE credit, for the Colorado Chapter of V.O.C.A.L. Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1990.
Dependency and Neglect Seminar, for CLE credit on behalf of the First Judicial District Bar Association, Golden, Colorado, 1984.

85% Success with Difficlut Post Decree Cases: Introducing the Turelli Method, co-author with John Deschner, Colorado Lawyer, November 2015.
YourHub, a community section of The Denver Post, frequent contributor, 2014.
The Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Domestic Relations Law, Second Edition, Chapter 27: Criminal Issues Related to Family Law, Edited by Joe Pickard and Justin Ross, 2012 to 2014.
Who Are We? Trial Talk, August/September 2010
The Child’s Wishes in APR Proceedings: An Evidentiary Conundrum, Colorado Lawyer, January 2007.