Attorneys & Staff
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Following her B.S. at Colorado State University in 1983, Diane King graduated with her J.D. from law school at the University of California at Berkeley in 1987. In the same year Ms. King was admitted to the U.S. District Court, District of Colorado as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. As partner in King & Greisen, LLP, Ms. King's practice area includes all aspects of Employment Law and Civil Rights. She has successfully tried, arbitrated and mediated hundreds of employment cases. Ms. King is a frequent lecturer on employment law locally and nationally. Ms. King's many honors include the Martindale Hubbell Rating of AV, the top rating, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, Colorado Super Lawyers (Top Employment Lawyer, Top 25 Female Lawyers, Top 50 Lawyers 2007), Best Lawyers in America 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, one of the top lawyers in Colorado employment law in Chambers USA (2003-2004), 2005 Ray Micklewright Award from the Faculty of Federal Advocates, Recipient Colorado Bar Association Donald W. Hoagland Achievement Award in 1989, Colorado Lawyers for the Arts 1990, YWCA of Metropolitan Denver Woman of Achievement Honor in 1991. She also belongs to Phi Beta Kappa. Alpha Lambda Delta, and Phi Kappa Phi. Diane King's experience and success in her field have led to the publishing of several articles. They include "The AIDS Issue: Your Legal Rights," where she acted as author and editor. She was the author of "Nuts and Bolts of Trying a Sexual Harassment Case," Trial Talk, 2002. In Trail Talk, 1993, Ms. King also wrote "Amendment 2: Is It the End or Just the Beginning?" Leadership Positions and Board Memberships:
Paula Greisen has dedicated her entire legal career to vindicating her client's civil rights. Her practice now focuses on all aspects of employment discrimination and governmental abuse of power cases. She has successfully represented a wide variety of clients against some of the biggest companies 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, Ms. Greisen is a leader in the legal and civil rights community, serving in numerous organizations including serving as President of the Faculty of Federal Advocates, on the Board of Directors for the Plaintiff's Employment Lawyers Association, the Board of Directors of Colorado Legal Service, the Legal Panel for the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Legal Panel for the Center on Law and Policy. She also served as the co-chair of the Colorado Bar Association's Labor and Employment Section from 2003 to 2006. Ms. Greisen has been repeatedly recognized in The Best Lawyers in America and as a Colorado "Super Lawyer" by 5280 Magazine. She has published and lectured extensively on a variety of employment and civil rights issues. She also served as a commentator for the ABC-affiliate in Oklahoma City on the Oklahoma City Bombing trial and as a commentator for Denver Channel 9=s roundtable panel on the President Clinton/ Monica Lewinsky scandal. 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.
Laura Schwartz graduated from California State University at Hayward with her B.A., magna cum laude in 1976. She then got her J.D. in 1995 from the University of Denver College of Law. With this course work, Ms. Schwartz was granted admission to the U.S. District Court, District of Colorado in 1995, and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. Ms. Schwartz's Bar Association Memberships include Colorado (Secretary/Treasurer, Criminal Law Committee, 2001-2002) and American Bar Associations, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association, National Employment Lawyers Association, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. At King & Greisen, LLP, partner Laura Schwartz focuses her practice areas on Insurance, Employment Law and Civil Litigation. Ms. Schwartz has contributed comments and writings to many law reviews. They include:
Jennifer W. Riddle earned her B.A. in Speech Communication from Colorado State University in 2001. She obtained her law degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 2004. Ms. Riddle is currently admitted to practice law in Colorado, the U.S. District Court in the District of Colorado and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Ms. Riddle's practice focuses on civil rights, with an emphasis in employment law including race, gender, age, and disability discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination. Ms. Riddle is a memeber of the Plaintiff's Employment Lawyers Association, the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations and is active in the non-profit community.
Joseph W. Galera earned his B.S. in Accounting from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1998 with a minor in Spanish. Mr. Galera then obtained his law degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2003. He is currently admitted to practice law in Colorado as well as in the U.S. District Court in the District of Colorado. Mr. Galera focuses his practice to civil rights laws, primarily in the areas of employment discrimination including race, gender, age, and disability discrimination, as well as governemental abuse of power cases. Mr. Galera is a proficient Spanish speaker. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Galera was a Deputy State Public Defender where he represented indigent clients in El Paso and Teller County District Court, Juvenile and County Courts at all stages of criminal proceedings, including trial. While at the Public Defenders Office, Mr. Galera managed a caseload of one hundred and fifty cases including homicide, sexual assault, assault, domestic violence, drug, forgery, and theft cases at both the felony and misdemeanor levels. Mr. Galera also spent one year as an associate in the General Litigation Group at Fagre & Benson, LLP before moving to the Public Defenders Office. Mr. Galera also spent two years working in the Financial Development Management Program for Ingersoll Rand Co. for two years before attending law school.
Ashley M. Kelliher earned her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Economics from Colorado State University in 2002. After college, she worked on several political campaigns in Colorado and Louisiana. Ms. Kelliher obtained her law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law in 2008. During law school, she received the Academic Excellence Award in both Torts and Evidence. Ms. Kelliher clerked with the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado while in law school. She attended the University of Denver College of Law during her final year of law school. Ms. Kelliher is currently admitted to practice law in Colorado, as well as in the U.S. District Court in the District of Colorado. Ms. Kelliher's practice focuses on civil rights laws, with an emphasis in employment law including race, gender, age and disability discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination, as well as governmental abuse of power cases. Ms. Kelliher is a member of the Plaintiff's Employment Lawyers Association and the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations.
Monica C. Guardiola earned her law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2000. She is admitted to practice law in Colorado and in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. Ms. Guardiola has extensive experience in the area of employment law and litigation, including workplace investigations and compliance issues. Ms. Guardiola focuses her practice on civil rights laws, primarily in the area of employment discrimination including race, gender, age, disability, retaliation and wrongful termination. Ms. Guardiola is active in the Colorado Latina/o community. She is on the Board of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association and actively participates in its Public Policy Committee. Ms. Guardiola volunteers with local non-profits by providing pro bono legal advice to individuals who do not have easy access to the legal system. Ms. Guardiola has served on the Denver Planning Board and participates in local political campaigns. In 2003, the CHBA awarded Ms. Guardiola with the "CHBA Outstanding New Hispanic Attorney" award. Ms. Guardiola is also a member of the Colorado Bar Association, Denver Bar Association, Plaintiff's Employment Law Association and the National Hispanic Bar Association. Ms. Guardiola is a native of New Mexico and is proficient in Spanish.
Genina Taylor has worked as an Administrator in the legal field for 8 years. She earned her B.A. in 1992 and her paralegal certification in 2001. She is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators and its local Chapter, Mile High Association of Legal Administrators and values the professional support she receives from that community. She enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with her family.
Dianne Von Behren received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Denver. In 1997 she received her paralegal certificate from The Denver Paralegal Institute. Since then she has worked primarily in the areas of employment law, personal injury and probate. In these times when our jobs are crucial to us and providing for our families, Dianne is glad to be able to help workers who have been unfairly discriminated against by their employers. As a paralegal, Dianne has assisted at trial and in general case management for a number of cases involving multiple plaintiffs. She enjoys organizing case files, indexing documents, summarizing depositions and updating scheduling for the various court cases. When she is not functioning as a "Super Paralegal," Dianne participates in a community choir and enjoys reading and playing the piano.
Laurie A. Mool received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Summa Cum Laude, in 1996. Her main areas of concentration were Constitutional Law; Civil Rights/Civil Liberties; International Law; Legal Reasoning and Writing; Human Rights; and Legal and Political Theory. She was honored in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges in 1996. Ms. Mool earned her paralegal certificate, Summa Cum Laude, in 1990. Before coming to King & Greisen, LLP, she worked as a graduate assistant in the Political Science Department at the University of Colorado-Denver. She also worked as a paralegal in the areas of complex environmental litigation, insurance coverage, personal injury, medical malpractice, professional liability and discipline, commercial litigation, product liability, appellate, bankruptcy, trustee and creditors rights, real estate foreclosure and receivership.
Fran Cooke is the assistant office manager/gatekeeper/concierge/jack-of-all trades of the firm. She loves working with brilliant attorneys and being exposed to a constant learning atmosphere and dealing with people. She began as a ballet dancer in Denver and New York City and ended up an opera singer in New York City and with Opera Colorado. She has retired from many years as a Canter and Mezzo soloist for the Catholic Church in NYC and Denver. When she lived in Central City she was a Key Manager of casinos for 11 years. She absolutely loved her hobby of sailboat racing in Texas and was one of Texas' female champion sailboat racers. Her hobby now that she's landlocked in Colorado is being a Watercolorist. She is mother to 3 daughters and grandmother to 4 grandsons and she considers life a blast and that if you're going to live it live it well.
Kimberlie Ryan dedicates her practice to defending the rights of workers and advocating for their just treatment. She joins King & Greisen as Special Counsel from the Ryan Law Firm, LLC, where she obtained one of the highest sexual harassment/retaliation jury verdicts in Colorado history. Among other noteworthy successes, she also negotiated a landmark settlement in an English-only national origin discrimination case on behalf of Hispanic housekeepers against an international casino corporation. Ms. Ryan takes special care to help her clients navigate their way through negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, and federal and state trials. In addition to her many significant trial victories and favorable settlements, she authored the Employment Law Guidebook published by Bradford Publishing, and she has written numerous articles and publications explaining employee rights. Ms. Ryan appears regularly as television news legal contributor for the NBC affiliate 9News, discussing cutting edge legal issues impacting workers locally and nationally. She can be reached at ryan@kinggreisen.com. |
Diane S. King
Paula Greisen
Laura E. Schwartz
Jennifer W. Riddle
Joseph Galera
Ashley M. Kelliher
Monica C. Guardiola
Genina A. Taylor
Dianne Von Behren
Laurie A. Mool
Fran Cooke
Kimberlie K. Ryan