Associate Attorney – Criminal Defense

Position: ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY – CRIMINAL DEFENSE

KRIZMAN LAW | DENVER, CO

WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT

Most criminal defense firms manage caseloads. We shepherd human beings who are going through hell.

Clients come to us carrying fear: fear of incarceration, financial collapse, losing their families, a future they no longer recognize. Most firms return calls within 48 hours and call that service. We replace uncertainty with clarity, structure, and next steps before fear fills the gap.

Most firms aim for efficient resolutions. We prepare for trial as baseline, and prosecutors know it.

Most firms treat client service as courtesy. We practice unreasonable hospitality as strategic doctrine. White‑glove experience isn't marketing. It's risk management, trust‑building, and leverage creation.

You won't find this at a plea mill. You won't find this at a bureaucratic Public Defender or District Attorney office. You won't find this at firms where "systems" means scanning documents to email.

Krizman Law is the firm prosecutors hate to see across the aisle: relentless in trial, precise in preparation, unshakable in defense of the accused.

OUR MISSION

Dismantle the vicious cycle of the criminal injustice system, ultimately leading to longer, healthier, happier lives for the criminally accused.

OUR DOCTRINE

ROAR. Relentlessness, Ownership, Adaptability, Results‑Driven.

WHAT YOU'LL DO Own cases from hire to resolution:

• Draft motions, argue hearings, prepare trials
• Review discovery for constitutional violations and suppression opportunities
• Build mitigation strategies that change leverage before negotiation begins
• Lead client meetings with empathy and authority. Clients come to us carrying fear. We replace uncertainty with clarity, structure, and next steps.

Operate inside sophisticated systems:

• Clio workflows, Ring Central logging, Google Cloud discovery management
• AI‑assisted discovery analysis and case research
• Slack‑based operational visibility across the firm

Exercise judgment, not just execution:

• From the first client meeting, you're expected to identify what's missing, add tasks when necessary, and elevate strategically
• This is not checklist‑only work. Judgment is the product.

Join a crew that moves fast:

• Attorneys, paralegals, clerks, and staff who hold each other accountable and win together
• You are measured against what we know can be done, not against average

GROWTH PATH 30 days: Running hearings under supervision, drafting clean motions, meeting clients under guidance
60 days: Leading Discovery and Mitigation Meetings (DAM), independently managing cases from discovery through plea negotiations
90 days: Full lifecycle ownership. Motions practice, trial preparation, strategic autonomy.
12 months: Handling mixed caseload of misdemeanors and felonies, mentoring staff, contributing to firm doctrine WHAT YOU'RE LEAVING BEHIND

• Bureaucratic Public Defender and District Attorney offices where volume crushes preparation
• Plea mills that treat defense as transaction processing
• Firms where "client service" means returning calls within 48 hours
• Practices where technology means pressing Ctrl+F in a PDF file.

WHAT YOU’RE JOINING:

A firm where trial preparation is the baseline, client experience is strategic doctrine, and systems amplify rather than replace judgment.

REQUIRED

• JD and licensed in Colorado (or bar results pending)
• 0-3 years litigation, clerkship, or criminal defense/prosecution experience
• Courtroom confidence and willingness to step in quickly
• Fierce attention to detail, direct communication, coachable under fire
• Ability to pivot between major cases without losing focus
• Systems mindset required
• No pending disciplinary proceedings or prior findings of misconduct

PREFERRED:

• Spanish bilingual (major asset for our client base)
• Trial experience or demonstrated willingness to go to trial

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS Base Salary: $100,000 to $140,000 (commensurate with experience)
Performance Bonuses: Structured opportunities tied to outcomes and contributions
Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Retirement savings plan
• CLE support and PTO
• Direct mentorship from senior trial lawyer

CULTURE

We work with intensity. We also know how to celebrate wins and keep each other sharp.

• Reading and podcast assignments to sharpen…