David D. Powell Jr.

David D. Powell, Jr. is a partner in the firm’s Denver office, focusing his practice on employment and commercial litigation. Before co-founding the firm with his colleagues in 2023, David served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, managing the eight separate legal units comprising the State Services Section. In this role, he oversaw those responsible for representing the state’s key elected officials and providing legal services in the areas of health care, human services, K-12 and higher education, state contracts and procurement, labor, and public utilities.

Prior to his work at the AG’s Office, David was an equity partner in two prominent Denver-based full-service law firms and a well-known national labor and employment law firm. During this time, his practice focused mainly on representing employers in employment litigation matters, conducting internal investigations, and advising employers on the myriad of legal issues impacting the employer-employee relationship.

David attended the UCLA School of Law and was a Managing Editor of the UCLA Law Review. Following graduation, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable John L. Kane, Jr. in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, which inspired him to focus his legal practice on trial work.

After completing his clerkship, David worked as a Deputy District Attorney in the Denver District Attorney’s Office, gaining valuable trial experience by prosecuting misdemeanor and felony criminal cases.

Following his stint as a prosecutor, he entered private practice in 1990. For the next thirty years, he acquired significant experience litigating employment and commercial cases on behalf of employers in various industries. During this time, he tried to verdict several notable employment-related cases.

In addition to his experience handling trials in the employment arena, David has significant experience defending and pursuing claims for injunctive relief related to enforcing non-compete agreements and other restrictive covenants.

• Former Deputy Attorney General of the State Services Section in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office
• Former member of the Board of Directors of Ogletree Deakins, a national labor and employment law firm
• Deputy District Attorney, Denver District Attorney’s Office
• Former Law Clerk for the Honorable John L. Kane, Jr. Senior Judge, United States District Court for the District of Colorado
• Managing Editor of Vol. 30 of the UCLA Law Review

• Lead trial counsel for a Colorado-based institution of higher education, its former President, and faculty members, achieving a defense verdict following a three-week jury trial on claims related to the termination of a tenured professor.
• Lead trial counsel for a Colorado-based automobile dealership, achieving a defense verdict following a four-day trial before the court on claims by a former employee alleging retaliation and discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and also a defense verdict following a one-week jury trial on retaliation claim asserted by a former executive.
• Co-lead trial counsel for a national media company, achieving a defense verdict following a week-long jury trial on claims by a former employee alleging gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation.
• Co-lead trial counsel for a national grocery store chain with a directed verdict granted in favor of the defendant following a four-day trial on claims alleging age discrimination and violations of ERISA.
• Co-lead trial counsel for a Colorado public utility, achieving a defense verdict after a week-long jury trial on claims by a former employee alleging race discrimination and retaliation.
• Co-lead trial counsel for a prominent insurance brokerage firm, achieving a defense verdict after a one-week jury trial on claims by a former employee alleging gender discrimination and sexual harassment and a verdict in favor of the defendant on a claim alleging breach of a restrictive covenant.

David’s extensive and successful trial experience earned him an induction as a Fellow into the International Society of Barristers (ISOB) in 2012. He currently serves as a member of the ISOB’s board of directors. ISOB membership is by invitation only, after a rigorous evaluation process by trial lawyers and judges that considers a lawyer’s abilities, experience, accomplishments, and ethical standards.

His achievements in the employment law arena have also been recognized by his induction and membership as a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.

Recognition of his local accomplishments as a lawyer are reflected by his past selection as a recipient of the Richard Marden-Davis Award – presented by the Denver law firm of Davis, Graham and Stubbs and the Denver Bar Foundation to a lawyer “under the age of 40 who so combines excellence as a lawyer and creative civic, cultural, educational and charitable leadership as to best exemplify the character and promise of Richard Marden David at that stage in his career.”

David is also a member of the Colorado chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, an organization focused on preserving the right to a civil trial by jury, promoting civility and professionalism among bar members, and protecting an independent judiciary.

• Avid fan of college football and basketball
• Eclectic taste in music, including rock and roll, blues, contemporary jazz, and Motown
• Enjoying his favorite pastime sport—golf.