Our Community and Professional Leadership

Elizabeth Starrs and Michael Mihm are both leaders among Colorado lawyers.  Elizabeth Starrs is a past-president of the Colorado Bar Association (2006-2007), having provided leadership to more than 15,000 Colorado lawyers.  Michael Mihm is currently an officer and director of the Colorado Trial Lawyer's Association, the principal bar association for plaintiffs' lawyers in Colorado.  We find that our participation and leadership in professional organizations, and our contact with the best lawyers from around the nation, helps us to hone our legal skills and to remain on the forefront of trial lawyers in the United States. Our work with bar associations also allows us to contribute to the profession and to our communities.

American Bar Association

Michael Mihm and Elizabeth Hyatt are active in the American Bar Association Section of Litigation's Business Torts Litigation Committee, and both have served the Committee in various capacities, and both have organized or participated in programs sponsored by the Committee. Ms. Hyatt is currently editor of the Committee's website. Elizabeth Starrs was until recently one of the Colorado Bar Association’s representatives in the ABA's House of Delegates.

Colorado Bar Association

We are active in the Colorado Bar Association ("CBA"). Elizabeth Starrs was President of the CBA from July 2006 to June 2007. She was also the President of the Denver Bar Association from July 2002 to June 2003.

Michael Mihm and Elizabeth Starrs are both former chairs of the CBA's Professional Liability Committee. Mr. Mihm is the Managing Editor of Professional Liability in Colorado, Second Edition. Mr. Mihm was also co-Chair of the 2006 Preventing Legal Malpractice seminars sponsored by the CBA throughout Colorado.

Colorado Hispanic Bar Association

Anna Martinez currently serves as co-chair of the Education Committee of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association (“CHBA”). She formerly served on the CHBA’s judicial committee.

Colorado Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association

Elizabeth Starrs and Booka Smith are active members of the Colorado Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association (“PELA”), a nonprofit organization that was created to promote and increase public awareness of the rights of individual employees and to provide educational opportunities, information and assistance to attorneys who represent employees.

Colorado Trial Lawyers Association

Most of our lawyers are active members of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association ("CTLA"), the principal bar association for plaintiffs' lawyers in Colorado. In August 2010, the trial lawyer members elected Michael Mihm as Treasurer of the CTLA. He previously served on CTLA's Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Colorado Women's Bar Association

Starrs Mihm LLP is a strong supporter of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association (CWBA). Several of our lawyers are active members of the CWBA. Elizabeth Starrs served on the CWBA's Board of Directors twice over the past 20 years. Elizabeth Hyatt is a member of CWBA's judicial committee. Ms. Starrs is also a Director and former President of the Colorado Women’s Bar Foundation.

The firm is proud to be a member of the International Society of Primerus Law Firms.

Invitation Only Bar Associations

Elizabeth Starrs is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the two most prestigious invitation-only trial lawyer organizations in the United States. Ms. Starrs is the only woman lawyer in Colorado history invited to join the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and is one of only 15 members from Colorado. Ms. Starrs also is a Fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates, also an invitation-only organization dedicated to the preservation of jury trials, and she served as the President of the Colorado Chapter in 2007.

National Employment Lawyers Association

Elizabeth Starrs and Booka Smith are active members of the National Employment Lawyers Association (“NELA”), which is the country’s largest professional organization that is exclusively compromised of lawyers who represent individual employees in cases involving employment discrimination and other employment related matters.

Teaching Activities

All of our lawyers are very active participate in teaching or organizing Continuing Legal Education programs for practicing lawyers, mostly focusing on trial advocacy skills, legal malpractice and lawyer ethics. Our lawyers have, in the past several years, spoken to national and state audiences for the American Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, the Colorado Women’s Bar Association, and the Utah State Bar.

Ms. Starrs and Mr. Mihm both for several years served as Adjunct Faculty teaching classes to law students at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law.

Spina Bifada Association of Colorado

Elizabeth Starrs is a long-time member of and on the Board of Directors for the Spina Bifida Association of Colorado.

Unidos N Orguello

Anna Martinez is the secretary of the Board of Directors of Unidos N Orguello, a non-profit organization serving the Latino GLBTQ Community.

Contact us now for a confidential consultation about your case and how we can help you.

US News & World Report Best Law Firms ranks Starrs Mihm LLP as Tier 1 firm

U.S. News and Best Lawyers joined forces to rank close to 9,000 firms in 81 practice areas in 171 metropolitan areas and 7 states. Starrs Mihm LLP was ranked as a Tier 1 Firm in the field of Legal Malpractice Law - Plaintiff and Legal Malpractice Law - Defense.   While most of our work is on behalf of the plaintiff, we are the only Colorado law firm to be given a dual designation.  Click here to browse the results.