Jane Michalakes is a Colorado attorney with years of experience practicing, and even more years of experience calling Colorado home.

Jane grew up in Boulder, CO, enjoying everything Colorado has to offer. With hiking trails just 15 minutes from her door, Jane was outside with her friends picnicking and exploring the foothills in all her free time. Jane attended CU Boulder, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in English and Anthropology.

It was a natural choice to attend law school at University of Denver. Since graduating, Jane’s career has taken several twists and turns. Initially practicing general civil litigation in Durango, CO, Jane experienced the Wild West firsthand. This experience in general civil litigation offered a primer in legal practice that would be foundational to her pivot to family law after moving back to Denver. Jane now lives in Aurora, CO and sees a vibrant city with so much development potential, where she can raise her two children and be sure they will thrive.

Jane practiced in family law for years, servicing dissolutions of marriage, allocations of parental responsibility, pre- and post-decree relocations, and asset division. Jane’s experience again provided foundation to client-focused goal setting and management, procedural experience, and hard legal skills - the nuts and bolts of practice, like research, writing, and strategy.

Jane shifted again to civil litigation, working primarily in insurance defense. This shift honed Jane’s skills even further: Where family law often required a soft, client-focused and directed strategy, civil litigation required a harder, procedurally focused strategy with only updates and recommendations to the client as needed.

Jane’s preference became construction defect defense. Acting as panel counsel hired by the insurance company to defend against allegations of defective work. Jane worked for contractors and subcontractors in every level of construction: From the excavator to the developer, Jane worked to identify the legal strategy to minimize or even eliminate client liability and determine the true cause of the case.

Jane’s skills flourished with all these elements of her practice. The construction litigation side benefitted from the client-care aspects of family law, while her family law clients benefitted from Jane’s honed eye in applying strict procedure to family law cases. The use of experts, discovery tips and tricks, and a broader application of legal theories strengthened both areas of practice.

With Gunning LLC, Jane is here to put that experience to work for you, in her hometown.

Education

Juris Doctor, University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Bachelor of Arts in English and Anthropology, University of Colorado

Bar Admissions

Colorado

U.S. District of Colorado

Professional Associations

Colorado Bar Association

Denver Bar Association

Minoru Yasui Inn of Court

Recognition

SuperLawyers Rising Star 2024-2026

Avvo Rating 10.0