Every case is personal, and every story is unique—whether someone is wronged by a trusted business partner, by a lawyer hired to protect an interest, or by a driver or manufacturer that should have done the right thing. Nicole is skilled at gathering and telling each client’s story. She is organized, analytical, and precise, but her advocacy for her clients is empowered by her empathy and her passion for being a trial lawyer. Nicole prepares a case from the start as though it will proceed to trial, always keeping in mind the ultimate goal of the client. In doing so, she has helped her clients obtain multi-million dollar recoveries for the harms done by others.
Every case is personal, and every story is unique—whether someone is wronged by a trusted business partner, by a lawyer hired to protect an interest, or by an individual, corporation, or manufacturer that should have done the right thing. Nicole is skilled at gathering and telling each client’s story. She is organized, analytical, and precise, but her advocacy for her clients is empowered by her empathy and her passion for being a trial lawyer. Nicole represents clients in high stakes business litigation, plaintiff’s legal malpractice, and catastrophic personal injury cases. She prepares a case from the start as though it will proceed to trial, always keeping in mind the ultimate goal of the client. In doing so, she has helped her clients obtain multi-million dollar recoveries for the harms done by others.
Nicole represents clients in state and federal courts, and she practices out of the firm’s Colorado and California offices. She has tried cases to juries, to judges, and through arbitration, but also strives to reach early resolution where doing so serves the best interests of her clients. Nicole is adept at using litigation software to comb through volumes of documents, and she does this in order to boil a case down to those that tell the story to a jury. Those stories stem from a range of issues, including contract disputes, trade secrets, fraud, betrayals by business partners or lawyers, and injuries suffered at the hands of a driver, landowner, doctor, or product manufacturer. Nicole is a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College, a three-week college founded by Gerry Spence that further educates trial lawyers who are committed to the jury system and who seek to represent and obtain justice for individuals.
As a result of her successes on behalf of her clients, Nicole has been included in the Best Lawyers in America© for Professional Malpractice—Plaintiffs. She has also been named a Colorado Super Lawyer and National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40. Nicole is the Treasurer for the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA) and is the Editor-in-Chief of its flagship publication, Trial Talk. She also serves on the Executive Committee for the Personal Injury Institute of International Society of Primerus Law Firms. Nicole frequently publishes and presents on various topics related to contract disputes, fiduciary duties, legal malpractice, lawyer wellness, electronic discovery, personal injury practice, and civil litigation.
Nicole not only practices trial law, she teaches it. During law school, Nicole excelled as both a student, graduating in the top 10% of her class, and as a member of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law National Trial Team, where she won the championship round of a Regional competition and competed on the national level. She won multiple awards and scholarships recognizing her exceptional ability to advocate–a trait from which her clients continue to benefit. Shortly after graduating from law school, Nicole was invited to teach trial practice as an adjunct professor at the Sturm College of Law. Over the years, she has coached the University of Denver law school’s National Trial Team and taught Trial Practicum and Day One: Civil Practice Lab, classes which focus on the practice of civil litigation and advocacy in the courtroom.
Nicole is married to Nick Quintana, a Colorado native and finance professional. The couple has two children that ensure their time away from work is spent focused on active endeavors. Nicole is an avid hiker, exercise enthusiast, soccer fan, and singer…but only in the privacy of her own car. In rare moments of downtime, she enjoys movies, reading, and discovering new music.
“Taking Care of Ourselves in Order to Take Care of Our Clients,” The Warrior, Spring 2021, pp. 58-62.
“Mental Maintenance: The Toll Stress Takes on All of Us,” Trial Talk, Vol. 70, Issue 1, Jan/Feb/Mar 2021.
Co-Author with Michael T. Mihm, “The Cutting Room Floor: Finding the Story in Complex Cases,” The Warrior, Spring 2020, pp. 37-43.
Co-authored with James Fogg. “Navigating the Minefield Laid by Prior Counsel’s Negligent Work,” Law Week Colorado, Vol. 17, Issue 38, Sept. 23, 2019.
“Rule 37. Failure to Make Disclosure or Cooperate in Discovery: Sanctions,” 12 Colo. Prac., Civil Procedure Forms & Commentary R 37 (3d ed.).
“Rule 121. Local Rules—Statewide Practice Standards,” 13 Colo. Prac., Civil Procedure Forms & Commentary R 121 (3d ed.).
“Case Management Orders: An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure,” Trial Talk, Vol. 68, Issue 1, Dec/Jan 2019.
Co-Authored with Michael P. Cross, Chapter 11, “Contacts with Represented Parties and Their Current and Former Employees,” in Lawyer’s Professional Liability in Colorado, 2018 Ed. (Michael T. Mihm ed., CLE in Colorado, Inc.).
Co-Authored with Michael P. Cross, Chapter 11, “Contacts with Represented Parties and Their Current and Former Employees,” in Lawyer’s Professional Liability in Colorado, 2018 Ed. (Michael T. Mihm ed., CLE in Colorado, Inc.).
Co-Authored with Michael T. Mihm, Chapter 50, “Causation and Damages in Legal Malpractice Litigation,” in Lawyer’s Professional Liability in Colorado, 2018 Ed. (Michael T. Mihm ed., CLE in Colorado, Inc.).
Co-Authored with Michael T. Mihm, Chapter 51, “Common Law Legal Malpractice Claims,” in Lawyer’s Professional Liability in Colorado, 2018 Ed. (Michael T. Mihm ed., CLE in Colorado, Inc.).
Co-Authored with Michael T. Mihm, Chapter 52, “Statutory Legal Malpractice Claims,” in Lawyer’s Professional Liability in Colorado, 2018 Ed. (Michael T. Mihm ed., CLE in Colorado, Inc.).
Co-Authored with Michael T. Mihm, Chapter 53, “Defenses to Legal Malpractice Claims,” in Lawyer’s Professional Liability in Colorado, 2018 Ed. (Michael T. Mihm ed., CLE in Colorado, Inc.).
“Privilege Logs in Document Intensive Cases: A Categorical Approach,” Trial Talk, Vol. 65, Issue 5, Aug/Sept 2016.
Co-Authored with Michael P. Cross, “Your Place or Mine?: The Burden of Proving Collectability of an Underlying Judgment in a Legal Malpractice Action,” 91 Denv. U. L. Rev. Online 53 (2014).
Co-Authored with Michael T. Mihm, “Tort or Breach of Contract? The Economic Loss Rule and Why it is Important to Your Practice,” Trial Talk, Vol. 63, Issue 5, Aug/Sept 2014.
“Cashing In and Cashing Out: The Corporate Practice of Medicine,” White Paper (2011).
“Coming Soon To A Courtroom Near You: Considerations Of A Trial Lawyer Regarding Cameras In The Courtroom,” Trial Talk, Vol. 60, Issue 2, Feb/Mar 2011.
“DEIB 101: What We Need to Know to Do Better,” International Society of Primerus Law Firms Western Regional Conference, Seattle, Washington (June 2023).
“Written Discovery,” Women Trial Lawyers Network Annual Retreat, Estes Park, Colorado (May 2023).
Panelist, “Challenges and Opportunities in the Legal Field,” International Society of Primerus Law Firms Global Conference, San Diego, California (October 2022).
“Mental Maintenance: Finding Balance in the Practice of Law,” Women Trial Lawyers Network Annual Leadership Summit, Denver, Colorado (October 2022).
“Mental Maintenance and the Toll Stress Takes on All of Us,” South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association Jammin’ For Justice Seminar, Deadwood, South Dakota ( September 2022).
“Preparing for Trial: Small Tactics That Can Make a Big Difference,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, Vail, Colorado (August 2022).
“Persuasiveness Through a Computer Screen: Mastering Remote Hearings,” Minnesota Association for Justice Mid-Winter Meeting, Deluth, Minnesota (February 2022).
Co-presenter with Ben Lebsack and John Lebsack, “Rules of Engagement: Addressing the Scope of Privilege in an Employment Environment,” Colorado Bar Association Employment Law Conference (October 2021).
Co-presenter with Melissa Winthers, “PT and Personal Injury Patients: What You Need to Know,” American Physical Therapy Association Colorado Annual Conference (September 2021).
“Closing Arguments: Arming Jurors with Ammunition,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, Steamboat Springs, Colorado (August 2021).
Moderator, “Arbitration – Perspectives on Using the Process to Your Advantage,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Blockbuster Seminar, Denver, Colorado (January 2021).
Co-Presenter with Emily Fiscus, “The Intersection of Sexual Harassment, Employment Law, and Professional Responsibility,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Ethics Mania Seminar, Denver, Colorado (December 2020).
Panelist with Judge K. Mix, M. Tariot-Wells, K. Twigger, “E-Discovery: Working Cooperatively to Avoid the E-Discovery Sideshow,” Faculty of Federal Advocates, Denver, Colorado (January 2020).
“Diversity & Inclusion (Panelist),” International Society of Primerus Law Firms Global Conference (October 2019).
“Ferrer: Winning the Question, Not the Answer,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Blockbuster Seminar, Denver, Colorado (January 2019).
Speaker with Martine Tariot-Wells, “Framing the Case: Best Practices for Initial Pleadings on Both Sides of the ‘v’,” Colorado Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section Seminar, Denver, Colorado (April 2019).
“Damages: A Lesson in Focusing on Impairment Damages,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, Vail, Colorado (August 2018).
“Privilege Logs in Document Intensive Cases: A Categorical Approach,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, Snowmass, Colorado (August 2017).
“The Language of Social Media and Electronic Discovery: The Layman’s Guide,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Technology and Social Media Seminar, Denver, Colorado (2011).
“Med Pay v. PIP: The Same, Yet Different,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention (2009).
“Writing Effective Demand Letters,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, Steamboat Springs, Colorado (2007).