Over four decades in practice, Steven Epstein has observed the legal profession shift in ways both subtle and structural — fewer lawyer-to-lawyer phone calls, more mediation and the increased commercialization of legal work.
Through it all, Epstein’s approach to what he calls “the profession” has remained steady, shaped partly by significant upheaval early in his career. Just months after he joined his father’s firm in 1989, his father died unexpectedly, leaving Epstein to take over.
“You either fold, or you move forward,” he said.
A Family Legacy of Law
Even as managing his father’s practice thrust Epstein into active cases and ongoing obligations, in some ways he had been preparing for the role since childhood.
A third-generation Colorado attorney, Epstein recalled the cadence of legal arguments overheard and the stream of clients seeking counsel throughout his youth. “I was cross-examined every night at the dinner table,” he said with a smile.
Epstein’s grandfather practiced from 1920 to 1960, at a time when most lawyers were generalists. His father practiced from 1957 until 1989, narrowing his focus to family law. Both worked in downtown Denver, not far from the legal landscape Epstein inhabits today.
From Law School to Firm Leadership
It wasn’t until he attended Amherst College that Epstein realized law was more than family history to him. “Law fit my skill set,” he recalled. “Reading, writing, critical inquiry.”
After graduating from the University of Colorado Law School and clerking for U.S. District Judge John Kane Jr., he moved to Hall & Evans LLC in Denver before serving in his father’s firm.
In the years that followed, Epstein ran the firm under Epstein Law Offices, associated with a 17 Street firm; partnered with a boutique family law specialty firm; and since 2016, has practiced at the firm he co-founded, Epstein Patierno LLP.
Building a Practice
At Epstein Patierno, he leads a firm of 16 attorneys, with offices in Denver and Greenwood Village.
He deliberately limits his load to about six to eight cases as lead counsel at any given time, in addition to advising and mentoring other attorneys in the firm. “I don’t want to be in a position where I tell a client OUR FIRM CAN NOT do their work because I have something else going on,” he said. “Luckily, I have whip-smart and hardworking partners, associates and paralegals; we pride ourselves in representing clients of significant and moderate means.”
Epstein’s practice reflects his vision of the legal profession. “If your focus is on the business, the goal is to make money,” he explained. “If your focus is on the profession and helping people, the goal is to do the work well. Money follows a job well done.”
Much of his firm’s caseload comes through referrals from former clients, fellow attorneys and mental health professionals who work with patients involved in family law matters.
The Challenges of Family Law
The “breadth and depth of law” drew Epstein to the profession, and the intellectual challenge keeps him invested; he has no plans to retire.
“There’s an art to law,” he noted. “How you phrase an argument can be artful, how you dissect an argument can be an art. Much of the work really boils down to good sentences.”
Epstein is fascinated by the psychology behind family law, from how people behave and understand themselves to how conflict escalates or resolves. “I like to know what makes people tick,” he said.
He likewise relishes conversations with colleagues, mentoring younger attorneys and the daily task of solving problems without immediately obvious answers. “Every day is different,” he said. “I haven’t been bored in 40 years.”
Still, family law can be difficult in ways not purely intellectual. Cases often include children, strained relationships and outcomes that do not fully resolve underlying problems.
“There isn’t always a remedy for every wrong,” Epstein said, a reality that weighs on him.
“We have a saying in our family law practice: We laugh because if we didn’t, we’d be crying all the time.”
He continued, “The pain of a family law practices comes mostly from watching what happens to the kids, who are victims of their parents’ dysfunction. And the sadness that comes from understanding that law is a very imperfect institution, despite being the best we have.”
To balance the heavy load, he urged family law attorneys to “maintain a life outside of the profession to sustain long-term engagement with the work.” He and his wife, a musician, have three grown children and enjoy reading and traveling.
Shifts in Legal Approaches
Throughout the course of his career, Epstein has seen both procedural and cultural changes in the legal profession.
One shift, he said, reflects a decrease in direct communication. He described a rise in lawyers who prefer email to phone calls, sometimes avoiding real-time conversation altogether.
Closely related is a decline in negotiation outside of formal mediation. With mediation now required in many cases, attorneys may defer settlement discussions rather than engaging beforehand. “If you’re not practicing negotiation regularly, those skills don’t develop,” he said.
Epstein also pointed to structural pressures on the court system. A growing number of litigants proceed without lawyers, and more complex or high-asset cases are handled through privately retained judges.
At his firm, the most recent adaptation may be the use of artificial intelligence. Though Epstein finds it useful for basic tasks, he is skeptical AI tools will ever wholly replace legal analysis, which “requires analogizing and distinguishing case facts and holdings and is arduous work.” He continued, “I don’t see AI reading the room and pivoting on that read in real time in a trial setting.” Legal analysis “depends on careful distinctions across cases and the ability to build arguments from those differences. It is slow work.”
Yet he concluded, “I am very cognizant that I’m very fortunate to have a noble profession. I feel like my efforts in this world are actually helping people. That’s what keeps me coming back.”