Meet the Outstanding Attorneys Beyond Denver
Law Week Colorado is pleased to recognize four outstanding attorneys practicing largely beyond the Denver metro area. These attorneys, nominated by their peers, were selected for their exceptional legal work, contributions to their communities and dedication to their clients and the legal profession.
Join us in celebrating this year’s honorees and learning more about the work they’re doing across Colorado.
Reimagining family law from the foothills
When Christopher Anderson glances out his Golden office window, the foothills remind him why he chose to build miles away from Denver’s high-rise corridors: to escape the institutional habits of traditional practice.
“We wanted to found a family law firm that was different,” said Anderson, founding partner of New Leaf Family.
Anderson launched New Leaf Family in late 2020 alongside his law partner, Penn Dodson, aiming to dismantle the standard family law playbook. Having practiced family law before serving as CEO of a major national legal consulting firm, Anderson believed the conventional model left both clients and counsel burned out.
During the pandemic, Anderson identified two systemic drivers of that burnout: the billable hour and an instinct to “triumph” in domestic disputes, instead of aiming to find the best solution possible for the client.
To fix the financial disconnect, New Leaf Family scrapped hourly billing for a monthly subscription model. “The billable hour misaligns the interests of lawyers and clients,” Anderson said. “When the financial incentive rewards doing more things, stoking drama and manufacturing conflict, you’ve built a system at odds with what the client actually needs.”
To tackle the cultural side of the family law problem, the firm introduced the “Polaris Process.” Rather than kicking off an intake by discussing motions or hearing dates, attorneys encourage clients to look downfield: Every client is asked, “Two years from now, when our work is done and you consider this representation a success, tell me about your life.”
Anderson explained, “Trial lawyers want to win, but in family law, there are no real winners. When you try to force that kind of outcome, you end up hurting people.”
By anchoring the strategy in a forward-looking vision, every tactical choice, from depositions to temporary orders hearings, is evaluated against the question, “Does this step bring you closer to the future you want?”
The uncommon approach has resonated with clients. Since late 2020, New Leaf Family has grown to more than 60 team members and served over 2,700 Colorado families. While based in Golden, the firm operates statewide through a distributed, hybrid model that includes footprints in the communities of Salida and Pueblo, as well as an office in Greenwood Village. Anderson hopes to add a Western Slope hub soon.
Beyond client representation, Anderson works with a select roster of law firm leaders through his management consultancy, using both his advisory work and his podcast, “The Un-Billable Hour,” to champion client-centered business models. The firm aims to regularly give back, too, participating in Habitat for Humanity projects and supporting organizations such as the Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center and the anti-trafficking nonprofit Joy International.