Hon. Kathleen E. Craigmile, Esq., is a JAMS DENVER neutral.  JAMS Denver is a licensee office. Policies and procedures may differ between JAMS, Inc., and JAMS Denver. Please visit https://jamsdenver.com/ or contact Lisa Gaige at admindocs@jamsdenver.com or 303-534-1254 for information related to JAMS Denver. 

Kathleen Craigmile practiced law for 28 years, primarily in the areas of commercial litigation, employment litigation, counseling, and investigations, as well as in intellectual property and business entity disputes involving owners, customers, vendors, and other third parties. Ms. Craigmile has extensive experience in federal court litigation, is a past president of the Board of Directors of Colorado’s Faculty of Federal Advocates and is a current co-chair of the Pro Bono Mediation Panel for the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

From nearly three decades of counseling clients and representing both plaintiffs and defendants in every phase of litigation, Ms. Craigmile brings to JAMS the demeanor and tenacity necessary to help litigants resolve their disputes, whether in the pre-suit or administrative proceeding stage, during discovery, or with trial approaching. As a mediator, arbitrator, and special master, Ms. Craigmile’s goal at all times is to help parties address their disputes in the most respectful, efficient and economic manner. In mediation matters, she prides herself in thorough preparation, empathetic listening, fair risk-assessment and creative problem-solving. Ms. Craigmile successfully resolves a high percentage of cases she mediates.

As an attorney, Ms. Craigmile’s practice included a broad range of commercial litigation matters including representing plaintiffs and defendants in contract disputes, fraud claims, entity ownership disputes, antitrust claims, banking matters, patent and trademark infringement claims, Lanham Act claims, intellectual property licensing and misappropriation disputes, constitutional claims, consumer protection actions, franchise disputes, and civil RICO and COCCA cases. She represented employers and employees in all aspects of employment litigation including discrimination and retaliation actions, whistleblower actions, wage and hour matters, as well as in noncompete, trade secret, severance and other employment agreement disputes.

Ms. Craigmile has represented hundreds of individuals and entities and has acted as general counsel for a wide variety of clients, including IT companies, healthcare providers and nonprofits. As an attorney, Ms. Craigmile had a special interest in legal analysis and has researched and written hundreds of trial court and appellate court briefs in wide-ranging areas of substantive and procedural law.

Ms. Craigmile is a Denver native. She is one of four sisters who have practiced law for a combined 120 years. Away from work she enjoys cooking, traveling and spending time with her husband and two teenage sons.

Representative Matters

• Employment
• Discrimination and Retaliation
• Wrongful Discharge
• Failure to Accommodate
• Family and Medical Leave Act
• Non-Compete Agreements and Restrictive Covenants
• Wage and Hour Disputes
• Federal and Colorado Statutory Employment Claims
• Whistleblower Actions
• Executive Employment Agreements and Severance Disputes
• Employee Benefits
• Civil Rights
• Business/Commercial
• Contract
• Fraud
• Franchise Agreements
• Misappropriation of Trade Secrets
• Partnership and Close Entity Disputes
• Consumer Protection
• Intellectual Property

Representative Matters

• Commercial and Other Litigation
• Breach of Contract
• Fraud
• Breach of Fiduciary Duty
• Entity Ownership Disputes
• Intellectual Property
• Antitrust and Unfair Competition
• Consumer Protection
• Federal Statutory and Diversity Matters
• Employment Law
• Discrimination and Retaliation
• Wrongful Discharge
• Failure to Accommodate
• Family and Medical Leave
• Noncompete, Work for Hire, and Confidentiality Agreements
• Misappropriation of Trade Secrets
• Wage and Hour Disputes
• Federal and Colorado Statutory Employment Claims
• Whistleblower Actions
• Executive Employment Agreements and Severance Disputes
• Employee Benefits

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships & Affiliations

• Faculty of Federal Advocates
  • Emeritus Board Member and Co-Chair, Civil Pro Bono Panel Committee
  • President, Board of Directors, 2018
  • Member, Board of Directors, 2015-2019
• Co-Chair, Pro Bono Mediation Panel, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

Selected Awards and Honors

• The Best Lawyers in America®, 2022-2023
• Best Employment Attorneys, 5280 Magazine, 2022
• Law Week Colorado – Barrister’s Best – Best Employment Lawyer for Defendants, 2017
• Martindale Hubble – AV Preeminent Rating – Peer and Judiciary

Background and Education

• Bennington Johnson & Reeve, P.C., Shareholder, 1999-2002
• Bennington Johnson Biermann & Craigmile, LLC, Member, 2002-2015
• Nixon Shefrin Ogburn Drew, P.C., Shareholder, 2015-2021
• J,D., University of Colorado School of Law, 1994 (Dean’s List and Board of Editors, Law Review)
• B.A., The Colorado College, 1988, B.A., Business Economics, cum laude