Ann Gushurst has over two decades of experience in family law as a litigator, mediator and collaborative attorney. This experience extends to the issues of guardians and protected parties, trusts and estates, and other probate issues that are so often related to the dissolution of a marriage.

Ms. Gushurst approaches family law disputes with the goal of minimizing the emotional and financial costs of prolonged conflict. She is committed to looking for solutions that are fair and workable for everyone in the family. She knows that children need both of their parents, and she understands the psychology and developmental considerations that make custody issues so difficult to resolve.

Ms. Gushurst’s philosophy has always been that divorce cases belong in court only as a last resort. Whenever possible, she encourages clients to reach mutually acceptable resolutions.

Ms. Gushurst became interested in the intersection of human rights and family law through her work establishing legal parenting rights in same sex families. She successfully sued to allow same sex couples the right to marry in Colorado before the Obergefell decision became US law. More recently, she argued the Hogsett case, redefining how the law assesses same sex common law marital relationships.

Ms. Gushurst has served on the Family Law Executive Council for more than a decade. She lectures extensively on such topics as parenting issues, court procedure and collaborative practice. Ms. Gushurst is a past chair of the Colorado Collaborative Law Professionals and has been active in both the Colorado Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the Metropolitan Interdisciplinary Committee.

ADR Experience

• Complex Asset Division
• Custody and Guardianship
• Relocation
• Common Law Marriage
• Partition

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships & Affiliations

• Executive Member, Family Law Executive Council of the Colorado Bar
• Member, Colorado Women’s Bar Legislation Committee
• Member ex officio, Board of Directors for the Colorado Collaborative Law Professionals (past President)
• Member, Colorado Judicial Institute
• Colorado Bar Fellow Emeritus
• Member, Metropolitan Denver Interdisciplinary Committee
• Past Member, Boulder Interdisciplinary Committee
• Past Editor of the Colorado Bar Association Family Law Newsletter
• Member, Catholic Lawyer’s Guild
• Member, International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and the Colorado Member, Academy of Collaborative Practice
• Member, National Association of Professional Women
• Member, Colorado Bar Association
• Member, National LGBT Bar Association of the American Bar
• Past President, Board of Directors of Maria Droste Counseling Services
• Past Director, Board of Directors, Colorado Chapter of AFCC

Selected Awards and Honors

• Alumna of Distinction, University of New Brunswick, 2017
• Ally of the Year, LGBT Bar Association Foundation, 2015
• Special Recognition Award from the Colorado Lawyer’s Committee, 2015
• Attorney of the Year Law Week, Champions of Equality, 2014
• Visionary Award, GLBT Community Center, 2014
• Martindale Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers “AV” Preeminent Rating
• Avvo: Rated 10 out of 10
• Colorado Superlawyer: Family Law 2007 & 2010-2021, Top 50 Female Lawyers in Colorado 2011-2020; Top 100 Attorneys in the State of Colorado 2013-2020
• Best Lawyers, 2018-2020

Selected Publications

• Alumna of COBAR Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Domestic Relations Law, 2d.
  • Author of “Separation Agreement” chapter 2009-2023
• Supreme Court Ruling on DOMA Raises More Questions Than it Answers for Colorado Families,” LAW WEEK Colorado, July 8, 2013
• “Collaborative Law, Ethics, and Colorado’s Maverick CBA Ethics Committee Opinion 155, ‘Collaborative Practice: a Paradigm Shift,’” Colorado Lawyer, November, 2007
• “Treat Your Divorce Like a Business,” ColoradoBiz Magazine, 2007
• “Low Conflict Divorce,” ColoradoBiz Magazine, 2006
• Editor, Colorado Family Law Section Newsletter, 2012- 2019

Background and Education

• Gutterman Griffiths PC (later Griffiths Law PC), 2005-2021
• Harrington, Brewster and Clein PC, 1999-2004
• Gushurst Family Law, LLC – solo practice 1998-1999 and 2004-2005
• Gilbert, McGloan, Gillis, 1994-1996
• University of New Brunswick, LLB, 1994
• University of Toronto, B.Sc., 1985