Hon. John P. Leopold (Ret.) served as a District Judge for 19 years, and as Chief Judge for 4 years, in Colorado’s 18th Judicial District, the largest district (in terms of population) in the state. Prior to his appointment, he was a private practitioner, representing a wide range of individuals in civil, domestic, probate, juvenile, and criminal matters.
ADR Experience and Qualifications
- Judge Leopold has presided over a variety of complex matters involving many types of law, including medical malpractice, business litigation, personal injury, insurance coverage, and contracts (commercial and personal). For the past 4 years, he has heard Arapahoe County’s probate and civil cases. He has been the presiding judge in numerous high-profile cases, including the formation of the City of Centennial [City of Greenwood Village v. Proposed City of Centennial, 3 P.3d 427 (Colo. 2000) and Colorado’s first reported case concerning the establishment of special litigation counsel [Hirsch v. Jones Intercable, 984 P.2d 629 (Colo. 1999)].
- Judge Leopold was lead faculty and facilitator for Colorado’s Advanced New Judge Orientation for several years and continues as one of its faculty members. He was instrumental in establishing the Colorado Judicial Branch’s Mentor Judge Program and is working to modernize the program and make it more effective. His commitment to mentoring extends to his law clerks, most of whom are successful attorneys in Colorado and other states. In addition, he serves as a mentor for a first year student at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law each year.
