Gov. John Hickenlooper today appointed Natalie Chase, Frederick Martinez and David Stevens as District Court Judges in the 18th Judicial District (Arapahoe, Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties.) Two of the vacancies are the result of House Bill 14-1050, and a third is due to the retirement of the Honorable William B. Sylvester.
Chase is currently a co-owner of Shafer & Chase, where she practices law in the areas of criminal defense, domestic relations and estate planning. Additionally, Chase serves as a substitute judge for the City of Glendale’s Municipal Court. Prior to forming her current firm, Chase was Special Counsel to Tom A. Henry and an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Aurora. She earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Denver in 2000 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Denver College of Law in 2003.
Martinez is a member at Hall & Evans, LLC. His legal practice focuses primarily in the areas of transportation (specifically railroads), employment, professional responsibility and torts. Before joining his current firm, Martinez was an attorney at the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, a partner at Knudsen, Berkheimer, Richardson and Endacott, LLP, and a senior attorney and supervisor for the Colorado State Public Defender. He earned an undergraduate degree from Colorado College in 1984 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1987.
Stevens is in private practice at the Stevens & Eisenstein Law Offices, where he specializes in the areas of personal injury,contracts and business representation. He has been affiliated with multiple law practices during his career, including the Stevens Law Offices; Stevens & Webber LLC; Disante & Stevens; and Lee Shapiro, P.C. In addition, Stevens has been an instructor at Arapahoe Community College teaching classes on wills and probate and also on torts. He earned an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in 1979 and a Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 1983.
These appointments are effective July 1, 2014.
