Appellate Law
CCRJ’S APPELLATE PHILOSOPHY
At Coombe Curry Rich & Jarvis, we have a history of experience successfully representing clients in appeals within Colorado’s appellate system. Whether we are seeking reversal of adverse rulings at the trial courts or defending our victories, our team knows what it takes to succeed on appeal.
Led by Partner Gregg Rich, our appellate attorneys focus on the issues that matter, separating the wheat from the chaff and homing in on what will make the difference with the appellate courts. Instead of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, at CCRJ, we prepare detailed and focused briefs that direct the appellate court to what matters. This gives us credibility with the courts even before we step foot in front of them for oral arguments.
Once it is time to make our arguments, we concentrate on being fully prepared by knowing the entire record and considering all possible questions so there are no surprises and we explain to the appellate panel why it should rule in our clients’ favor.
COLORADO AND FEDERAL APPELLATE SYSTEM
Colorado’s state court system primarily has two tiers. The Court of Appeals handles most appeals from the state’s trial courts and some specialty courts. It addresses claims of legal error by the trial courts that affected the outcome of the proceedings below. Appeals to the Colorado Court of Appeals are by right, meaning all appeals will be heard. The Colorado Supreme Court can decide which cases to hear and will usually only take cases that involve unsettled questions of law or interpretation of statutes. On rare occasions, the Colorado Supreme Court has original jurisdiction, meaning appeals from the trial courts skip the Court of Appeals and go directly to the Supreme Court.
The United States Federal Court system works similarly. The United States District Court for the District of Colorado is the federal trial court in Colorado. It hears cases in Denver, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, and Durango. Intermediate appeals from these courts as well as federal district courts in other western states, including Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming, are heard at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Downtown Denver.
The United States Supreme Court can choose to hear appeals from state supreme courts and the circuit courts of appeals. Of the many cases appealed to the United States Supreme Court, only very few are chosen to be heard there.
The appellate process often takes significant time. It can be over a year from the time an appeal is filed at the intermediate court of appeals (state or federal) to the time that court issues a ruling. It can take an equal amount of time to have a case resolved at the Colorado or United States Supreme Court, assuming they choose to hear the case.
UTILIZING APPELLATE COUNSEL
In complicated matters with significant legal issues, getting appellate counsel involved during the initial litigation process can be useful to help identify potential appellate issues and ensure a proper record is made and issues are preserved at the trial court. In all matters, experienced appellate counsel can identify the strongest issues for appeal and either prosecute or defend an appeal with the arguments most likely to sway the appellate panel. We also advise our clients of possible pitfalls of appellate rulings where a victory in the short term may have long-term unexpected consequences. To avoid those results, we advise our clients on possible settlement options while the appellate process is ongoing. No matter what the client’s goal may be, the appellate attorneys at CCRJ are here to help.
The CCRJ Difference
In today’s business world, if you are successful, you need legal services. CCRJ aims to provide expertise and guidance to navigate this landscape, and we’re confident in our ability to enhance your continued success.

Client Focused
Our team has been cultivated to collaboratively pursue the best outcomes on your behalf. We have served our community for 35 years, and look forward to serving you.

Trust
The client-attorney relationship is the perfect opportunity to provide indispensable guidance, while forecasting the legal landscape to provide proactive strategic counsel.

Lasting Value
We pride our team on providing the ultimate value for each client, and building lasting relationships to continually serve our clients with industry-leading legal representation.

Transparency
Reliable communication to help you understand critical milestones, and the factors leading to our key decisions on your behalf.
Client Testimonials
Learn what our clients have to say about our firm. Our relationships are built on trust, and we trust you’ll learn more about us from their words.

"When our family faced issues of parenting time distribution and child support allocation, Jill Curry stepped in to help. Not only did she provide excellent legal counsel, she also brought real life wisdom in helping us embrace realistic expectations. And then, she fought for our child, advocating that his needs be heard and addressed - and won a judgment on his behalf. We are abundantly grateful."
E.M.
"Jill has won three court issues against the father of my children. She has given me peace of mind during incredible difficult times, because she clearly understands the law and uses it to make a strong defense. While court can be emotional, she keeps to the facts. She has provided me with good advice, informing me of all my options. I appreciate having her on my side."
Jennifer H.
"Jill has won three court issues against the father of my children. She has given me peace of mind during incredible difficult times, because she clearly understands the law and uses it to make a strong defense. While court can be emotional, she keeps to the facts. She has provided me with good advice, informing me of all my options. I appreciate having her on my side."
Katherine G.
"Our construction firm has been working with Dan Coombe since 2015. We’ve retained him on helping us resolve numerous consumer disputes and helping us run our day to day operations. He helped us implement our new employment contract which has probably saved us thousands of dollars already. Dan and his team always go above and beyond what you would expect any other lawyer to do. Whether it’s just sending out a letter on our behalf or taking something to trial, he puts forth 100% on everything we’ve ever asked of him. It’s been refreshing to work with an attorney of Dan’s caliber and we look forward to working with him for years to come."
T. Brown
"Dan is a most cordial and knowledgeable attorney whose skills and talents exceed the highest of expectations. His drive to do it right and in a timely manner offers results much beyond what clients seek, a rare find among attorneys."
Brenda H. About Us
Coombe Curry Rich & Jarvis has a fundamental commitment to providing first-rate legal services to our clients. We provide compassionate legal counsel to vulnerable leaders in a zealous environment. Helping them feel certain, strong, and confident by providing strategies to overcome fear of the unknown.

Meet Our Team
The CCRJ Philosophy
Our attorneys’ backgrounds are diverse, with many firm members maintaining an active trial practice in multiple jurisdictions. Our attorneys work in teams, allowing senior partners to mentor associates and offer effective, disciplined training while giving associates the opportunity to hone their skills in critical case work in a cost-efficient manner.

Daniel R. Coombe
Daniel’s civil litigation practice is focused on the defense of construction defect, product defect, personal injury, and commercial litigations. He has achieved successful results representing store owners, businesses, general contractors, subcontractors, owner/developers, product manufacturers, and property owners. Daniel is also a Certified Litigation Management Professional (CLMP) and he takes tremendous pride in forming successful business relationships. These relationships are based on open communication, timely reporting, litigation efficiency and the molding of expectations and goals into realistic litigation plans.
Daniel R. Coombe
Partner

Jill A. Curry
Jill’s practice is focused on civil litigation, family law, corporate work with an emphasis on small businesses, probate and estate planning. Jill defends a wide variety of insureds from construction professionals, small businesses, large corporations, and individuals in complex civil litigation matters. Her civil litigation practice is focused on the defense of construction defect cases for general contractors, developers, design professionals and subcontractors. She also handles product defect, personal injury, and commercial litigation matters. She has been on successful trial teams securing favorable defense verdicts, and has an impressive track record of bringing complex matters to quick and economically efficient resolutions for the clients and their insurers.
Jill A. Curry
Partner

Anne K. McMichael
Anne’s practice focuses on estate planning/probate and civil litigation, concentrated in the areas of insurance defense, premises liability, and construction defect. Anne believes that in order to achieve the best outcome for a case, it’s necessary to work closely with your clients and put their best interests first. Anne prides herself on being pro-active, organized, and driven to obtain the best possible outcome for her clients.
Anne K. McMichael
Partner

Gregg S. Rich
Gregg’s civil litigation practice is focused on construction defect and payment disputes, personal injury, premises liability, and commercial litigation matters. He has a special emphasis on the defense of general contractors and subcontractors and coverage issues stemming from those matters.
Gregg has tried multiple bench and jury trials and arbitrations. He has also argued several times before the Colorado Court of Appeals.
Gregg S. Rich
Partner

Jessica Stieber
Jessica handles a variety of complex civil litigation cases throughout Colorado and Wyoming including construction defect, general liability, professional liability, product liability, mold, fire, subrogation, and general commercial litigation matters.