Schedule Judge Michaelson

Use the calendar to schedule services or contact us directly using the form below calendar. Base fee is $300/hour. (Available days are dark numbers.)

After years as the elected District Attorney in the Fifth Judicial District, Pete built a working cattle and hay ranch and a successful law practice in Westcliffe, Colorado focusing on real property, ranch, rural subdivisions, access problems, adverse possession claims, fence law and livestock disputes. He was appointed as the Custer County county court judge in 2003, and then received his 40 hour mediation training certificate in 2004. 

In 2012 Pete associated with Don Ostrander and John Dingess two of the most renowned eminent domain and water law attorneys in Colorado and was then appointed to the district court bench in Arapahoe County in 2015 where over the next eight years he mastered the process of helping parties focus on the real issues likely to be determinative at trial or final hearing through his collaborative, no-nonsense, approach to problem solving, especially in family law matters, writing and lecturing about his view of the fiduciary duties and collaborative standards set forth in both title 14 as well as specifically Rule 16.2.  His active settlement conferences on the bench resulted in resolution of domestic relations cases without permanent orders hearing in the vast majority of his cases. 

Judge Michaelson is available to share his expertise as a third party neutral in the areas of practice in which he specialized as well as in select collaborative law process and cooperative litigation civil and family law cases.

Contact us for court appointed service or general inquiries.

 

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JUDGE PETER F. MICHAELSON (ret.)

LAND AND WATER DISPUTE RESOLUTION SERVICES, L.L.C (2023-present)

  • Managing Member

  • Offering effective, no-nonsense alternative dispute resolution services specializing in real property disputes, including condemnation, boundary, livestock and fence law issues, and including business and domestic relation cases.

    DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, Eighteenth Judicial District (2016-2023)
    MAGISTRATE, Eleventh Judicial District, Custer County, Colorado (December 2015)
    COUNTY COURT JUDGE, Eleventh Judicial District, Custer County, Colorado (2003-2015) DISTRICT ATTORNEY, Fifth Judicial District, Colorado (Deputy 1984-1988, Elected 1989 -1997) WEST, BROWN AND HUNTLEY, P.C., Breckenridge, Colorado, Of Counsel (2015)
    HAMRE, RODRIGUEZ, OSTRANDER & DINGESS, P.C., Denver, Colorado, Of Counsel (2012-2015) LAW OFFICE OF PETER F. MICHAELSON, P.C., Westcliffe, Colorado (1997-2015)
    DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, Summit County, Colorado (1984 to 1988)
    PRIVATE PRACTICE, Denver and Aspen, Colorado, General Practice of Law (1982 to 1984)

    EDUCATION AND SPECIALIZED TRAINING

    University of Denver, College of Law, J.D., 1982, (Natural Resources Emphasis) Pennsylvania State University, B.A., 1979, (American Studies – with distinction) Forty Hour Mediation Seminar (CLECI 2004) Certificate of Completion
    “When Justice Fails” Montgomery, Alabama (National Judicial College -2019) “Effective Case Management” Austin, Texas (National Judicial College – 2017)

    PUBLICATIONS

    “Cultural Norms and Judicial Subjectivity: Lessons from the Domestic Relations Bench” Trial Talk (Colorado Trial Lawyers Association) January – March 2022.

    “If You want My Time, Please Use It Well” CBA-Family Law Section Newsletter (2019) “Good Faith and the Duty of Disclosure,” 44 Colo. Lawyer No. 8, p.41 (2015)
    Two Shots, a novel, smashwords.com/books/view/507120; ISBN: 9781310501739 (2015) Point Source, a novel, smashwords.com/books/view/396055; ISBN: 9781310961571 (2014) “The San Luis Valley Wetlands Strategy” CDNR (2000)

    “The Need for Local Environmental Task Forces,” 29 The Prosecutor No. 5 (1995)
    “Using Local Police Powers to Protect the Environment,” 24 Colo. Lawyer 1063 (May 1995) The Colorado Livestock Law Manual, Brand Iron Books (1992)
    “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied,” 21 Colo. Lawyer 2197 (October 1992)
    “A DUI Primer,” 16 Colo. Lawyer 2179 (December 1987)

PRESENTATIONS

2021 Annual DR and Probate Training, Effective Domestic Relations Case Management 2020 Effective Case Management, Annual Judicial Conference
2020 Effective Domestic Relations Case Management, CBA-Family Law Annual Training 2019 CBA DR/PR Institute presentation

2018- 2019 MDIC Panelist
2018 CBA- Family Law Fall Update: Admitted! Denied!” A Judge’s Panel Ruling on Common Exhibits 2018 CBA- Family Law Spring Update: A Court’s Decision to Allow or Deny a CFI or PRE Report When Requested – Panel
2017 Family Law Institute: The Sworn Financial Statement – Panel
2017 Annual Judicial Conference, Panel Moderator: “Mutual Respect Between Bench and Bar” Session 2017 Annual Judicial Conference, Criminal Law Roundtable Moderator
2017 DCJA Mid-Year Meeting, “Felony DUI”
2015 Annual Judicial Conference, “Mutual Respect Between Bench and Bar” Session
2014 COIFE Lecturer, “Mutual Respect Between Bench and Bar”
2003 Guest Speaker, The Colorado Judicial System, Custer County community groups
1997 Keynote Speaker, NAWEOA Annual Conference
1992-1997 Lecturer, Colorado District Attorney’s Council, Environment Prosecution
1994-1997 Lecturer, National District Attorney’s Association, Local Environmental Prosecution 1996-1997 Adjunct Faculty, Environmental Activism, Colorado Mountain College – Summit County 1992-1995 Instructor, Use of Force, CDOW Training Academy

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Colorado Bar Association
• ADR and Rural Committees

Sam Carey Bar Association Mediation Association of Colorado Arapahoe County Bar Association Trout Unlimited
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Pheasants Forever
Penn State Football Letterman’s Club

MEMBERSHIPS

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VOLUNTEER AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

University of Denver College of Law Mentor
Java with Judges (Judicial Branch Mentoring Program)
Our Courts
Colorado Judicial Department Annual Training Committee
Officer, District Court Judges Association
Mock Trial Judge, Arapahoe County Bar Association
Chief Justice’s Office of Dispute Resolution Advisory Committee Member
Custer County Schools, Middle School Football Coach
Valley Park, Recreation & Youth Center, Inc., Youth Football League Coach and Manager Westcliffe Center for the Performing Arts, Board Member
Custer County High School, Mock Trial Coach and Mentor
Valley Assisted Living, Inc., Board Member
San Isabel Land Protection Trust, Board and Advisory Board Member
Wet Mountain Valley Community Foundation Board Member

Wet Mountain Valley Saddle Club Board Member

Colorado Wildlife Federation, Chairman and Board Member

HONORS

Colorado Judicial Department 15-year Service Pin (2018)
Summit County District Attorney’s Annex Dedication (1999) NAWEOA Annual Appreciation Award (1997)
Colorado Wildlife Federation Appreciation Award (1997)
Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Livestock Officer of the Year (1995) Who’s Who in American Law (1991)