Family Law

• Divorce
  In 1975, Ronald Garfield and Andrew Hecht had a vision to build the most preeminent real estate law firm in Western Colorado under the banner Garfield & Hecht. Since opening our first office in Aspen, G&H has proudly realized steady growth. Garfield & Hecht works hard to counsel clients, identify and capture opportunities, and mitigate risk and liability. G&H attorneys collaborate with colleagues across our offices to bring the best experience and thinking to every client’s legal challenges. Our growth has enabled us to recruit premier legal talent with practice groups devoted to: Litigation, Bankruptcy and Creditor’s Rights, Transactional, Real Estate and Community Associations, Banking and Lending, Municipal and Special Districts, Estate Planning, and Family Law and Divorce. Our team of litigation and transactional lawyers offers years of experience acquired at some of the largest law firms in Denver, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and New York City and are supported by highly-skilled paralegals and professionals.
• Child Support
  Garfield & Hecht has extensive experience representing clients in family law matters. Garfield & Hecht handles both simple and complex disputes involving divorce/dissolution, parenting time, child custody, child support, spousal support/alimony, and division of assets and debts. G&H attorneys have the training, expertise, and experience to successfully resolve family law matters through negotiation, trial, and/or appeal.
• Child Custody and Visitation
• Spousal Support

Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
  We proudly represent over 150 community associations throughout the Western Slope of Colorado. When you hold a board position or manage a community associations, reliable legal counsel is critical to your successful leadership. Associations are subject to a unique statutory environment through the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act (“CCIOA”). They also face a range of issues including statutory interpretation, contracts, property, construction defects, corporate governance, fiduciary duties, maintenance, enforcement, collections, litigation, and real estate considerations. Garfield & Hecht provides clients with the expertise and assistance required to protect their interests in this wide range of matters. We assist in addressing violations and resolving disputes through alternative dispute resolution and litigation when necessary. Because our community association attorneys work day in and day out on association matters, we can efficiently and quickly respond to our clients’ needs.
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  Garfield & Hecht’s transactional practice covers real estate purchases, sales and development; mergers and acquisitions; lending; commercial transactions; corporations, partnerships, and other business organizations; construction; contracts; municipal and special district law; administrative law (with an emphasis on land use); and landlord/tenant matters.
• Business Transactions
  The litigation group provides effective litigation, arbitration, trial, and appellate services. Our trial and appellate teams handle a wide range of matters including commercial transactions, real estate, product liability, bankruptcy, construction, employment, land use, contracts, civil rights, and constitutional claims.
• Limited Liability Companies
  Garfield & Hecht has gained extensive experience and expertise over our 40+ year history advising, counseling, and representing clients in connection with virtually every aspect of business, from startup through operation, windup, and/or sale. One of the first and most important decisions a business must make is what type of entity it should form. Colorado recognizes many different types of entities, including limited liability companies, for-profit corporations, non-profit corporations, partnerships, and cooperatives. Garfield & Hecht’s transactional attorneys have the knowledge and expertise necessary to explain the benefits and potential drawbacks of each entity type and help you choose and organize the type of entity that best meets your needs and goals. We can draft and prepare all associated documents, including bylaws, operating agreements, and EIN applications. Our transactional team also has extensive experience representing existing businesses and dealing with the various legal issues confronted by owners. We can help organize related entities, ensure that existing businesses comply with current Colorado law, review and revise organizational documents, serve as the registered agent of your entity, and, if necessary, convert an existing business into a different type of entity.
• Trade Secrets

Employment Law

• Wrongful Termination
  Garfield & Hecht is uniquely situated to represent small and large employers with their litigation and transactional employment needs. Our litigation team has a wide array of experience defending employers against allegations ranging from wrongful termination based upon discrimination, harassment, and retaliation to wage and overtime violations and unemployment insurance appeals. While our transactional team routinely drafts employment and non-compete, nondisclosure and trade secret agreement, our litigation team has successfully prosecuted claims for violations of these agreements. We have also successfully counseled and guided a large organization through the implementation of a reduction in work force of more than 40 employees without a single wrongful termination lawsuit, and we counsel numerous organizations concerning termination of employment issues and Colorado Department of Labor and Employment audits.
• Employment Litigation

Property Law

• Real Estate Litigation
  Garfield & Hecht has the skillset, experience, and talent to analyze, negotiate, manage, review, draft, and document all aspects of a real estate transaction, whether ordinary or complex. Real estate matters handled by our firm include residential and commercial transfers/conveyances; development and redevelopment; resort and recreational development; master planned communities; condominiums; fractional interest projects; leasing (both landlord and tenant representation); acquisition and disposition (both single asset and portfolios); construction, architecture, and design; easements and licenses; title insurance analysis and optimal coverage procurement; historic preservation; financing; foreclosures and loan workouts; entity selection and formation with tax analysis; joint ventures; transactions involving foreign nationals; liquor and general licensing; property tax assessment protests and appeals; 1031 exchange analysis and coordination; land use entitlements; water rights analysis; and transferable development rights.
• Construction Litigation
  Garfield & Hecht has the experience, technology, and depth to handle complex litigation matters including all types of commercial disputes. Our litigation attorneys include veterans of large law firms based in Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia, and New York City and graduates of several of the nation’s top law schools. G&H uses advanced technologies to manage cases, track documents, and present courtroom evidence. We have handled cases in district and county courts across the state as well as in the federal courts in Colorado and neighboring states. G&H also maintains a robust appellate practice. G&H handles a wide variety of cases ranging from simple payment disputes between individuals or small businesses to multi-million-dollar class actions, construction disputes, banking disputes, and product liability matters.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Garfield & Hecht’s heritage in real estate transactions has been the cornerstone of our growth and the impetus for becoming trusted advisors on a broad range of legal matters regionally and throughout Colorado.
• Easement
• Land Use and Zoning
  In oil and gas development title to mineral rights can be a fundamental question in real estate and land use development matters. We assist clients with mineral title research, negotiating oil and gas leases and/or surface use agreements, and roadway, pipeline, or facility easement issues.
• Landlord-Tenant Disputes
  Garfield & Hecht’s highly-developed litigation and trial practice includes a wide range of experience and expertise in all aspects of real estate litigation. Our attorneys have successfully represented many different parties with varying interests, including developers, buyers, sellers, associations, and lenders in large-scale residential and commercial real estate disputes. Our attorneys have successfully litigated matters related to easement disputes, adverse possession, partition actions, and disputes regarding spurious liens. Real estate litigation is a multidiscipline practice requiring knowledge of land use and municipal regulations, contract law, real estate financing, landlord-tenant law, foreclosures, and construction law. Our trial attorneys are knowledgeable and experienced in each of these areas.

Trusts and Estates

• Estate Planning
  The attorneys at Garfield & Hecht have decades of experience with all phases of estate planning and for all types of estates including affordable options. Let our experienced lawyers help you create a gift of good fortune you can give your family at the time of your passing through smart estate planning.
• Wills
• Trusts
  Most individuals put a great deal of time and effort into accumulating property so they can enjoy their own lives and provide for their loved ones at death. We all have different goals and objectives, different financial circumstances, and different family situations. Knowledge and estate planning experience are critically important for people to accomplish goals in the most advantageous manner. There is no one solution that fits all. Structuring and implementing a plan needs thoughtful consideration of the income, gift, and estate tax consequences as well as how asset protection, trust administration and probate can assist and affect a plan. During one’s lifetime, implementation of much of the planning is carried out using gifts, trusts, family partnerships and more sophisticated techniques. Following death, implementation is done through probate of one’s Will and through administration of trusts and other entities which were formed and structured during lifetime. At the very least, everyone should consider having a Will, financial power of attorney, health care power of attorney and living will. For many, we do this work on a very reasonable flat fee basis. In this way you will know before our work starts what your legal fees will be.
• Power of Attorney
  Estate planning is not just for millionaires. It is a gift of good fortune you can give your family at the time of your passing. Everyone should consider having basic documents like a Living Will which clarifies what kind of medical treatment you would want if incapacitated, a Durable Power of Attorney to have someone handle your financial and other affairs if you are not able to do so and a form where you can gift to family members or others specific items of your personal property. G&H offers an affordable estate planning package which includes a basic will and instructions for what funeral arrangements you would want for $995. We offer an initial consultation to gather needed personal information and to determine if your needs are consistent with the basic plan we offer. Finally, there is a return visit to our office giving you an opportunity to address questions about your documents.
• Probate

Finance Law

• Bankruptcy
  Garfield & Hecht represents banks and other financial institutions as well as private equity firms, real estate holding companies, and individuals as secured and unsecured creditors in bankruptcy proceedings, including bankruptcy litigation. Our lawyers frequently participate in cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado and in front of the Tenth Circuit’s Bankruptcy Appellate Panel; they also have been admitted
• Foreclosure
  In Chapter 11 as well as in Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy cases, Garfield & Hecht handles adversary proceedings, claim disputes, fraud, avoidance actions, bid procedures, dischargeability and stay relief motion practice, adequate protection issues, plan confirmations and objections, dismissal and conversion proceedings, and bankruptcy appeals. We serve our creditor clients’ interests by working closely with trustees, receivers, creditor committees, accountants, real estate appraisers, and other experts and bankruptcy professionals. Garfield & Hecht’s attorneys also have experience in insolvency-related matters, including preference and fraudulent transfer litigation, receiverships, lien and other priority disputes, work-outs, restructures and transactions related to deed-in-lieu and deed-in-aid of foreclosures.