As an attorney I advocate for the goals of my clients. But counseling comes first: not how but whether to act. I can’t be a mindless gun for hire: that avoids my own responsibility and poorly serves clients. At the same time, I strive not to impose my own values. My favorite description is that we are mainly social janitors: we organize things, clean up messes and sometimes prevent them.

Trial experience — dealing with disputes that end up in court — has honed my sensibilities. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., said it best: “The prophecies of what the courts will do in fact, and nothing more pretentious, are what I mean by the law.” Legal advice not regularly challenged in court is mostly philosophy.

For 19 years, I trained at a Zen Buddhist monastery and worked as a carpenter. I then completed a BA in American Studies from the University at Buffalo, a law degree from Northeastern University in Boston, and a Masters from the Colorado School of Public Health. Click here to see my diplomas, starting with the most important.

I also hand-craft books, combat the NY Times crossword, bike in the city, and love coffeeshop playtime with kids
(click here to see their portraits of me).

Casey with Sadie the Turtle, Colorado 2022

Affiliations

Legal
Courts of Colorado (admitted 1991)
Colorado Federal District Court (admitted 1993)
Colorado Federal Bankruptcy Court (admitted 1993)
Courts of Massachusetts (admitted 1991)
Colorado & Denver Bar Associations (joined 1991)
Colorado Board of Pharmacy (2019 – 2023)

Ethics
UC IPED Education Facilitator (since 1999)
UC Hospital Medical Ethics Committee (since 1999)
Mercy Medical Center Ethics Committee (1994 – 1995)
Colorado Healthcare Ethics Forum Board (2016 – 2017)
Life Quality Institute (Palliative Ed) Board (2013 – 2014)

Educator
Sole attorney on faculty and creator of the legal curriculum:
     UC Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship (2006-2023)
     CMHI-Pueblo Forensic Psychology Fellowship (2015-2023)
     Denver FIRST Forensic Psychology Fellowship (2015-2023)
UC Center for Bioethics and the Humanities faculty (since 2004)
Co-Editor, Health Law Column, the Colorado Lawyer (since 2006)

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