Britta Kruse

Britta Kruse comes to 2nd Chair after nearly twelve years spent sharpening her research, writing, and oral advocacy skills in the Appellate Division of the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office, where she began her legal career following a clerkship with Hon. Justice Alex J. Martinez on the Colorado Supreme Court, and an internship with Hon. Judge John L. Kane on the Federal District Court of the District of Colorado.

During her productive career as an appellate public defender, Britta drafted over 100 principal briefs and conducted 30 oral arguments in the Colorado Court of Appeals. In the Colorado Supreme Court, Britta has drafted 6 principal briefs and conducted 3 oral arguments. Despite the steep odds against any appellate defender, Britta’s persuasive advocacy has produced 3 published wins in the Colorado Supreme Court, and 7 published wins in the Colorado Court of Appeals, which is in addition to the dozens of unpublished wins she has obtained for her clients over the years. In total, Britta has 17 published appellate cases to her name in the appellate courts of Colorado.

Britta’s meticulous research ability coupled with her natural inquisitiveness has led Britta to develop an expertise in Colorado’s unique law governing extreme indifference crimes, which resulted in the creation of comprehensive training materials in this area. Since then, Britta has provided strategic consultation on over a dozen extreme indifference cases in district courts across the state of Colorado. Similarly, Britta developed an expertise and training materials pertaining to Colorado’s Force Against Intruders (“Make My Day”) defense, and other complex issues involving self-defense and “Heat of Passion” provocation.

Britta is a passionate advocate with a decisive, straightforward communication style and knack for strategizing complex legal issues. Britta has been a go-to source and valued mentor throughout her career owing to her ability to sift facts, leverage precedent, and craft compelling narratives. Britta's expertise covers a broad spectrum of the most challenging issues facing criminal defense attorneys, making her an ideal strategic partner for any of your research, writing, and tactical needs before, during, and after trial.    

Education

University of Colorado Law School, JD (2009)
Candidate for Order of the Coif
Associate Editor, Colorado Law Review

Education

University of Wisconsin-Madison, BA Legal Studies + Integrated Liberal Studies (2005)
Graduated with Distinction
Graduated with Honors in Liberal Arts
Phi Beta Kappa