Steve C. Briggs began his legal career at CU Law School in Boulder, where he was the faculty selection as Outstanding Freshman, and graduated second in his class in 1975. He served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Alfred Arraj of the Colorado U.S. District Court, then in the Antitrust Section of the Colorado Attorney General. In 1978 he entered private practice, representing plaintiffs and defendants in cases that covered the field of complex civil litigation. During this time, Steve was actively involved in pro bono, civic, and bar activities. He served as President of the Boulder County Bar Association and Vice-President of the Colorado Bar Association.

Steve’s interest in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) led him in the 1980’s to basic and advanced training in mediation and arbitration. Over the next few years he was a volunteer mediator for non-profit organizations; Boulder’s first contract mediator with the Colorado Office of Dispute Resolution; and an Adjunct Professor at C.U. Law School, teaching a course in Negotiations and ADR. Steve became an active member of the Arbitration and Mediation Panels of the American Arbitration Association, and one of its first mediator trainers.

As a judge on the Colorado Court of Appeals, Steve Briggs authored over 600 opinions concerning Colorado and federal law and, as a division member, decided over 1,200 more. During this time, Judge Briggs served as a judge for mock trials for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and other organizations; gave numerous presentations on mediation; acted as an appellate settlement judge; and authored the article for the Centennial Edition of the Colorado Lawyer on the history of ADR in the Colorado Bar.

For over a decade at JAG, Judge Briggs has been providing ADR services, such as mediation and arbitration, and working as a consultant on appellate case briefing and oral argument. Outside of JAG, Steve continues to present continuing legal education programs and to write on legal topics, including his article in the July 2011 Colorado Lawyer, “Pretrial Bashor Agreements after Nunn v. Mid-Century.  He was appointed by the Denver Mayor as the first auditor of the Denver Police Intelligence files.  He has remained active in bar work, including his service as President of the Colorado Bar Association.  Steve has received the Distinguished Alumni Award from C.U. Law School for his work as a judge and in ADR.  He currently is on the Board of the Colorado Judicial Institute, the Advisory Board of Colorado’s Future, and the State Commission on Judicial Performance.