Kristin M. Ladd

Kristin Ladd (she/her) received her J.D. from the University of Washington in Seattle and her B.A. from Colorado College, where she graduated cum laude. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado, for the Tulalip and Squaxin Island Tribes, and she was formerly licensed in Washington State.

Professor Ladd brings a longstanding commitment to social justice, direct client service, and public interest law. A Colorado attorney since 2012, she has practiced in both government and nonprofit settings. Before joining the Denver Law faculty, she worked at the Office of Alternate Defense Counsel, where she built and oversaw attorney development programs, including programs for law students, mentors, new lawyers, and new associates working as criminal defense contractors representing indigent clients. She also launched ADC’s inaugural postgraduate fellowship programs: the Greater Colorado Fellowship and the Inclusivity Fellowship. In addition, she partnered with agencies including the Access to Justice Commission, the Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel, and the Office of the Child’s Representative to expand representation efforts in rural Colorado.

Professor Ladd began her career as a trial attorney with the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office in Mesa, El Paso, and Jefferson Counties, where she represented adults and juveniles in county and district court. She later worked in the Children’s and Family Unit at Colorado Legal Services, representing survivors of intrafamilial violence in divorce, protection order, and child custody proceedings. She also served as a client services analyst for the Child Protection Ombudsman, focusing on Division of Youth Services cases, complaints, and policy. She is the former executive director of the Colorado Juvenile Defender Center, where she represented juveniles in education-related proceedings, municipal criminal cases, civil record-sealing matters, and juvenile sex offender deregistration proceedings.

Professor Ladd believes that promoting equal and meaningful access to legal representation in the U.S. justice system is critical to ending poverty, combating discrimination, and creating opportunity.