Robert McGahey

Judge Robert L. McGahey, Jr. has been a Denver District Court Judge since January, 2000. He currently presides in Courtroom 409, handling civil cases. He has also served in the Criminal and Domestic Relations divisions. Before his appointment, he was a practicing civil trial lawyer for over 25 years, during which time he tried over 100 jury trials. His practice focused on insurance defense litigation, coverage disputes and worker's compensation.

Judge McGahey is a graduate of Princeton University (magna cum laude) and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He is a member of the American, Colorado and Denver Bar Associations. He is a member of the Chief Justice's Commission on the Future of the Legal Profession. Judge McGahey frequently judges at both law school and high school mock trial programs and coordinates the, Judicially Speaking, program for the Denver Public Schools.

He has served numerous times as an instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy at the National Session, the Rocky Mountain Regional Trial Program, the Rocky Mountain and Southern Deposition Programs, the Rocky Mountain Children's Advocacy Program, the Massachusetts Child Advocacy Institute, the Utah Child Advocacy Training Institute, the U.S. Tax Court Program, the National Organization of Bar Counsel Program, Tribal Court Advocacy and Evidence Programs and various other Legal Services, governmental agency, and in-house programs. He received NITA's "Volunteer of the Year" Award in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2012, 2013 and 2014 he was a speaker at Stetson University College of Law's annual Educating Advocates: Teaching Advocacy Skills conference and was a panelist at IAALS, 2012 and 2013 Civil Justice Summits. Judge McGahey has been a presenter or speaker at a number of other CLE presentations, including the Colorado State Judicial Conference, on topics ranging from litigation tactics and strategy to lawyer and judicial ethics.

Judge McGahey has been an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law since 1985, teaching Basic and Advanced Trial Practice and the Judicial Externship Seminar; he also has taught at C.U. Law School. Judge McGahey is a member of SCOL's Modern Learning Committee, which is tasked with implementing the recommendations of the Carnegie Commission at SCOL. In 2013, Judge McGahey was the recipient of the Ruth Murray Underhill Teaching Award, presented by the Faculty Senate to the outstanding adjunct professor in the University system.

Judge McGahey and his wife, Julia, have been married for more than forty-four years, having met in second grade. They have three children: Peter, a college soccer coach in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan; Myles, a night manager for Safeway who resides in Denver; and Emily, a Certified Nurse Midwife in Pittsburgh. Judge McGahey and his wife also are the extremely proud grandparents of Isiah, Ella, Brooks and Will.