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Sheila M. Gutterman
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| Title: |
President, Co-Founder, Shareholder |
| Industry: |
Law, Mediation |
| Type of Organization: |
Full Service Family Law Firm |
| Major Product/Service: |
Domestic litigation, mediation and related legal services. |
| Expertise: |
Ms. Gutterman specializes in Family Law Litigation, Mediation and Alternate Dispute Resolution. |
| Geographic Area of Distribution: |
Colorado |
| Affiliations: |
Domestic Violence Advisory Steering Committee, Liaison to Family Law Section and Community Health and Abuse Information; Fellow, Executive Council for Family Law, Colorado Bar Association; Denver Bar Association; National Lecturer, BarBri Bar Review; Practitioner Status, Association for Conflict Resolution; Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity; Committee Member, Supreme Court Pilot Project; Foundation Leadership Circle, Colorado Women's Bar Association; Association of Family and Conciliation Courts; Colorado Council of Mediators; Metro-Denver Interdisciplinary Council; Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution; Steering Committee, Child Custody Conferences; Numerous community affiliations including United Way, Allied Jewish Federation, Children's Diabetes Foundation, Colorado Free University, Castle Pines Country Club, Mizel Museum and the Colorado Judicial Institute. |
| University/Degree: |
B.A., Cum Laude, Pre-Legal Program, 1965; M.A., Cum Laude, Guidance and Counseling, University of Michigan, 1967; J.D., University of Denver, 1987; Admitted to the Colorado Bar, 1988 |
| Born: |
January 28, 1944, Mendota, Illinois |
| Hobbies/Sports: |
Travel, hiking, biking, community volunteer work |
| Work History: |
Prior to opening Gutterman Griffiths, P.C., Ms. Gutterman was a Partner at Gutterman Carlton & Heckenbach, LLP in Lone Tree, Colorado, from 1997 to 2002, where she practiced Domestic Litigation and Alternate Dispute Resolution Law. She practiced in her law firm, The Law Office of Sheila M. Gutterman in Denver, from 1991 to 1997, and previously worked as an Associate Attorney at the Law Offices of Lawrence Litvak, also in Denver, from 1987 to 1991. For 18 years, Ms. Gutterman has given BarBri Bar Review lectures and videos and has written the outline on Family Law in Colorado for lawyers studying for the Bar exam. She has taught and mentored thousands of law students and new attorneys in family law. She has also Chaired and held all offices in the Colorado Bar Association's Family Law Section. Ms. Gutterman served on numerous commissions including the Colorado Supreme Court Commission on Families and Children and Chaired the Denver Bar Association's Barrister Benefit Ball (for two years), raising money to provide legal assistance to the poor and needy. She also served as an Advanced Practitioner in the Association for Conflict Resolution (200+ mediated cases). Since the early 1990's, Ms. Gutterman has lectured on offering clients a range of options as they go through the divorce process and has been a pioneer in both Mediation and Collaborative Law. In the 1980's, she lectured nationally on Mediation as a non-adversarial alternative to the courtroom in family disputes. Ms. Gutterman founded the Colorado Collaborative Law Professionals in the 1990's as a state umbrella organization to oversee developments in Collaborative Law and conducted or sponsored 27 Collaborative Law workshops. |
| Honors & Awards: |
Volunteer Lawyer of the Year, 1994; "AV" rated, Martindale-Hubbell; Listed in Who's Who in the West, 1995-96; International Who's Who, 1995-96; Who's Who in American Law, 1994-95; Supreme Court Commission on Families and Children, Colorado; Entrepreneur of the Year, Women's Vision Foundation; "Colorado Legal Outlook", Forbes; Recognition as Outstanding Family Law Firm; Best of Bar Finalist and Outstanding Women in Business Finalist, Denver Business Journal; National Lecturer/Video/Outline-Family Law, BarBri Bar Review; "Very Important Person", Intermountain Jewish News; Volunteer Lawyer of the Year, Denver Bar Association; "Outstanding Women in Business" Award, National Council of Jewish Women; Top Divorce Attorneys in Denver, Divorce in Denver Magazine; Top 100 Women-Owned Businesses and Top 250 Privately Owned Companies, Colorado Biz Magazine |
| Published Works: |
Editor, "Bar Review Outline on Family Law in Colorado" and "Teaching Hypotheticals on Family Law in Colorado", BarBri Bar Review, 1990 to present; "Basic Trends in Colorado Family Law", CLE, 1999; "No More Custody", Intermountain Jewish News, 1999; Column, "Legal Lines", Co-editor, Rocky Mountain News, 1995 to 1997; Published dozens of articles on Collaborative Law including two in the Colorado Lawyer; Textbook "Collaborative Law, A New Model for Dispute Resolution" used in law schools nationally. |
| Career Accomplishments: |
Ms. Gutterman has been a leader in strengthening the Colorado court system and has helped restructure the family law court system to be more economical, efficient and responsive to public needs. She advocates using the medical analogy: First, Do No Harm; Informed Consent and Triage. She is the Past Chair, Secretary and Treasurer of the Colorado Bar Association, Family Law Section, Board Member and Membership Chairperson of the Colorado Judicial Institute, First Vice President and Budget Director of the Denver Bar Association, Foundation Fellow of the American Bar Association, Foundation Fellow and Board of Governors member for six years for the Colorado Bar Association and Founder and Former Chair of the Colorado Collaborative Law Professionals. |
