Adam Mueller brings a diverse background to Haddon, Morgan and Foreman, having worked on civil and criminal cases with a particular focus on appellate criminal practice.
Adam graduated from Tufts University, where he received his B.A. in history. He then obtained his J.D. from Boston College Law School. After graduating from law school, Adam spent two years as a judicial law clerk, first for Judge Carlos F. Lucero of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver, Colorado, and then for Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV, of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Following his clerkships, Adam worked for six years as a deputy state public defender in the Appellate Division of the Colorado Public Defender’s Office. In that time, Adam represented clients facing a broad array of charges, from drug possession and distribution, to sexual assault and homicide. Adam used his time in the Appellate Division to hone his writing and oral advocacy skills. As a public defender, Adam regularly presented oral argument before the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Court of Appeals.
Outside of his legal practice, Adam is an avid soccer fan and longtime soccer referee. He has been a certified referee for the United States Soccer Federation since he was eleven years old, and has most recently concentrated his refereeing on the collegiate game. Adam has refereed in the Division II NCAA tournament five years in a row.
Adam spends his free time with his wife and two daughters.
PUBLICATIONS
“Criminal Contempt for the Civil Practitioner”, The Colorado Lawyer (forthcoming)
“The Implications of Legislative Power: State Constitutions, State Legislatures, and Mid-Decade Redistricting,” 48 B.C.L. Rev. 1343 (2007)
SELECTED REPORTED CASES
People v. Roddy, 2021 CO 74
People v. Lujan, 2018 COA 95
People v. Ramos, 2017 CO 6
People v. Wood, 2016 COA 134
People v. Evans, 2015 COA 156
People v. Johnson, 2015 COA 54
Doyle v. People, 2015 CO 10
People v. Delsordo, 2014 COA 174
People v. Jaso, 2014 COA 131
People v. Ramos, 2012 COA 191
People v. Poage, 272 P.3d 1113 (Colo.App. 2011)
EDUCATION
- Tufts University, B.A. in history, summa cum laude, 2004 (Phi Beta Kappa; Highest Honors for Senior Thesis)
- Boston College Law School, J.D., summa cum laude, 2008 (Executive Articles Editor, Boston College Law Review)
PRACTICE AREAS
- Criminal Defense
- Appellate and Post-Conviction Matters
- Civil Rights
- Civil Litigation
HONORS & DISTINCTIONS
- 2022 & 2023 Super Lawyers, Appellate
- 2020 & 2019 President’s Service Award, Colorado LGBT Bar Association
- 2019 Advancing Justice Award, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Association
COURT ADMISSIONS
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of Colorado
- Colorado
- Massachusetts
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- Colorado Bar Association, Criminal Law Section, Executive Committee
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
- Colorado Bar Association (past Chair and Vice-Chair of the Civil Rights Committee)
- Denver Bar Association
- LGBT Bar Association (member LGBT Judicial Endorsement and Amicus Committees)
REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
- Successfully defended individuals accused of criminal contempt arising from alleged violations of a rural easement.
- Successfully defended two public defenders charged with direct contempt for resisting orders to proceed to trial during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, before any vaccination was approved or available.
- Helped secure a favorable settlement of behalf of a private individual and companies accused of mail fraud, wire fraud, and racketeering in Colorado state district court.
- Obtained a six-figure judgment on behalf of a DOC inmate whose appendicitis was ignored by prison officials, leading to 40 days in the ICU and multiple surgeries.
- Representing an individual accused of bid rigging in Colorado state district court, unanimously prevailing on a question of law before the Colorado Supreme Court.
- Representing a group of restaurants suing their insurance company for loss of business income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Representing an individual falsely accused of criminal offenses in his suit for malicious prosecution and abuse of process.
- Experienced civil and criminal appellate advocate, having argued cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the Colorado Supreme Court, and the Colorado Court of Appeals
