Hon. Kathleen E. Craigmile, Esq., is a JAMS DENVER neutral.  JAMS Denver is a licensee office. Policies and procedures may differ between JAMS, Inc., and JAMS Denver. Please visit https://jamsdenver.com/ or contact Lisa Gaige at admindocs@jamsdenver.com or 303-534-1254 for information related to JAMS Denver. 

Kathleen E. Craigmile, Esq., practiced law for 28 years primarily in the areas of employment litigation, counseling and investigations, as well as in commercial litigation, contract litigation, intellectual property litigation, and business entity disputes involving owners, customers, vendors and other third parties.

Ms. Craigmile has represented both employers and employees in all aspects of employment litigation, including statutory discrimination and retaliation actions, whistleblower actions, and wage and hour matters, as well as and noncompete, trade secret, severance and other employment agreement disputes. Her practice also included a broad range of commercial litigation matters, including representing plaintiffs and defendants in contract disputes, fraud disputes, entity ownership disputes, antitrust claims, banking matters, patent and trademark infringement claims, Lanham Act claims, intellectual property licensing and misappropriation disputes, constitutional claims, consumer protection actions, and civil RICO and COCCA cases. 

Ms. Craigmile has represented hundreds of individuals and entities and has acted as general counsel for a wide variety of clients, including IT companies, health care providers and nonprofits. As an attorney, she had a special interest in legal analysis and has researched and written hundreds of trial court and appellate court briefs in wide-ranging areas of substantive and procedural law. While Ms. Craigmile’s practice involved many state court litigation matters, she practiced primarily in federal courts. She is a long-time member of the Colorado-based Faculty of Federal Advocates (FFA), having served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2015-2019 and as President of the Board of Directors in 2018. In 2023, Ms. Craigmile serves as an Emeritus Board Member and as Co-Chair of the FFA’s Pro Bono Panel Committee.

From nearly three decades of counseling clients and representing plaintiffs and defendants in every phase of litigation, Ms. Craigmile brings to JAMS the demeanor and tenacity necessary to help litigants resolve their disputes, whether in the pre-suit or administrative proceeding stage, during discovery or with trial approaching. As a mediator, arbitrator and special master, her goal at all times is to help parties resolve their disputes in the most respectful, efficient and economic manner.

Representative Matters

• Arbitration
• Commercial and Other Litigation
• Breach of Contract
• Fraud
• Breach of Fiduciary Duty
• Entity Ownership Disputes
• Intellectual Property
• Antitrust and Unfair Competition
• Consumer Protection
• Federal Statutory and Diversity Matters
• Employment Law
• Discrimination and Retaliation
• Wrongful Discharge
• Failure to Accommodate
• Family and Medical Leave
• Noncompete, Work for Hire, and Confidentiality Agreements
• Misappropriation of Trade Secrets
• Wage and Hour Disputes
• Federal and Colorado Statutory Employment Claims
• Whistleblower Actions
• Executive Employment Agreements and Severance Disputes
• Employee Benefits

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Memberships and Affiliations

• Member, Faculty of Federal Advocates, 2004–present
  • Member, Board of Directors, 2015–2019
  • President, Board of Directors, 2018
  • Chair, Pro Bono Panel Committee, 2019
  • Member Emeritus, Board of Directors, 2023
  • Co-Chair, Pro Bono Panel Committee, 2023

Selected Awards and Honors

• The Best Lawyers in America, 2022–2023
• Best Employment Attorneys (Defense), 5280 Magazine, 2022-2023
• Law Week Colorado – Barrister’s Best – Best Employment Lawyer for Defendants, 2017
• AV Preeminent Rating, Peer and Judiciary, Martindale-Hubbell

Background and Education

• Shareholder; Bennington Johnson & Reeve, P.C.; 1999–2002
• Member; Bennington Johnson Biermann & Craigmile, LLC; 2002–2015
• Shareholder; Nixon Shefrin Ogburn Drew, P.C.; 2015–2021
• Partner; Hall Booth Smith, P.C., 2022
• J.D., University of Colorado Law School, 1994
• B.A., Colorado College, 1988