[blox img="http://berchman.net/irelandstapleton/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/kduke.jpg" height="260" nomargin="true"][column8][distance2][big_title]Kelley B. Duke[/big_title][h4]Director[/h4][p][/p][/column8][/blox][column10][subtitle]BIOGRAPHY[/subtitle][p]Kelley Duke is an experienced trial attorney who chairs and leads the firm's litigation practice group.  Ms. Duke, a tenacious advocate for her clients, maintains a full trial docket handling a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters.  She prosecutes and defends various size companies in a variety of industries, including real estate development and construction, accounting, marketing and public relations, franchises, snow sports, oil and gas, special districts, and ranch properties, on matters that involve, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, antitrust issues, the protection of intellectual property and trade secrets, residential and commercial real estate litigation, development and water rights disputes, commerce clause and equal protection claims, employment law issues and construction defect disputes.  [/p][p]A savvy litigator, Ms. Duke knows that going to trial is not always advantageous to the client based on a variety of factors including increasing litigation costs.  Therefore, when it's in the client's best interest, she actively mediates issues, working with the opposing side to resolve a dispute quickly and in the most cost effective manner for her client.  [/p][p]Ms. Duke is extremely active in the community.  She founded The Women's Foundation of Colorado's Denver Empowerment Council, a group of philanthropic young professional women seeking to effect change and contribute to the empowerment of Colorado's girls and women through economic self-sufficiency. She also co-chairs the organization's Power of Extended Philanthropy (P.E.P.) committee and is a member of the Development Committee.  Ms. Duke sits on the endowment board for The Gathering Place, a daytime drop-in center for women, their children and transgender individuals who are experiencing homelessness.  [/p][p]Ms. Duke is admitted to practice in the states of Colorado and Connecticut; in the U.S. District Courts in Colorado and Connecticut; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; and the U.S. Federal Circuit.[/p][p][distance1][subtitle]Legal Experience[/subtitle][list-ul type="circle"][li-row]Represented a real estate developer in a trial involving claims brought pursuant to the Colorado Trust Fund Statute.  Obtained a successful verdict before the trial court and subsequent affirmation of the Colorado Supreme Court.  [/li-row][li-row]Represented a regional accounting firm in a trial against a $3 million claim of professional negligence and breach of contract and obtained a successful verdict. [/li-row][li-row]Represented architects, contractors and real estate developers in connection with professional negligence allegations including claims involving the Colorado Construction Defect Reform Act (CDARA).  [/li-row][li-row]Represented companies and their officers and directors in employment cases associated with discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination and wrongful discharge. [/li-row][li-row]Represented partners, members and shareholders of privately held businesses in disputes involving departure, dissolution and director and officer liability claims.  [/li-row][li-row]Represented Warren Miller Entertainment in a two-week arbitration related to publicity rights and a breach of contract achieving a successful binding, non-appealable award.[/li-row][li-row]Represented various subsidiaries of United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in cases involving misappropriation of trade secrets and intellectual property, employment claims and real property disputes.  [/li-row][li-row]Represented a real estate development company in a jury trial litigating claims of breach of contract and bad faith winning a jury award of $1 million in damages.  [/li-row][li-row]Represented a fixed-based operator in a federal antitrust lawsuit asserting claims under the Sherman Act, equal protection clause and commerce clause.  [/li-row][li-row]Represented a global provider of data management systems for land-based and offshore rigs worldwide in a two-week jury trial defending claims of patent infringement with equitable defenses.  [/li-row][li-row]Represented multiple regional real estate companies with claims relating to professional negligence, breach of contract, and business conflicts. [/li-row][li-row]Represented partners, members and shareholders of privately held businesses in disputes involving departure and/or dissolution.[/li-row][li-row]Represented companies and individuals against defamation claims including libel and slander.  [/li-row][/list-ul][distance1][subtitle]Affiliations[/subtitle][list-ul type="circle"][li-row]Leadership Denver, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, 2013[/li-row][li-row]WorldDenver[/li-row][li-row]Board of Trustees, The Women’s Foundation of Colorado [/li-row][li-row]Co-Chair, P.E.P., The Women's Foundation of Colorado[/li-row][li-row]Founder, Empowerment Council, The Women's Foundation of Colorado[/li-row][li-row]Development Committee, The Women's Foundation of Colorado [/li-row][li-row]Endowment Board of Directors, The Gathering Place[/li-row][li-row]Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center[/li-row][li-row]Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk[/li-row][li-row]Denver Bar Association[/li-row][/list-ul][subtitle]Interests[/subtitle][list-ul type="circle"][li-row]Philanthropy, volunteer work, college sports and hiking.[/li-row][/list-ul][distance4][/column10][column5 class="offset-by-one"][subtitle]Practice Areas[/subtitle][list-ul type="arrow"][li-row]Litigation[/li-row][li-row]Complex Commercial Litigation[/li-row][li-row]Real Estate[/li-row][li-row]Business[/li-row][/list-ul][subtitle]Education[/subtitle][list-ul type="arrow"][li-row]Capital University Law School (J.D. magna cum laude, Editor-in-Chief of Law Review)[/li-row][li-row]West Virginia University (B.S. in business administration with honors)[/li-row][/list-ul][subtitle]Contact Info[/subtitle][list-ul type="arrow"][li-row]work: (303) 623.2700[/li-row][li-row]<a href="mailto:kduke@irelandstapleton.com">kduke@irelandstapleton.com</a>[/li-row][li-row]<a href="#">Download Kelley B. Duke's vCard</a>[/li-row][/list-ul][/column5]