Austin M. Cohen - Denver, CO
Attorney at Kontnik | Cohen, LLC
Family law Lawyers in Denver, CO
201 Steele Street Ste. 210 Denver, CO 80206
- Free Consultation
- 1 Super Lawyers®
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13
Years
Experience
Denver Family law Lawyer
Updated: 09/11/2026
Areas of Practice
- Family law
- Civil Litigation
- Employment Law
- Disability Law
- Civil Rights
- Discrimination Law
Attorney Information
Overview
Austin is a seasoned civil litigator who is also trained in mediation. He leads the firm's Family Law and Private Client practices. Austin regularly represents clients in matters involving complex psychological dynamics, sophisticated financial issues, privacy concerns, and high-stakes personal or professional consequences. He also practices employment and disability law, specializing in discrimination and failure-to-accommodate cases.
Austin is an experienced trial attorney, having conducted numerous contested trials over the last decade in state district courts across Colorado, federal district court, and arbitration settings. He is known for being prepared and persuasive in the courtroom, with the ability to adapt his approach in real time based on the evidence and dynamics of the trial.
Austin is a skilled legal writer. He has represented clients before the Supreme Court of the United States—securing a unanimous 9-0 victory in 2025—and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and Colorado Supreme Court. His unique legal insight flows from working on hundreds of cases alongside a judge in state trial court and in a federal appeals court, where he developed a disciplined, judge-focused approach to legal writing and analysis. Known for his empathy, tenacity, and creativity, Austin is deeply committed to achieving the best outcomes for his clients through strategic and compassionate representation during some of life’s most challenging and high-stakes moments.
Representing clients in divorce, child custody disputes, and post-divorce modifications, Austin learns about his client's goals and strategically approaches each case. He has demonstrated success in handling high-conflict parenting time and decision making issues including parental alienation dynamics, and complex financial issues including phantom income, tracing premarital assets, and the concepts of voluntarily unemployed or underemployed in the areas of child support and maintenance. Austin serves as a member of the amicus curiae counsel team for the Family Law Section of the Colorado Bar Association, contributing to appellate briefing and legal analysis on issues affecting family-law practice statewide.
Through the firm’s Private Client Practice, Austin advises individuals whose legal issues require discretion, judgment, and a broader understanding of how the law, reputation, business interests, privacy, and contractual issues may intersect. Austin’s counsel balances short-term needs with long-term perspective, with an eye toward risk assessment, preventing exposure, and quietly resolving sensitive issues before they escalate. Through this practice, Austin advises business owners, executives, professional athletes, and individuals in creative and public-facing industries who need practical, strategic counsel when personal legal issues carry consequences beyond the courtroom.
Austin understands the impact that litigation has on the family unit and makes himself available to clients during non-business hours. He represents clients across the state of Colorado including the counties of Denver, Boulder, Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas, El Paso, Pueblo, Summit, Larimer, Weld, Telluride, and Pitkin.
Austin’s employment, civil rights, and disability practices are rooted in discrimination claims involving disability race, national origin, color, religion, sex, and age. He has been practicing these areas of law for nearly a decade, and has worked on several high-profile cases involving seven-figure settlements.
Austin’s competitive drive flows from his background playing team sports. In high school, he was a two-time ice-hockey state champion in Pennsylvania, and was also a team captain. While obtaining his undergraduate degree, he was on the men’s ice hockey team and was selected to the All-Star Team during his senior year (Div. II, American Collegiate Hockey Association). He was also a member of the university’s student government: Associate Vice President of Student Affairs. During law school, he was a coach and judge for high school and middle school mock trial competitions.
Notable Family Law Case Results*
- Court granted directed verdict in favor of client during motion to restrict parenting time hearing
- Successfully represented a client at a contested, multiple day, Permanent Orders trial resulting in the court dropping the Temporary Protection Order against the client, increasing the client’s parenting time, and denying the opposing parties’ request to relocate to another state
- Reduced a client’s monthly maintenance/spousal support payment from $9,000 to $6,000, without filing a motion or court involvement, and attending mediation only
- Successfully defended a client in trial who was accused of parental alienation and received a court order granting the client’s request for 100% of the overnights and sole decision making for the children
- Traced a client’s premarital assets (separate property) dating back to the early 1980's, which were worth over $400,000, to remove the assets from distribution of the marital estate, and still negotiated a favorable pretrial settlement where the client received more of the marital estate than the opposing party, which exceeded $1,000,000
- Transferred an out-of-state court order to Colorado under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), attended a trial to modify parenting time and received a favorable court order granting all of the client’s requested modifications including substantial changes to the parenting time schedule
Awards and Honors
Awards
Honors
- Distinguished Service – United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Federal Court of Appeals Judge, Helene N. White
- Distinguished Service – Michigan Court of Claims and Ingham County Circuit Court, State Trial Court Judge, Rosemarie E. Aquilina
- Selected to 5280 Magazine’s Denver’s Top Lawyers in 2026 - Family Law and Divorce, 2026
- Selected to ColoradoBiz’s Spring 2026 Power List Colorado 500 - Family Law, 2026
- February 28, 2025: Law360’s Legal Lions of the Week for 9-0 victory at the the U.S. Supreme Court in Waetzig v. Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., 604 U.S. 305 (2025)
- Selected to Super Lawyers - Family Law, 2024 - 2026
- Selected to Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” - Family Law, 2019 - 2023
- Selected to The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Colorado, 2021 - 2022
- Selected to "Top 10 Under 40" for Family Law in Colorado by National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, 2019
- Selected to "10 Best" Family Law Attorneys list for Colorado by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, 2018 - 2019
- Selected to "Top 10" Family Law Attorneys list for Colorado by Attorney and Practice Magazine, 2018 - 2019
- Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, “Case of the Year” in Jamal Hunter v. City & County of Denver - Attorney on team representing Mr. Hunter, 2014
- 2nd Place, International Law School Mediation Tournament, International Academy of Dispute Resolution (Chicago, IL), 2013
- All-Star Team Selection, Div. II American Collegiate Hockey Association; Captain and 2-Time High School PA State Champion - Ice Hockey, 2009
Other Sources of Feedback About Austin M. Cohen
Included on the 2027 Colorado Super Lawyers list
Past Lists
- 2026 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2025 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2024 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2023 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2022 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Colorado Super Lawyers list
Education
Legal Education
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Cooley Law School, 2013
J.D.
Honors: Second Place, International Law School Mediation Tournament, International Academy of Dispute Resolution
Honors: Coach, High School and Middle School Mock Trial Competition
Non Legal Education
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University of Northern Colorado, 2009
B.A.
Honors: Men's Ice Hockey Team
Honors: Student Government
Major: Legal Studies
Major: Political Science
Current Employment Position(s)
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Founding Partner + Attorney
Past Positions
- Ingham County Circuit Court, Honorable Rosemarie E. Aquilina, Student Law Clerk, 2010 - 2012
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Honorable Helene N. White, Judicial Extern, 2012 - 2013
- Rathod | Mohamedbhai, LLC, Associate Attorney, 2014 - 2015
- Dufford & Brown, PC, Associate Attorney, 2015 - 2016
- Coombe Curry Rich and Jarvis, Associate Attorney, 2016 - 2017
Languages
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English
Classes and Seminars
- University of Colorado Law School, Trial Advocacy Class - Guest Lecturer (prior)
Pro Bono Activities
- University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Moot Court Board, Judge
- Wish of a Lifetime, Pro Bono Counsel
- Denver Active 2030 Children’s Foundation, Member
- Denver Active 2030 Children’s Foundation, Grant Review Committee
- Anti-Defamation League's Glass Leadership Institute, Sturm Fellow
- Colorado Bar Foundation, Member, 2013 - Present
Representative Cases
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Colorado Supreme Court: Bd. of Cty. Commissioners of Summit Cty. v. Rodgers, 355 P.3d 1253 (Colo. 2015) (Reversed and remanded to Colorado Court of Appeals)
- Year: 2015
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Aldrich v. Industrial Cooling Solutions, et al., 14-cv-03206 (D. Colo.)
- Year: 2014
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Dines v. Visiting Nurses Association, 14-cv-03132 (D. Colo.)
- Year: 2014
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Krantz v. Dulacki, 2014cv34756 (Den. Dist. Ct.)
- Year: 2014
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Supreme Court of the United States: Waetzig v. Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., 604 U.S. 305 (2025) (9-0 win) (Reversed and remanded to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit)
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United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit: Waetzig v. Halliburton, 145 F.4th 1279 (10th Cir. 2025) (Fed. R. Civ. Pro 60(b)(6))
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United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit: Snyder v. Beam Technologies, 147 F.4th 1246 (10th Cir. 2025) (Trade Secrets Litigation & Employment Appeal)
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United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit: Waetzig v. Halliburton, 82 F.4th 918 (10th Cir. 2023) (matter of first impression creating circuit split)
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United States District Court for the District of Colorado: Gregory v. National Football League et al., Case No. 1:24-cv-01986-SKC-CYC (D. Colo. 2024) (Disability Discrimination)
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United States District Court for the District of Colorado: Mullen v. South Denver Rehabilitation, et al., 18-cv-01552 (D. Colo. 2018) (Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act; the Affordable Care Act; Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act; and Colorado common law, for outrageous conduct)
Bar Admissions
- U.S. District Court District of Colorado
- Colorado, 2013
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit
Other Affiliations
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (Colorado Chapter) (Member)
- Colorado Bar Association (Member)
- Denver Bar Association (Member)
- American Institute of Family Law Attorneys (Member)
- Colorado Bar Association - Amicus Curiae Family Law Section (Attorney)
- American Institute of Legal Counsel, 2018 - Present (Member)
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