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Jody Harper Alderman - Denver, CO
101 University BoulevardSuite 350 Denver, CO 80206
Alderman Bernstein
Denver Eminent Domain Lawyer
Overview
Highly respected in her field by her peers, Jody Harper Alderman has practiced eminent domain law and real estate law for more than two decades. Among her colleagues, Jody is known for her willingness to go above and beyond for a client, often times “giving 150 percent,” her law firm partner, Carrie Bernstein, says. “She truly cares. That’s why people come back and say ‘wow...
Highly respected in her field by her peers, Jody Harper Alderman has practiced eminent domain law and real estate law for more than two decades. Among her colleagues, Jody is known for her willingness to go above and beyond for a client, often times “giving 150 percent,” her law firm partner, Carrie Bernstein, says. “She truly cares. That’s why people come back and say ‘wow...
Highly respected in her field by her peers, Jody Harper Alderman has practiced eminent domain law and real estate law for more than two decades. Among her colleagues, Jody is known for her willingness to go above and beyond for a client, often times “giving 150 percent,” her law firm partner, Carrie Bernstein, says. “She truly cares. That’s why people come back and say ‘wow.’”
During law school at the University of Colorado School of Law, it was the takings clause of the U. S. Constitution — where the power of eminent domain stems — that immediately piqued Jody’s interest. As such, her University of Colorado Law Review article focused on the Fifth Amendment’s takings clause. Upon graduating from law school, she calls it fortuitous that she found a job at Denver law firm Grimshaw & Harring (now called Spencer Fane) where she could focus on the area of law that so interested her. Jody worked at Grimshaw & Harring until 2009, when she and Carrie left to start Alderman Bernstein. As a married mother of three, Jody wanted to nurture her professional ambitions while being fully present for her family.
At Alderman Bernstein, Jody’s practice focuses primarily on eminent domain law, and she also does both transactional and litigation work related to real estate. Jody handles contract disputes; quiet title actions and Rule 105 proceedings; Rule 106 appeals of land use decisions; drafting and negotiation of a variety of real estate contracts, leases, easements and other conveyance instruments; and due diligence and closings.
Jody is highly recognized within the law field. She has been selected to Super Lawyers since 2014; she has been designated as one of the Best Lawyers in America for Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law each year since 2007; and she is an AV Preeminent Rated Lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell. Jody has co-chaired the CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference since 2015, putting together a two-day continuing education program for eminent domain professionals, including lawyers, appraisers and right-of-way professionals. She has litigated numerous eminent domain, inverse condemnation, and takings cases. She represents clients in every stage of a condemnation case, including negotiating for the acquisition of property and commencing condemnation proceedings, immediate possession hearings, valuation trials, and appeals. She represents private landowners, special districts, school districts, counties, municipal governments, and other public entities in her eminent domain practice. Jody has argued cases to the Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court.
Along with her myriad professional accomplishments, Jody is passionate about giving back to her community. She’s on the Board of Trustees for Holy Family High School in Broomfield, Colorado, and, since 1999, she’s volunteered with the Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, one of the Rocky Mountain region's leading treatment centers and K-12 schools for emotionally and crisis-affected children and youth, particularly those suffering from abuse and neglect. Jody was on the Board of Directors of Tennyson Center from 2007 to 2014, during which time she also served as Chair of the Board for two years, and she returned to the Board in 2016. She has been active on the planning committee for one of Tennyson’s annual fundraising events, “Corks For A Cause” Winetasting Event. “It’s a really wonderful place and they’re doing tremendously important work,” Jody says.
About Jody Harper Alderman
Practice Areas
- Eminent Domain
- Real Estate Litigation
- Real Estate Transactions
- Probate Litigation
Representative Cases
- Regional Transportation District v. 750 West 48th Ave, LLC, 357 P.3d 179 (Colo. 2015)
- Regional Transportation District v. 750 West 48th Ave, LLC, 369 P.3d 640 (Colo. App. 2013)
- Moreland Properties, LLC v. City of Thornton, 559 F. Supp. 2d 1133 (D. Colo. 2008)
- School District No. 12 v. Security Life of Denver Ins. Co., 185 P.3d 781 (Colo. 2008)
- Droste v. Board of County Com’rs of County of Pitkin, 159 P.3d 601 (Colo. 2007)
- Deutsch v. Kalcevic, 140 P.3d 340 (Colo. App. 2006)
- Cherokee Metropolitan Dist. v. Simpson, 148 P.3d 142 (Colo. 2006)
- Department of Transportation v. First Place, LLC, 148 P.3d 261 (Colo. App. 2006)
- Gold v. Duncan, Ostrander & Dingess, P.C., 143 P.3d 1192 (Colo. App. 2006)
- E-470 Public Highway Authority v. Revenig, 140 P.3d 227 (Colo. App. 2006)
- Droste v. Board of County Com’rs of County of Pitkin, 141 P.3d 852 (Colo. App. 2005)
- E-470 Public Highway Authority v. Revenig, 91 P.3d 1038 (Colo. 2004)
- In re Black Forest Fire/Rescue Protection Dist., 85 P.3d 591 (Colo. App. 2003)
- Droste v. Board of County Com’rs of County of Pitkin, 85 P.3d 585 (Colo. App. 2003)
- Board of County Com’rs of County of Park v. Park County Sportsmen’s Ranch, LLP, 45 P.3d 693 (Colo. 2002)
- Silver Dollar Metropolitan Dist. v. Goltra, 66 P.3d 170 (Colo. App. 2002)
- C-470 Joint Venture v. Trizec Colorado, Inc., 176 F.3d 1289 (10th Cir. 1999)
- Santa Fe Trail Ranches Property Owners Ass’n v. Simpson, 990 P.2d 46 (Colo. 1999)
- City of Grand Junction v. City and County of Denver, 960 P.2d 675 (Colo. 1998)
- Farmland Industries, Inc. v. Colorado & Eastern R. Co., 944 F.Supp. 1492 (D. Colo. 1996)
- Farmland Industries, Inc. v. Colorado & Eastern R. Co., 922 F. Supp. 437 (D. Colo. 1996)
Qualifications
Bar Admissions
- Colorado, 1994
- U.S. District Court District of Colorado, 1994
- U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 1997
Other Affiliations
- Colorado Bar Association
- Denver Bar Association
- Colorado Women's Bar Association
- CREW-Denver, Commercial Real Estate Women, 2007 - Present
- Council of Real Estate Section of Colorado Bar Association (Member)
Classes and Seminars
- Speaker, Effective Case Planning for Taking Authority and Owner, American Law Institute Continued Legal Education, Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation, - 2016
- Speaker, Leasehold Interests: The Many Layers of Complexity Tenants Add to a Condemnation Case, CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference, - 2016
- Speaker, Recent Colorado Decisions: Will They Change the Way We Try Eminent Domain Cases?, CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference, - 2016
- Speaker, Eminent Domain 101, Colorado Bar Association Annual Real Estate Symposium, - 2015
- Speaker, Immediate Possession Hearings: Condemnor and Condemnee Approaches and Perspectives, Colorado Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Seminar, - 2015
- Speaker, Attorney Fees in Eminent Domain: Who pays and who gets paid?, CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference, - 2015
- Speaker, Eminent Domain Actions, NBI Continuing Legal Education Seminar, - 2014
- Speaker, Condemnor: Working with Clients and Suggestions for a Case Plan, ALI-ABA Condemnation 101 Seminar, - 2011
- Speaker, Hardship Acquisitions: What Are They and When Are They Available?, CLE International Seminar, - 2010
- Speaker, When a Condemnation Case Is Abandoned: Estoppel, Damages Claims and Other Interesting Issues, CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference, - 2009
- Speaker, Eminent Domain, Women In Real Estate (“WIRE”) CLE, - 2009
- Speaker, What's New in Eminent Domain: An Update on Case Law and New Legislation in Colorado and Around the Country, CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference, - 2008
- Speaker, Ethics- Issues Facing the Eminent Domain Professional, CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference, - 2007
- Speaker, Damages Issues- What You Need to Know, CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference, - 2005
- Speaker, Cutting Edge Issues in Just Compensation, Panel Discussion, 22nd Annual ALI-ABA Course of Study on Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation, - 2005
- Speaker, Can Your Broken Appraisal be Fixed?, 22nd Annual ALI-ABA Course of Study on Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation, - 2005
- Speaker, Effective Legal Writing, CLE International Seminar, - 2004
- Speaker, Understanding Special Benefits, CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference, - 2004
- Speaker, Getting Successful Results in Colorado Eminent Domain Actions, NBI Continuing Legal Education Seminar, - 2002
- Speaker, Land Use Planning and Eminent Domain in Colorado, NBI Continuing Legal Education Seminar, - 2001
- Speaker, Land Preservation and Open Space as the Highest and Best Use of Property--Reasonable Market Value, Resolving Conflicts Between Legal Principles and Appraisal Methodology, CLE International Annual Eminent Domain Conference, - 2000
- Speaker, Evidence for the Litigation Paralegal in Colorado, IPE Continuing Legal Education Seminar, - 1998
Pro Bono Activities
- Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, Chair of the Board of Directors, 2017 - Present
- Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, Board of Directors, 2016 - Present
- Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, Board of Directors, 2007 - 2014
- Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, Chair of the Board of Directors, 2010 - 2012
- Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, Chair, Denver Dinner Fundraising Committee, 2000 - 2002
- Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, Chair, Denver Dinner Fundraising Committee, 2009 - 2010
- Tennyson Center for Children at Colorado Christian Home, Denver Dinner Fundraising Committee, 1999 - 2010
- Holy Family High School, Board of Trustees, 2015 - Present
Education
- University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder, Colorado, 1994
J.D.
Honors: Order of the Coif
Honors: American Jurisprudence Award, Constitutional Law
Law Review: University of Colorado, , 1992 - 1994 - University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1991
B.A.
Honors: Golden Key National Honor Society
Articles
Published Works
- The New "Bright Line" Rule in Condemnation Commission Trials: Regional Transportation District v. 750 W. 48th Ave., LLC
Office Information
Address
101 University BoulevardSuite 350 Denver, CO 80206
Fax
- (720) 293-4712
Websites
Achievements
Other Sources of Feedback About Jody Harper Alderman
Included on the 2023 Colorado list
Past Lists
- 2022 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2021 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2020 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2019 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2018 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2017 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2016 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2015 Colorado Super Lawyers list
- 2014 Colorado Super Lawyers list
Honors
- Best Lawyers in America for Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, 2007 - Present
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated, 1999 - Present
- Super Lawyers, 2014 - Present
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