Family Law | Mediation | Collaborative Law | Alternative Dispute Resolution | Estate Planning

Terri Harrington

Terri Harrington

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Rated By | Super Lawyers

Biography

Terri Harrington is a founding owner of Harrington Brewster Mahoney Smits P.C. and a dedicated mediator. Terri has practiced law since 1982 and specialized in family law cases for the last 30 years. Terri is an expert in divorce representation, conflict coaching, mediation, early neutral evaluation and collaborative law and has been honored for over ten years by the Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers which honors those women who received the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards from their peers. Terri has been awarded Super Lawyer status.

She was awarded the Pioneer Award by Colorado Collaborative Divorce Professionals. Terri was also the 2022 winner of Colorado’s Family Law ICON Award, which honors Family Law practitioners who have been in practice for 25 years or longer, have made a significant contributions and improvement to the practice of Family Law, has demonstrated leadership in the area of Family law with demonstrable accomplishments, is recognized and respected by the bench and bar as a leader in the area of Family Law, and is a person of the highest ethical standards.

Terri has taught Collaborative Law Training for many years to hundreds of attorneys and other divorce professionals and is frequently asked to be a guest speaker at the law schools at the University of Denver, the University of Colorado, the Colorado Family Law Institute, other colleges, and the Colorado Collaborative Law Professionals conferences. She has taught Collaborative Law at the Family Law Basic Skills class for three years. She conducts numerous trainings in the areas of mediation, peacemaking, and collaborative practice, and is a lecturer for local Continuing Legal Education programs. She has co- chaired the Rocky Mountain ADR Spiritual Retreat for many years. She volunteers to take mediation cases pro bono for Arapahoe and Douglas county and volunteers with Metro Volunteer Lawyers. Terri has mentored hundreds of law students, young attorneys and attorneys new to Colorado.

Terri worked tirelessly for ten years for the enactment of Colorado’s Collaborative Law statute. Terri was awarded the 2022 Family Law ICON award in 2022. 

Terri loves to teach alternatives to litigated divorce in order to ease the trauma inflicted on the parents and children. 

Education

  • University of Denver College of Law, Denver, Colorado
    • J.D. - 1982
  • University of Nebraska
    • 1979

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 1982

Professional Associations

  • Colorado Bar Association, Family Law Section – past member of the Executive Council
  • Colorado Bar’s Task Force on the Uniform Collaborative Law Act, Co-Chair
  • Colorado Collaborative Divorce Professionals, Founder and Past President
  • International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
  • Metro Denver Interdisciplinary Committee, Past President
  • Rocky Mountain Collaborative Law Professionals, Past President

Published Works

  • Collaborative Law, Contributing Author
  • A New Model for Dispute Resolution, Contributing Author

Honors

  • 2022 Icon Award from the Colorado Bar Association/Family Law Section
  • 2023 Lawyer of the Year for Family Law Mediation- Best Lawyers
  • Martindale-Hubbell Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers – 10+ Years
  • Super Lawyers – 10+ Years
  • Denver Post Top Attorney - 2018
  • Icon Award from the Colorado Bar Association/Family Law Section

Classes & Seminars

  • Guest Speaker, University of Denver and the University of Colorado
  • Lecturer, Continuing Legal Education Programs
  • Trainer, Level One and Advanced Collaborative Law Trainings

Past Positions

  • Jefferson County, State Public Defender, 1982 to 1987