Mitzner, Ira R.

CREDENTIALS
After graduation from law school, Mike served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Eighteenth Judicial District, in courts in Douglas and Elbert Counties. He joined Miller and Steiert in 1980.
Mike taught at the Colorado Law Enforcement Training Academy. He was a faculty member at Metropolitan State College from 1982 through 1998. He has also lectured for continuing legal education programs for other attorneys in Colorado. Mike completed formal training in mediation at CDR (Collaborative Decision Resources), Inc., and has successfully mediated countless disputes working through Littleton Alternative Dispute Resolution (LADR).

PHILOSOPHY
Mike believes it is necessary to represent clients with your heart, and not just your head, and accordingly is known for his personal involvement in and commitment to his clients, their cases and the legal issues involved. His unique approach to litigation was acclaimed when he received the Westword newspaper award for the Best Defense for having successfully defended a client whose sole defense to a brutal knife attack on another man was that he was acting under the influence of non-prescription cough drops. This case was nationally known as the cough drop defense. Again in 2003, Westword featured Mike in its cover story, describing the unforeseen defense verdict in an internet photograph prosecution.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Mike is a member of the Arapahoe County Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, for which he served as Vice President, and the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association He has served on almost every committee of the Arapahoe County Bar Association and on its Board of Directors since 1990. He was Treasurer, President-Elect, President and Past President from 1994-1997. Mike has served on the Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors for more than a decade.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Since 1997, Mike has served on the Board of Directors for the Beacon Center a Colorado non-profit agency specializing in residential treatment for youth and their families. Since 2000, he has served as President of the Board, directing major new treatment initiatives and fundraising efforts that have generated several million dollars for local area youth treatment.

Mike has been active in supporting the public school system, is a state-certified soccer referee, coached youth soccer and has served on the Board of Directors for several local developmental and competitive soccer clubs.