Derek Samuelson
877-283-7107
Derek Samuelson is a trial lawyer who specializes in criminal defense. From his Fort Collins law office, Mr. Samuelson is proud to provide comprehensive legal representation to people charged with criminal offenses throughout northern Colorado.
He has defended clients against everything from DUI charges to the death penalty and has established a track record of trial success in the process. Before entering private practice, Mr. Samuelson spent more than a decade representing people charged with felonies and misdemeanors for the Colorado State Public Defender in the Fort Collins, Greeley and Denver Regional Offices.
In 2008, Mr. Samuelson was honored with the 'Attorney of the Year' Award from the Colorado State Public Defender for outstanding service in the practice of criminal defense. He was selected from over 300 criminal defense attorneys statewide for the award.
Mr. Samuelson's courtroom experience is extensive. He has handled thousands of criminal cases and defended clients charged with virtually every crime on the books in Colorado. He has tried and won many complex high-profile cases.
Mr. Samuelson received his law degree from the University of Denver where he graduated with high academic honors, earning membership to the Law Review and the Order of St. Ives (top 10% of the class). Mr. Samuelson earned his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Vermont, where he was a Dean's List student and captained a nationally-ranked NCAA Division I soccer team.
Away from the courtroom, Mr. Samuelson teaches continuing legal education courses to other attorneys on such topics as trial tactics, cross-examination, death penalty jury selection, and DUI defense. Mr. Samuelson is a member of the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, and the Larimer County Bar Association. He has also served on the Weld County Criminal Justice Advisory Committee and the Larimer County Juvenile Drug Court Board.
Areas of Practice
- Criminal Defense
- Drug and Narcotics Defense
- All Felonies and Misdemeanors
- Sex Assault Defense
- White Collar Criminal Defense
- Juvenile Defense
- DUI Defense
- Trial Practice
Litigation Percentage
- 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions
- Colorado, 1999
- U.S. District Court District of Colorado, 2010
- U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 2011
Education
- University of Denver College of Law, Denver, Colorado
- J.D. - 1999
- Honors: Order of St. Ives (Top 10% of Graduating Class)
- Law Review: University of Denver Law Review
- University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
- B.A. - 1996
- Honors: Dean's List
- Major: Political Science
- University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia - 1995
Classes/Seminars
- Faculty, Oklahoma Indigent Defense System - Federal Grant Training, Norman, Oklahoma , May 18, 2011 - May 19, 2011
- Faculty, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Capital Voir Dire Training, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, May 12, 2011 - May 13, 2011
- Faculty, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Colorado Method Training, Annual National Conference, Orlando, FL, March 5, 2011 - March 8, 2011
- Faculty, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Capital Voir Dire Training, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, May 14, 2010 - May 15, 2010
- Tying Trauma to the Colorado Method: Application of Theory to Practice, ADC Death Penalty Mitigation Program, Denver, CO, May 7, 2010
- Mitigation Themes: Applying them to the Colorado Method of Jury Selection, ADC Death Penalty Mitigation Program, Denver, CO, May 6, 2010
- Proper File Documentation (with Tamara Brady, Chief Trial Deputy, Colorado State Public Defender), Colorado State Public Defender Annual Conference, Broomfield, CO, September 14, 2009
- Faculty, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Capital Voir Dire Training, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, May 8, 2009 - May 9, 2009
- The Colorado Court of Appeals "Courts in the Community" Workshop (with Judge Dave Furman, Colorado Court of Appeals), Poudre High School, Fort Collins, CO, January 30, 2009
- Cross-Examining the Snitch Witness, Colorado State Public Defender Annual Conference, Crested Butte, CO, September 22, 2008
- Overview of the Colorado Method of Capital Jury Selection (with Doug Wilson, Colorado State Public Defender), Colorado State Public Defender Annual Conference, Crested Butte, CO, September 22, 2008
- Faculty, Colorado Public Defender Boot Camp Training Program, Denver, CO, July 13, 2008 - July 15, 2008
- Faculty, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Capital Voir Dire Training, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, May 17, 2008 - May 18, 2008
- Criminal Justice Panel Discussion hosted by Weld County Chamber of Commerce Leadership Committee (with Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck and Weld County District Court Judge Marcelo Kopkow), Greeley, CO, April 13, 2006
- The Role of the Prosecutor vs. the Role of Defense Counsel (with Chief Deputy Weld County District Attorney Zeke Knox), University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, October 27, 2005
- Sane Nurses and Debunking Medical Mythology in Sex Assault Cases (with Deputy State Public Defenders Jamie Roth and Sheryl Uhlmann), Public Defender Annual Conference, Breckenridge, CO, September 20, 2004
- Defending the DUI, Colorado State Public Defender Lecture Series, Denver, CO, June 4, 2004
- The Role of Defense Counsel, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, October 27, 2003
Honors and Awards
- 'Attorney of the Year' Awarded by the Colorado State Public Defender, 2008
- Recipient – 2008 Colorado Defender of the Year
- Faculty – National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Faculty – National Legal Aide and Defender Association
- Faculty – Federal Grant Training: Oklahoma Indigent Defense System
- Faculty – Louisiana Public Defender Board: Advanced Capital Training Seminar
- Member – Advisory Committee for National Legal Aide and Defender Association
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, Member
- Colorado Bar Association, Member
- Larimer County Bar Association, Member
- Criminal Justice Act Panel, Member
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), Member
Past Employment Positions
- Colorado State Public Defender, Trial Attorney, 1999 - 2009