Karen L. Spaulding

Karen Spaulding focuses her civil litigation and trial practice on commercial business disputes in the oil and gas, energy, and natural resources sectors. These cases involve exploration and development, midstream, and royalty issues in federal and state courts in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. She has over 30 years of federal and state court litigation experience and has tried over 22 jury and bench trials. She has also represented clients in oil and gas regulatory and related tax administrative hearings in Colorado. More recently, Karen won a large plaintiffs verdict in U.S. District Court for a Colorado-based oil and gas company on the issue of contract formation involving executed participation offer letters and Authorizations for Expenditure (AFEs), and the defendants breach of these contracts. She also successfully defended an E&P company against several shareholders demands for excessive corporate records in their attempt to force a sale of the company in Delaware Chancery Court.

Karen also regularly counsels the firm's corporate clients concerning employment law matters. Her employment law counseling includes employment agreements, employment releases, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, discrimination claims, investigation of discrimination complaints, independent contractor versus employee issues, drafting and revisions to employment handbooks, and issues regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family Medical Leave Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and other federal and state employment statutes.