A mediator, arbitrator, judge, and policy maker, Ken Plotz brings his unique background of experience and current interests to Conflict Resolution Services, Inc. A former chief judge of Colorado’s large Eleventh Judicial District and senior judge for seventeen years covering the entire state, Ken has extensive knowledge of Colorado’s legal landscape. For the past fifteen years, Ken has successfully helped parties settle a wide-ranging spectrum of cases. He also serves as a private judge, administrative hearing officer, and a special master and arbitrator.
HON. KEN PLOTZ, JD, MPA
Ken has extensive knowledge of the legal culture throughout Colorado, having mediated and arbitrated cases on the Front Range and Western Slope for the past fifteen years. During these years he also served as a senior judge throughout the state for the Office of the State Court Administrator. Having mediated domestic, business, and personal injury cases, Ken has never been hesitant to step into a new or unusual controversy, including marijuana business dissolutions and contract disputes. He also has extensive experience in settling intra-family probate disputes, business dissolutions, family law matters, and homeowner’s association issues.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Ken gained considerable experience bringing disparate parties together while serving as a consultant to the Juvenile Task Force for the Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, a policymaking position he took upon earning a Master of Public Arts in public affairs in 2010.
While in graduate school for his MPA, Ken studied the art of negotiation and settlement of differing group interests and worked as an international fellow in Kathmandu, Nepal, for the International Legal Foundation, an organization that installs public defender systems in post-conflict countries. This experience gave him the ability to understand the cultural differences that parties often bring to the settlement table.
Ken began his legal career as a private practice lawyer in Leadville, Colorado, before becoming a public defender for the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender. After serving as head of the Salida Regional Public Defender’s office for ten years, in 1989 Ken was appointed by Governor Roy Romer to become a district court judge for the Eleventh Judicial District. In 2000, Ken became the District’s chief judge, and in that position, he helped the district implement its first case management system and also served as a settlement judge for his colleagues.
More recently, Ken served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Office of Child Protection Ombudsman. He took the lead role in helping guide that office in its reformation and in making the organization a strong voice for children and families.
MEDIATION FOCUS
- Business Disputes
- Commercial Litigation
- Construction Defect Litigation
- Family Law
- Outdoor Recreation and Use Issues
- Personal Injury
- Probate
EDUCATION
Ken earned a BA in 1970 from the University of Denver and JD from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 1973. In 2010, he earned a MPA in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs. He attended the National Judicial College where he studied family law and the valuation of businesses.
OTHER INTERESTS
People who know Ken know he isn’t all work. A master Nordic skier, he enjoys competing in international classic and skate ski racing, skiing bumps and trees at Winter Park and Steamboat Springs, and long-distance trail running. He is also a cyclist and a recovering (and aging) triathlete.
RATES
- $3000 Full Day Flat Fee
- $1600 Half Day Flat Fee
- $295 Per Hour
