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, jury selection, capital defense 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)
University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
B.A. - 1996
Honors: Dean's List
Major: Political Science
University of Queensland - 1995, St. Lucia, Queensland
1995
Classes/Seminars
Lecturer, The Role of Toxicology in Criminal Cases, Colorado State University, Dept. of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Fort Collins, CO, 04/30/2019 to 04/30/2019
Lecturer, Title IX - Defending Sexual Misconduct Claims in Schools, Colleges & Universities, NITA (National Institute for Trial Advocacy), Boulder, CO, 02/07/2019 to 02/07/2019
Lecturer, The Role of Toxicology in Criminal Cases, Colorado State University, Dept. of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Fort Collins, CO, 05/03/2018 to 05/03/2018
Instructor, Capital Jury Selection: The Colorado Method, Contra Costa County Public Defender, Martinez, California, 03/29/2018 to 03/30/2018
Faculty, National College of Capital Voir Dire, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, 05/18/2017 to 05/20/2017
Lecturer, Larimer County Bar Association Professionalism Committee’s Annual Ethics Seminar, Fort Collins, CO, 04/19/2017
Faculty, Florida Public Defender Association, Capital Voir Dire Training: Theory and Intense Practice, Tampa, Florida, 03/30/2017 to 04/01/2017
Faculty, National College of Capital Voir Dire, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, 05/12/2016 to 05/24/2016
Faculty, National College of Capital Voir Dire, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, 05/14/2015 to 05/16/2015
Panelist (with 8th Judicial District Attorney Cliff Reidel and Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith), ‘The Fourth Amendment’ sponsored by the Society for Constitutional Education, Loveland, CO, 04/24/2015
Lecturer, Jury Selection in Media Cases, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar, Greeley, CO, 08/21/2014
Faculty, National College of Capital Voir Dire, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, 05/15/2014 to 05/17/2014
Lecturer (with David Lane), Capital Jury Selection, Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office, Cleveland, Ohio, 04/07/2014 to 04/08/2014
Panelist (with Ben Autobee, Senator Rhonda Fields and Adams County District Attorney Dave Young), ‘Discussing the Death Penalty’ sponsored by the Colorado Independent, Denver, CO, 02/27/2014
Lecturer, Jury Deselection that Works … and Doesn't Alienate Your Judge (with District Court Judge Thomas French), Larimer County Bar Association, Ft. Collins, 06/05/2013 to 06/05/2013
Faculty, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Capital Voir Dire Training, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, 05/16/2013 to 05/17/2013
Faculty, South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense, Capital Voir Dire Training, Myrtle Beach, CO, 04/29/2013 to 04/29/2013
Faculty, Arizona Public Defender Association, Colorado Method of Capital Voir Dire Training: Theory and Intensive Practice, Tempe, AZ, 06/18/2012 to 06/20/2012
Faculty, Oklahoma Indigent Defense System - Federal Grant Training, Norman, Oklahoma , 05/18/2011 to 05/19/2011
Faculty, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Capital Voir Dire Training, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, 05/12/2011 to 05/13/2011
Faculty, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Life in the Balance, Annual National Conference, Orlando, FL, 03/05/2011 to 05/08/2011
Faculty, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, Colorado Method Training, Annual National Conference, Orlando, FL, 03/05/2011 to 03/08/2011
Faculty, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Capital Voir Dire Training, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, 05/14/2010 to 05/15/2010
Lecturer, Tying Trauma to the Colorado Method: Application of Theory to Practice, ADC Death Penalty Mitigation Program, Denver, CO, 05/07/2010 to 05/07/2010
Lecturer, Mitigation Themes: Applying them to the Colorado Method of Jury Selection, ADC Death Penalty Mitigation Program, Denver, CO, 05/06/2010 to 05/06/2010
Lecturer, Proper File Documentation (with Tamara Brady, Chief Trial Deputy, Colorado State Public Defender), Colorado State Public Defender Annual Conference, Broomfield, CO, 09/14/2009 to 09/14/2009
Faculty, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Capital Voir Dire Training, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, 05/08/2009 to 05/09/2009
Panelist, The Colorado Court of Appeals "Courts in the Community" Workshop (with Judge Dave Furman, Colorado Court of Appeals), Poudre High School, Fort Collins, CO, 01/30/2009 to 01/30/2009
Lecturer, Cross-Examining the Snitch Witness, Colorado State Public Defender Annual Conference, Crested Butte, CO, 09/22/2008 to 09/22/2008
Lecturer, 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, 09/22/2008 to 09/22/2008
Faculty, Colorado Public Defender Boot Camp Training Program, Denver, CO, 07/13/2008 to 07/15/2008
Faculty, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Capital Voir Dire Training, CU Law School, Boulder, CO, 05/17/2008 to 05/18/2008
Panelist, 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, 04/13/2006 to 04/13/2006
The Mission of the Public Defender, Kiwanis Club, Greeley, CO, 02/15/2006 to 02/15/2006
Lecturer, 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, 10/27/2005 to 10/27/2005
Lecturer, 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, 09/20/2004 to 09/20/2004
Lecturer, Defending the DUI, Colorado State Public Defender Lecture Series, Denver, CO, 06/04/2004 to 06/04/2004
Lecturer, The Role of Defense Counsel, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, 10/27/2003 to 10/27/2003
Honors and Awards
'Attorney of the Year' Awarded by the Colorado State Public Defender
Recipient – 2008 Colorado Defender of the Year
Faculty – National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Faculty – National Legal Aide and Defender Association
Faculty – National College of Capital Voir Dire
Member – Title IX Committee, Nation Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
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 to 2009
