Denver employment and contractor attorney
Hire, classify and part ways with paperwork that holds up in Colorado
Hiring is the moment most employment risk is created, usually in a rush and on an old template. We draft the offer letters, handbooks and contractor agreements that fit current Colorado rules, and we help you handle a difficult departure with a plan instead of a guess.
- Templates reviewed in priority order
- Current Colorado wage and leave rules
- Same-week help with a hard separation
Facing a departure this week?
- 01Do not send a final message until the final pay and release terms are checked.
- 02Gather the offer letter, any agreements signed and the last few reviews.
- 03Call us. A separation plan usually takes one meeting, not a month.
Employee or independent contractor?
The title on the agreement does not decide it. Colorado and federal rules look at how the work is actually done. When most answers fall on the left, the risk is real and the fix may be the contract, the invoicing or the role itself.
Points toward an employee
- You set the hours and the methods
- They work mostly or only for you
- You supply the tools and the workspace
- The work is core to what your company sells
- The relationship has no end date
Points toward a contractor
- They control how and when the work gets done
- They serve other clients under their own business
- They bring their own tools and insurance
- They are paid per project, not per hour
- The engagement has a defined scope and end
A general guide, not a legal test for your facts.
Colorado specifics
Why a national template is not enough here
Colorado writes many of its own employment rules, and they change often. Paid leave, wage notices, pay ranges in job postings, final pay deadlines and the narrow limits on noncompete agreements all differ from what a template written for another state assumes.
The risk rarely comes from one big decision. It builds quietly as the same outdated offer letter is used for every new hire, or as a contractor slowly becomes a full-time member of the team without anyone revisiting the agreement.
Our approach is practical. We fix the documents your team signs most often first, write a short guide so managers know which one to use, and send a brief note each year when the rules change. The goal is paperwork that matches how your company actually hires and works.
The documents your team signs
We review what you use today and mark what needs to change, in order of risk, before drafting anything new.
Offer letters
Clear pay, equity and bonus terms, with the at-will language in plain words.
Employee handbook
Current Colorado wage, leave and posting rules, written for your size.
Contractor agreements
Scope, payment and ownership of the work, paired with a classification check.
Restrictive covenants
Noncompete and nonsolicit terms that fit Colorado’s narrow rules.
Separation agreements
Final pay, releases and references handled in one document.
Policy updates
A short note each year on rule changes that affect your templates.
Who handles your employment work
Nora VegaAssociate Attorney
Nora Vega leads the firm’s employment and contract drafting. She spent several years advising employers on Colorado wage, leave and hiring rules, and she is known for turning long drafts into documents a manager can actually follow. Elias reviews every separation plan and every restrictive covenant.
How a template review works
Most teams can move from old templates to a current set in a few weeks without pausing hiring.
- 01Day 1
Send what you use
Offer letters, handbook, contractor and separation templates.
- 02Week 1
Risk-ranked markup
Every issue marked and ranked, starting with the costly ones.
- 03Weeks 2 to 3
Draft the new set
Updated templates written for how your team actually works.
- 04Week 4
Roll out
A short guide for managers on when to use each document.
Typical timing for a team of 10 to 75 people.
What does employment work cost?
Template reviews and handbook updates are quoted as flat fees once we see what you use today. Separation agreements are usually a single flat fee. If a matter turns into a claim, we explain the options and quote that work separately before anything starts.
See flat-fee packagesIllustrative demo prices, not a quote for any real matter.
Common questions
Short answers to what owners ask before a first meeting.
Yes. Colorado requires a good-faith pay range and a general description of benefits in most postings. We review your templates so each posting meets the rule.
Only in narrow cases, mostly for highly paid workers and with specific notice. Many older agreements no longer meet the current rules.
Colorado sets short deadlines that depend on who ended the job. A separation plan should confirm the date before the conversation happens.
Yes, and it is often the cleanest fix. We help plan the switch so the past period is handled carefully.
Not by law at every size, but a short one prevents most disputes over leave, pay and conduct.
Usually the same week. Call first, before any final message goes out.
Often part of the same matter
Business questions rarely stay inside one area of law. These are the practice areas that most often come up alongside this one.
Contract disputes
Demand letters, negotiation and mediation for business contract conflicts, aiming to resolve them before they reach court.
ExploreFormation & governance
Choosing the right entity, drafting operating agreements and bylaws, and keeping annual records clean so the company holds up later.
ExploreTax planning for owners
Entity elections, owner compensation and transaction structure reviewed with your CPA so fewer surprises reach the return.
Explore