Judge Harrell was appointed to the bench in November of 1985. Judge Harrell received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado and graduated from the University of Denver College of Law in 1971.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Harrell was in private practice in Denver, specializing in general civil and criminal litigation.
Judge Harrell has received numerous awards for his law-related and community service activities including the Denver Bar Association’s Judicial Excellence Award in 1993; Professionalism Award from the Colorado Bar Association in 1995; the University of Colorado Alumni Association’s highest award, the George Norlin Award for lifetime achievement in his chosen profession in 1997; the Denver Bar Association’s highest award, the Award of Merit in 1998; the Colorado Asian Bar Foundation Minoru Yasui Award for community service in 1998; the Judicial Mentoring Award from the Colorado Women’s Bar Association in 2000; the Judicial Excellence Award from the American Board of Trial Advocates in 2003; and the Judicial Excellence Award from the Colorado Judicial Institute in 2008.
Judge Harrell is widely known for his dedication to mentoring attorneys. He teaches in various forums, including the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, the Native American Trial Advocacy program, and at local and national conferences.
Judge Harrell is a member of the Rhone-Rackett American Inn of Court. He is a current member of several bar associations and serves on several committees within those bar associations: the Sam Cary Bar Association, the Denver and Colorado Bar Associations, the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, the Asian American Bar Association of Colorado and the Colorado GLBT Bar Association.