A Denver native and the son of a lawyer, Barry Schwartz became a Denver County Court judge in January 2017. Judge Schwartz is a graduate of George Washington High School and the University of Colorado. He attended the University of Denver Law School and graduated from the night program in 1988.
Judge Schwartz spent his first two years of practice serving as the law clerk for Judge Raymond Dean Jones and then Judge Peter Ney, of the Colorado Court of Appeals. He also spent a year clerking in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Upon returning to Colorado, he practiced as a litigation attorney – primarily doing civil trial-court and appellate litigation in state and federal court with some significant federal criminal and habeas litigation – in various Denver law firms. His last position was as a partner at Kamlet Reichert, LLP. At that time, he was licensed to practice in Colorado state courts, a number of federal district courts, five United States courts of appeal, and the United States Supreme Court. In 2010, Judge Schwartz left private practice and became an Assistant Federal Public Defender, concentrating on federal criminal appeals and habeas litigation. In 2013 Judge Schwartz assumed a position with the Denver City Attorney’s Office, where he represented Denver and its employees, primarily in state tort and federal civil rights matters (both trials and appeals).
As an attorney, Judge Schwartz performed a great deal of pro bono work. Presently, he serves as a member of the Colorado Supreme Court Board of Law Examiners and assists the renowned We the People constitutional law team at Denver’s East High School. He has also served recently on various charitable boards, including as President of the board overseeing East High’s nationally-recognized forensic team and as a member of the CBA /DBA Attorney Fee Arbitration Panel.
Judge Schwartz’s wife is a teacher and small business owner, and his children attend college. His family and close-knit group of friends inspire him and constantly remind him of the importance of community service.