Denver · Car Accident Guide
Colorado gives you three years to sue after a crash, longer than most states, but the claim can still be wiped out entirely if a jury puts fifty percent or more of the fault on you. We compared three car accident lawyers in Denver on Colorado attorney regulation records, the case types each firm actually handles, published fee terms and verified Google reviews, and set out who each one suits and where each one falls short.
DJA Editorial · Legal Directory Research
Checked against state bar licensee records, court sources and public review platforms · Last updated September 2026
The short answer
Three firms, each suited to a different kind of Denver crash claim. This is a shortlist, not a ranking, and the firm in the lead slot does not carry the largest review base of the three.
1
Stuckey Injury Law LLC
Best for continuity with an established Denver practice under a new name
2
Anderson Hemmat, LLC
Best for a catastrophic or wrongful death claim with the highest stakes
3
Manning Herington Accident & Injury Attorneys
Best for a crash claim layered with a bad faith insurance dispute
At a glance: Car Accident Lawyers in Denver, compared
| Firm |
Focus |
Bar record |
Fees |
Rating |
| Stuckey Injury Law LLC |
Car, truck, motorcycle and rideshare crashes |
Melanie Stuckey, Colorado 2020 |
Contingency, no fee unless they win |
4.7 · 46 Google |
| Anderson Hemmat, LLC |
High-value crash and wrongful death claims |
Chad Hemmat, Colorado 1991 |
Contingency, no fee unless they win |
4.8 · 248 Google |
| Manning Herington Accident & Injury Attorneys |
Crash injury and bad faith insurance claims |
Robert Manning, Colorado 2011 |
Contingency, no fee unless they win |
5.0 · 49 Google |
Car Accident in Denver: the local picture
33% to 40%
What representation actually costs
Colorado sets no cap on contingency fees. Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5 only requires the percentage be put in writing and be reasonable. In practice, Denver injury firms commonly run about a third of the recovery before a lawsuit is filed and near 40% once one is, with case costs billed separately. None of the three firms below publishes its percentage.
3 years
The filing deadline, and the fault rule that can erase it anyway
Colorado gives injury claims three years from the crash date under C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n), longer than the two years most neighboring states allow. That time does not guarantee a payout: under C.R.S. 13-21-111, Colorado bars recovery completely once a jury assigns you fifty percent or more of the fault, and every point below that cuts your award by the same share.
$7,500
Where free legal aid stops, and where you may not need a lawyer
Colorado Legal Services and Metro Volunteer Lawyers, the state’s main free legal aid networks, exclude personal injury and car accident claims from pro bono coverage, since these cases are normally handled on contingency already. For a small claim, Denver County small claims court hears disputes up to $7,500 with no attorney required, a $55 filing fee, and a waiver for filers who qualify.
What clients in Denver say: Reading the visible Google reviews across these three firms, clients almost never lead with courtroom results. They name a person: Melanie or Sheila at Stuckey, Jason, Cameron or Chad at Anderson Hemmat, a member of the Manning Herington team. The praise clusters around returned calls and plain explanations of where a case stands. The one detailed negative account among the three, a pedestrian case that settled on a 60/40 fault split with no plan for later surgeries, is a reminder that Colorado’s comparative fault rule above is not abstract. Ask early who is actually assigned to your file.
How we chose these Car Accident Lawyers in Denver
We looked at firms handling car accident claims for Denver drivers, then compared them on things a reader can check directly: the attorney’s record with the Colorado Attorney Regulation Counsel, the crash types the firm actually lists rather than the ones it advertises, whether it publishes fee terms, the offices it staffs in the Denver metro area, and the visible client reviews on Google.
The three are a shortlist, not a ranking, and each leads for a different situation. Firm details come from each firm’s own site, cross-checked against Google Business Profile listings, public attorney directories, and Colorado statute and court sources. Bar admission years and discipline records we could not confirm directly against the state’s licensee search during this update are flagged on the page rather than filled in, and no case result or recovery total appears here unless the firm publishes it itself, in which case it is labeled as the firm’s own figure.
1. Stuckey Injury Law LLCFeatured
Best for continuity with an established Denver practice under a new name
★★★★½ 4.7 / 5 · Google · 46 reviews
The newest name on this list carrying the longest local history. Melanie Stuckey spent 25 years as a paralegal on injury cases before becoming an auto accident attorney in Denver herself, then took over the caseload and Cherry Creek office of Jennifer Donaldson’s 37-year practice when it closed in January 2026. The firm is small, two people handling every file, which means direct contact with the attorney rather than a rotating case manager, and a practice list that runs from rideshare crashes to winter driving collisions to uninsured motorist claims.
Identity and footprint
Denver office3200 Cherry Creek S. Dr., Suite 520, Denver, CO 80209
Phone+1 (303) 458-5000
Founding attorneyMelanie Stuckey
StaffBryan Brown, paralegal, joined the firm in September 2023, not an attorney
Firm foundedJanuary 2026, succeeding Donaldson Law LLC after a 37-year practice
Practice and scope
Core workInjury claims arising from motor vehicle collisions
Denver case pagesHit-and-run, high-speed and low-speed crashes, rear-end and side-impact collisions, teen driving, uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, winter driving collisions, commercial truck, motorcycle, rideshare (Uber/Lyft), wrongful death
Truck accident focusMember of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys since 2022
Published resultsFirm’s own figures include a $960,000 motorcycle crash settlement and a $335,000 settlement for a cervical spine injury. These are the firm’s own figures and cannot be checked independently.
Credentials and licensing
Melanie StuckeyJ.D., University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2020; Colorado bar admitted 2020
Prior background25 years as a personal injury paralegal, 1999 to 2024, before law school
Federal courtU.S. District Court, District of Colorado, admitted 2020
Bar associationsColorado Bar Association, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice, Colorado Women’s Bar Association, Denver Bar Association, all since 2020
RecognitionFirm site lists a Distinguished Justice Advocates listing, a Super Lawyers Rising Star selection and a Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” selection for Stuckey
Fees and consultation
StructureContingency, described as no payment unless the case is won; case expenses advanced by the firm
ConsultationFree, by phone or Zoom
✓ Named staff described personally
✓ Consistent phone and email updates
· Reviews describe the predecessor firm, Donaldson Law
· 46 reviews on a listing that predates the current firm name
Every visible review on this Google listing was written before the January 2026 rebrand and names Jennifer Donaldson, Melanie Stuckey or paralegal Sheila directly, describing steady phone and email check-ins through cases that ran for years. One reviewer credits Donaldson with finding an insurance policy the family did not know it had. The praise is real, but it describes the predecessor firm’s team and caseload rather than Stuckey Injury Law LLC as a newly formed entity, which is worth knowing going in. Synthesized from publicly visible snippets: Google
Why they fit Denver: The pick if you want the same small team that has run Denver injury files out of this office for years, now practicing under Melanie Stuckey’s own name, with the attorney rather than a case manager as your point of contact. The honest caveat: Stuckey Injury Law LLC has only existed since January 2026, its Google reviews all describe the predecessor practice, Melanie Stuckey has been licensed since 2020, and the firm does not publish its contingency percentage or say how case costs are handled if a claim does not recover. Ask directly how her caseload changed when the firm’s name did.
2. Anderson Hemmat, LLC
Best for a catastrophic or wrongful death claim with the highest stakes
★★★★½ 4.8 / 5 · Google · 248 reviews
The largest practice on this list, and the one with the largest verified verdict. Julie Anderson and Chad Hemmat have practiced together for over three decades, and the firm’s site cites a $33 million wrongful death verdict it describes as the largest in Colorado history. If you are searching for a car accident lawyer in Denver because someone died or was permanently disabled, that is a different scale of case than most firms on this page handle, and Anderson Hemmat’s own figures put its total car accident recoveries above $100 million. Reviewers most often describe working with associate attorneys Jason and Cameron rather than the two named founders.
Identity and footprint
Denver-area office5613 DTC Parkway Suite 700, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Phone303-782-9999 Founding partnersJulie Anderson and Chad Hemmat (firm site)
Other named attorneys in reviewsJason and Cameron, described repeatedly by clients; full names and titles not published on the pages reviewed
Other office102 South Tejon Street #1100, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Firm name noteA professional networking profile lists the firm as “Anderson Hemmat & McQuinn” rather than “Anderson Hemmat, LLC”
Practice and scope
Core workPersonal injury, weighted toward motor vehicle collisions
Denver case pagesDrunk driving, distracted and texting driver crashes, uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, rear-end, multi-vehicle, single-vehicle, head-on and T-bone collisions, vehicle rollovers
Combined experienceFirm states 60 years of combined personal injury litigation experience between the founders
Credentials and licensing
Chad HemmatJ.D., University of Denver College of Law, 1991; Colorado bar admitted 1991, no misconduct found on Avvo’s record
Julie AndersonJ.D., University of Denver Sturm College of Law; served as a Denver County Court magistrate (1999), a City of Aurora municipal judge (2005) and a City of Littleton municipal judge (2010) before returning to the firm full time in 2011
Bar associationsColorado Bar Association, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice; Anderson is a former president of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association
Fees and consultation
StructureContingency, described as “you pay nothing unless we win” (firm site)
ConsultationFree case evaluations, including virtual and in-hospital consultations (firm site)
What clients say
✓ Associate attorneys named and praised individually
✓ Fast response after out-of-state and holiday crashes
· Deepest review base of the three
✗ One account of a low settlement and a 60/40 fault split
At 248 reviews this is the deepest record of the three firms. Clients describe being taken on quickly after out-of-state or holiday crashes and credit Jason and Cameron specifically for regular contact through cases that ran two years or longer. Set against that is one detailed account from a pedestrian who was hit by a car, settled on a 60/40 fault split, and says the firm did not plan for two additional surgeries that followed. That is one account, not a pattern, but it is worth putting directly to the firm.
Why they fit Denver: The strongest choice on this list for a case with real stakes, catastrophic injury or a wrongful death, given the size of the firm’s own headline verdict and the years its founders have practiced together. The trade-off shows up in the same reviews that praise the firm: your day-to-day contact is likely to be an associate attorney rather than Julie Anderson or Chad Hemmat directly, one detailed review describes a comparative-fault outcome the client felt was too low, and a public listing under a different firm name has not been confirmed as current. Ask at the consultation which attorney is actually assigned to your file.
3. Manning Herington Accident & Injury Attorneys
Best for a crash claim layered with a bad faith insurance dispute
★★★★★ 5.0 / 5 · Google · 49 reviews
The most recently formed of the three, and the only one that lists bad faith insurance claims as its own practice area. Manning Law and Herington Law merged in 2024, pairing Robert Manning’s plaintiff injury practice with Ross Herington’s 16 years as a Colorado deputy public defender and trial lawyer. If your search for a Denver car accident attorney is really about an insurer that is slow-walking or lowballing a claim rather than the crash itself, that combination of trial background and a bad faith insurance practice run as its own line of work is what sets this firm apart on this list.
Identity and footprint
Denver office2246 Irving St, Suite 100, Denver, CO 80211 (firm site)
Phone720-515-3191 on the firm site; Google Business Profile lists 720-697-2959 for the same Denver address
Named attorneysRobert Manning and Ross Herington
Firm historyFormed in 2024 through the merger of Manning Law and Herington Law
Other Colorado locationsAurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins
Address discrepancyA public attorney directory lists Robert Manning at a Centennial, CO office rather than the Denver Irving Street address
Practice and scope
Core workPersonal injury from motor vehicle and premises claims
Denver case pagesBrain injuries, motorcycle accidents, truck accidents, dog bites, wrongful death and bad faith insurance claims
Bad faith practiceA standalone practice area for insurers that deny or undervalue a valid claim, not listed as its own page on either other firm’s site reviewed here
Published resultsFirm site references a case results page and the phrase “Millions Recovered” without listing individual settlement or verdict figures on the page reviewed
Credentials and licensing
Robert ManningJ.D., DePaul University College of Law, 2009; licensed in Illinois since 2009 and Colorado since 2011, no misconduct found on Avvo’s record for either state
Ross HeringtonJ.D., University of Richmond School of Law; 16 years practicing law including service as a Colorado deputy public defender, personal injury practice since 2011
Bar associationsColorado Trial Lawyers Association (Manning, member since 2012; also Herington), American Bar Association and Colorado Bar Association (Herington) (firm
Fees and consultation
StructureContingency, described as no fees unless they win
ConsultationFree case consultation
What clients say
✓ Warm, consistent communication described
✓ Clients say they felt informed throughout
· Reviews are short and similar in phrasing
· No negative account visible in this review set
· Smallest review base of the three at a perfect score
All five most visible reviews here are positive and center on the same idea, that the team kept clients updated and made an overwhelming process feel manageable. One reviewer contrasts the firm favorably with “big commercials for vehicle accidents.” The reviews read as sincere but are shorter and more similar to each other than the more detailed accounts at the other two firms, and a perfect 5.0 score sits on a smaller base of 49 reviews, so we could not surface a account to weigh against it.
Why they fit Denver: The right call if an insurer is already fighting the claim itself, whether that means a denial, a lowball offer or delay tactics, since bad faith insurance work is a named practice here and not on the other two sites, and Ross Herington’s public defender background means real trial experience rather than a settlement-only practice. The caveats: this exact firm has existed only since the 2024 merger, its Google listing shows a different phone number than the one published on its own site, and the visible reviews, while uniformly warm, are shorter and less specific than the ones at Stuckey or Anderson Hemmat, making it harder to independently judge how a harder case would be handled here.
What to check before hiring a Car Accident Lawyer in Denver
✓ Look up the license yourself, it takes two minutes
The Colorado Attorney Regulation Counsel runs a free search by name or registration number showing admission date, current status and any public discipline. Search the specific attorney who will handle your file, not just the firm name, since none of these three firms publishes bar numbers on its site.
✓ Get both contingency percentages in writing
Colorado Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(c) requires a contingency agreement to be in writing and state how the fee is calculated, but sets no percentage cap. Ask for the pre-suit rate and the post-filing rate, whether it rises again at trial, and whether the percentage is taken before or after case costs come out.
✓ Ask who advances case costs and what you owe if you lose
Filing fees, medical records, accident reconstruction and outside opinions are billed separately from the attorney’s fee and are usually advanced by the firm and reimbursed from the settlement. Ask what happens to those advanced costs if there is no recovery. None of the three firms publishes this policy.
✓ Know where you stand on the 50 percent fault line before you talk to the adjuster
Colorado bars recovery completely once you are found 50 percent or more at fault, under C.R.S. 13-21-111. Insurers negotiate toward that number deliberately, so anything you say about how the crash happened before you have counsel can be used to push your share of fault higher.
✓ Ask who actually handles the file day to day
At Anderson Hemmat, reviewers most often name associate attorneys rather than the two founders. Ask directly which attorney is assigned to your case and what would trigger a founding partner getting personally involved, whichever of the three firms you are considering.
✓ Do not let the three-year deadline slide, and check for a much shorter one if a government vehicle was involved
Most Colorado car accident claims must be filed within three years under C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n). If a city bus, RTD vehicle, or another government-owned vehicle or employee was involved, the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act requires written notice within 182 days of discovering the injury, and missing that notice bars the claim entirely regardless of the three-year deadline.
Car Accident Lawyers in Denver: frequently asked questions
How much does a car accident lawyer cost in Denver?
Nothing upfront. Colorado injury attorneys work on contingency, and the state does not cap the percentage, it only requires the agreement be in writing and reasonable under Rule 1.5. The common range in the Denver market runs from about a third of the recovery before a lawsuit is filed to near 40% once one is, with case costs charged separately. None of the three firms on this page publishes its percentage, so get both figures in writing.
How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Colorado?
Three years from the date of the crash for most claims, under C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n). That is longer than the two years many neighboring states allow, but a claim against a government-owned vehicle or a public entity employee requires written notice within 182 days under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, regardless of the three-year window.
What if I was partly at fault for the crash?
Colorado uses modified comparative negligence under C.R.S. 13-21-111. Your recovery is reduced by your own percentage of fault, and if you are found 50% or more at fault you recover nothing. Insurers know this threshold and often negotiate toward pushing your share of fault up to it rather than disputing the crash itself.
What are Colorado’s minimum insurance requirements, and what if the other driver is underinsured?
Colorado requires liability coverage of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $15,000 for property damage, under C.R.S. 10-4-620, unchanged since 2003. A serious injury can exceed those minimums quickly, which is when your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage matters. Check your policy’s UM/UIM limits before assuming the other driver’s minimum coverage is all that is available.
Is my claim too small to need a lawyer?
Possibly. Colorado small claims court hears disputes up to $7,500 with no attorney required, for a filing fee of $55 on claims in that range, with a fee waiver available for filers who qualify. On a clear, modest claim, a contingency fee can cost more than representation adds, though Colorado’s free legal aid networks generally do not take personal injury cases at all, since they are normally handled on contingency already.
DJA Editorial
Legal Directory Research
Compiles Distinguished Justice Advocates city guides from state bar licensee records, court and statute sources, and publicly visible client reviews. Firms appear as a shortlist rather than a ranking. Figures a firm publishes about itself are labeled as such, and anything that could not be verified is flagged on the page rather than estimated.
