Leslee K. Balten

Partner

About Leslee

Ms. Balten’s professional background is a diverse combination of civil litigation, family law litigation, and business and real estate transactional matters. Her family law practice focuses primarily on dissolution of marriage actions, post-decree modifications of parental responsibility and child support, and relocation matters. Ms. Balten is also a certified Child and Family Investigator and Parenting Coordinator/Decision Maker. Ms. Balten’s varied background provides her a unique ability to mediate with clients going through divorces with complex business issues and assets, and challenging parenting time matters. Ms. Balten strives to empower clients to find creative and amicable solutions that work for their unique situations and families.

Raised in Michigan, Ms. Balten first moved to Breckenridge, Colorado in 2000 and enjoyed several snow seasons before she headed east to attend Vermont Law School. After completing her J.D., Ms. Balten returned to Colorado to clerk for the Honorable Catherine A. Lemon of the Denver District Court. Ms. Balten then worked in private practice in the Denver metro area until returning to Breckenridge in 2016 where she now manages Cianco Ciancio Brown, PC’s Breckenridge office. . Leslee is a graduate of the 2015 Colorado Bar Association Leadership Training (COBALT), was Region 7 Vice President of the Colorado Bar Association 2019-2020, recognized as a Colorado Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2015 – 2018 and named on the Best Lawyers in America list 2022. During her free time, you can find Leslee enjoying all things outdoors including skiing, river running, biking, and backpacking.

Practice Areas

  • Civil Litigation
  • Real Estate
  • Business
  • Family Law – Divorce; Allocation of Dissolution; Parental Responsibility; Relocation

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2008
  • U.S. District Court District of Colorado, 2013

Education

  • Vermont Law School, South Royalton, Vermont
    • J.D. – 2007
    • Honors: With High Honors
  • Michigan State University
    • B.A. – 2000
    • Honors: With Honors
    • Honors: Phi Beta Delta
    • Honors: Michigan State Ski Team
    • Major: Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science – International Studies

Published Works

  • “Up in Smoke: Can Colorado Employers Prohibit Marijuana Use?,” Colorado Law Week, June 2013
  • “The Successor Employer Doctrine: Who is Liable for Employment Claims When the Employer Entity Changes Hands?,” Co-Authored Article for Colorado Law Week, May 2012
  • “Departments Review of Legal Resources: International Development Law – Rule of Law, Human Rights, & Global Finance,” Book Review for Colorado Lawyer, Vol. 39, No. 6, June 2010

Classes/Seminars

  • “Denver Bar Association Court Orientation Program,” Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Presenter, Law Clerk Panel, November 2009 – 2010
  • “Renewable Energy Development on Federal Lands,” CLE Organizer

Honors & Awards

  • 2023 Best Lawyers – Family Law
  • 2021 Super Lawyer Rising Star
  • 2015 – 2018 Colorado Super Lawyers, “Rising Star”

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Colorado Bar Association (CBA)
  • Continental Divide Bar Association
  • Colorado Women’s Bar Association (CWBA)
  • Colorado Bar Association Leadership Training (COBALT), Graduate, 2015, Sessions Planning Committee, 2016 – 2018

Past Employment

  • West Brown Huntley, PC , Breckenridge, Colorado
  • Donelson Ciancio & Grant, P.C., Broomfield, Colorado
  • Civil and Criminal Law Clerk to the Honorable Catherine A. Lemon, Denver District Court, Denver, Colorado
  • Cascade Land Conservancy, Law Clerk, Seattle, Washington
  • International Service for Human Rights, Liaison to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, New York, New York
  • Belgravia Group, Ltd., Law Clerk, Chicago, Illinois