Todd L. Vriesman

Commission: meets standards (10–0)

The First Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously agrees by a vote of 10-0 that Judge Todd L. Vriesman MEETS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. The Colorado statutory judicial performance standards are integrity, legal knowledge, communication skills, judicial temperament, administrative performance, and service to the legal profession and the public.

Judge Vriesman presides over a mixed docket of probate, civil, and criminal cases. He serves as the designated district court judge for all probate and Extreme Risk Protection Order cases in the First Judicial District and the designated district judge for Gilpin County. Judge Vriesman is widely praised as a critical asset for the First Judicial District for his deep knowledge of probate law and his highly efficient, fair, and careful administration of probate cases which often involve many unrepresented and emotional families experiencing the loss of a family member. Over the past five years, Judge Vriesman has worked to initiate and implement procedures to improve the probate docket such that he can apply a careful balance in such cases between different roles as auditor, advisor, and arbiter. In his other criminal and civil cases, Judge Vriesman is described as efficient with case management, well-prepared for dockets, motions, and trials, and prompt with rulings. Participants in his courtroom note that he is demanding and has high expectations of attorneys. Among other judges and judicial staff, Judge Vriesman is described as a very dedicated, knowledgeable, approachable, hard-working, collaborative, and valued member of the First Judicial District.

The Commission conducted a personal interview with Judge Vriesman, reviewed opinions he authored, observed him in court, reviewed the 2022 Judicial Performance Survey Report from attorneys and non-attorneys appearing before him, as well as received feedback from the Office of the State Public Defender and the First Judicial District Attorney's Office. Based on the Commission’s evaluation, Judge Vriesman demonstrated that he meets or exceeds performance standards in all categories under review: case management, application and knowledge of the law, communications, diligence, demeanor, and fairness.

Judge Vriesman was appointed to the bench in the First Judicial District on July 1, 2014. Before his appointment, Judge Vriesman practiced for more than 30 years as a partner of a national law firm, a co-founder of a Denver law firm, and another firm dedicated to civil litigation. While in private practice, he worked as a trial lawyer focused on civil matters; he also served as court- appointed criminal defense counsel in a three-month trial in federal court. Judge Vriesman received his Juris Doctor from the University of Denver in 1981 and served as a judicial law clerk for a Colorado federal district judge. Outside of the courtroom, Judge Vriesman has volunteered time participating in a statewide study group for proposed statutory revisions to the Colorado Uniform Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Act and volunteered time participating in a judge review group for drafts of proposed probate legislation. He also presents at many continuing legal education conferences on probate law.

La Comisión sobre Desempeño Judicial del Primer Distrito Judicial acuerda por unanimidad, con un voto de 10-0, que el Juez Todd L. Vriesman CUMPLE CON LAS NORMAS DE DESEMPEÑO. Las normas de desempeño judicial de las leyes de Colorado son integridad, conocimiento de la ley, habilidades de comunicación, temperamento judicial, desempeño administrativo y servicio a la profesión jurídica y al público.

El Juez Vriesman supervisa un expediente mixto, en el que se incluyen casos penales, civiles y de libertad condicional. Se desempeña como el juez de distrito designado para todos los casos de sucesión y órdenes de protección de riesgo extremo en el Primer Distrito Judicial, y como el juez de distrito designado para el condado de Gilpin. El Juez Vriesman es ampliamente elogiado como un actor fundamental para el Primer Distrito Judicial por su profundo conocimiento de la ley de sucesión y su administración altamente eficiente, justa y cuidadosa de los casos de sucesión, que a menudo involucran a muchas familias no representadas y sensibles, que sufren la pérdida de un miembro de la familia. En los últimos cinco años, el Juez Vriesman ha trabajado para iniciar e implementar procedimientos que mejoren el expediente testamentario, de manera que pueda regir un cuidadoso equilibrio en estos casos entre los diferentes roles de auditor, asesor y árbitro. En sus otros casos penales y civiles, se describe al Juez Vriesman como eficiente en la gestión de casos, bien preparado para los expedientes, las mociones y los juicios, y expeditivo en las decisiones. Los participantes de su tribunal señalan que es exigente y tiene grandes expectativas respecto de los abogados. Entre otros jueces y personal judicial, se habla del Juez Vriesman como un miembro muy dedicado, instruido, accesible, trabajador, colaborador y valorado del Primer Distrito Judicial.

La Comisión efectuó una entrevista personal con el Juez Vriesman, revisó opiniones de su autoría, lo observó en el tribunal, analizó el informe de la encuesta de desempeño judicial de 2022 de los abogados y no abogados que comparecen ante él, y también recibió comentarios de la Defensoría Pública del estado y de la Fiscalía del Primer Distrito Judicial. Conforme a la evaluación de la Comisión, el Juez Vriesman demostró que cumple con las normas de desempeño o las excede en todas las categorías objeto de revisión: gestión de casos, aplicación y conocimiento de la ley, comunicaciones, diligencia, actitud y ecuanimidad.

El Juez Vriesman fue nombrado como juez del Primer Distrito Judicial el 1 de julio de 2014. Antes de su nombramiento, el Juez Vriesman ejerció durante más de 30 años como socio de un bufete de abogados nacional, y fue cofundador de un bufete de Denver y de otro bufete dedicado a los litigios civiles. Mientras ejercía en el ámbito privado, trabajó como abogado litigante centrado en asuntos civiles. También, actuó como abogado defensor penal, designado por el tribunal, en un juicio de tres meses en un tribunal federal. El Juez Vriesman obtuvo un doctorado en Jurisprudencia de la Universidad de Denver en 1981 y fue secretario judicial de un juez federal de distrito en Colorado. Fuera del tribunal, el Juez Vriesman ha participado voluntariamente en un grupo de estudio a nivel estatal para las revisiones estatutarias propuestas a la Uniform Guardianship and Protective Proceedings Act (Ley de Tutela y Procedimientos de Protección Uniformes) de Colorado y ha participado voluntariamente en un grupo de revisión de jueces para los borradores de la legislación testamentaria propuesta. También, es ponente en muchas conferencias de formación jurídica continua sobre derecho sucesorio.

State evaluation page · 2022 survey report (PDF)

Commission: meets standards

The First Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends retention of Judge Todd L. Vriesman.

Judge Vriesman earned an undergraduate degree from Carthage College and received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 1981. After law school, he clerked for Federal District Judge Alfred A. Arraj. He practiced for several years at a boutique law firm he founded, and then worked at Kirkland and Ellis before becoming a partner at Montgomery, Kolodny, Amatuzio and Dusbabek. His civil practice included work in insurance coverage and commercial, real estate, banking, construction, and employment litigation. Judge Vriesman was appointed to the bench in the First Judicial District in July, 2014. He currently has a mixed docket of civil, domestic relations, and criminal cases. He is active in the community and serves on the Advisory Board of the Jefferson County Mediation Services.

Commission members conducted a personal interview with Judge Vriesman, reviewed opinions he authored, observed him in court, and reviewed surveys sent to attorneys and non-attorneys who have appeared in his courtroom. Among the survey questions was, “How strongly do you recommend that Judge Vriesman be retained in office, or not be retained in office?” Of those who completed the survey, 51% of attorneys recommended retaining him in office, and 89% of non-attorneys recommended retention.

As one of the newest judges in the First Judicial District, and with a professional background almost wholly in civil law, Judge Vriesman has worked earnestly to master criminal law and procedure, and to constantly improve as a judge. While he scored lower than average with attorneys in a number of categories the surveys measured, including case management, application and knowledge of the law, and demeanor, he scored higher than average with non-attorneys. He told the Commission that regarding criminal cases, he begins his case analysis with a focus on the victim. When he does not know something, he is not afraid to ask and consult with fellow judges. Both in the surveys and in the interview, Judge Vriesman came across as conscientious, professional, thorough and well-prepared, patient, and hard-working.

State evaluation page · 2016 survey report (PDF)