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Katayoun (Katy) Donnelly



Katy formed Azizpour Donnelly in 2012. Prior to that, she practiced in the litigation departments of leading national and local firms, clerked for the former Chief Judge of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and for the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, and worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. She is an experienced trial counsel. And her appellate work has earned her wide local and national recognition, including repeated selection by Best Lawyers in America, Colorado Super Lawyers, and 5280.



Professional Activities

  • American Arbitration Association – International Centre for Dispute Resolution (Arbitrator 2025- ).
  • Disciplinary Hearing Board of the Colorado Supreme Court (Hearing Officer 2022- ).
  • Merit Selection Panel, Denver-based Federal Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the District of Colorado (2022-2025. Chair 2023-2025).
  • Colorado Supreme Court Standing Committee on the Rules of Professional Conduct (2023- ).
  • Chief Justice's Commission on the Legal Profession (2012-2019).
  • Board of Trustees of the Colorado Supreme Court's Attorneys' Fund for Client Protection (2015-2022).
  • American Bar Association
    Appellate Practice Committee (2018- ).
    Pro Bono Subcommittee (Co-chair 2018-2023. Chair 2023-2024 ).
  • American Inns of Court
    Irving P. Andrews American Inn of Court, Colorado, Founder (2023).
    Board of Trustees of the American Inns of Court Foundation (2016-2023).
    Judge William E. Doyle American Inn of Court (2007- ).
  • Colorado Bar Association
    Board of Governors (2011-2013).
    Ethics Committee (2022- ).
    Appellate Practice Subcommittee (2009- ).
  • Colorado Lawyers Committee, Colorado COVID Relief (2020-2021).
  • Faculty of Federal Advocates (2007- ).


Honors and Awards

  • Best Lawyers in America, Colorado Appellate Lawyers, 2024-2026.
  • Super Lawyers, Colorado Appellate Lawyers, 2020-2026 (Rising Star, 2014-2017).
  • 5280, Top Lawyer in Appeals, 2020, 2022, 2025, 2026.
  • Appellate Lawyer of the Year, Office of Respondent Parent Counsel, 2021.
  • Pandemic Heroes Award, Colorado Lawyers Committee, 2021.
  • Marquis Who's Who, 2019.
  • Temple Bar Scholar, London, England, 2010.


Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
Katy presents regularly at CLEs and seminars sponsored by organizations including the Colorado Bar Association, the Faculty of Federal Advocates, the Colorado Trial Lawyers' Association, and the Colorado Women's Bar Association. Recent topics include:

  • AI for Attorneys: From Curiosity to Confidence.
  • Lawyers, Judges, and AI: Navigating the Future of the Law.
  • The Ongoing Application of the Rules of Professional Conduct to the Use of AI in Legal Practice.
  • How Appellate Practice Can Shape Legal Precedent to Remove Systemic Barriers.
  • 2025 Appellate Practice Update.
  • Ethics and AI in the Legal Profession.
  • 7th Annual Colorado Litigators' Summit, Winning Trial Cases with an Eye on Appeal.
  • What Judges and Attorneys Wish the Other Knew: A Conversation.
  • 2024 Appellate Practice Update.
  • Colorado Rule of Professional Conduct 5.6.
  • Effective Appellate Brief Writing: Table-Top Training.


Born and raised in Tehran Iran, Katy brings a global perspective to a multifaceted practice anchored in a strong commitment to Colorado, where she has made her home since coming to the United States (and where she has become a fixture of the Denver legal community). She is an avid tennis player, an enthusiastic skier, and an accomplished cook.



Azizpour Donnelly LLC
2373 Central Park Blvd, Suite 100
Denver, CO 80238

720 675-8584
katy@kdonnellylaw.com



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