Joel M. Pratt
Joel is a Colorado native who is passionate about serving his local and state community. He has his undergraduate degree in English Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he received his B.A. with Distinction. He attended law school at the University of Michigan, where he was the Executive Notes Editor of the Michigan Law Review and graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Joel brought a variety of experiences to his practice at Dailey Law, P.C., from an internship with Hon. Alan Loeb of the Colorado Court of Appeals, to a clerkship with the University of Michigan General Counsel’s Office, to complex financial and litigation work with large law firms in Denver.
Joel currently represents clients in the appellate and trial courts in family law, juvenile law, and probate cases. He has substantial experience in the Court of Appeals and has litigated cases addressing complex financial issues as well as sensitive child custody disputes in the trial and appellate courts.
He approaches his cases with a problem-solving mindset. Each case is as different as the family member he represents, and as a result, his approach to resolving cases is customized to the client. While parties can keep control of their own solutions by resolving matters outside of the courtroom, Joel recognizes the when settlement does not or cannot happen on reasonable terms, parties need a confident advocate in the courtroom. And he also recognizes that, sometimes, the resolution of contested issues by the trial court needs to be challenged in the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court. Joel’s approach is compassionate, direct, and detail-oriented, and he is prepared to resolve his clients’ cases and protect his clients’ interests in the most efficient way possible.
Joel is involved in his community as a writer and a volunteer. He takes pro bono cases through the Justice Center, The El Paso County Court’s Civil Pro Bono Panel, the Colorado Bar Association’s Appellate Pro Bono Program, and the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center. He is also involved in the El Paso County Bar Association, where he has held several leadership roles. He contributes a monthly column to the Pikes Peak Lawyer, and his writing has been featured in the Colorado Lawyer, the Denver Post, and several academic publications.
Joel and his wife, Rebecca, live in Colorado Springs, where they can be found hiking with their energetic puppy (and office mascot), Riley.
BAR ADMISSION
Admitted to practice in Colorado State Courts and the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
EDUCATION
2014
University of Michigan Law School | J.D., manga cum lade
• Honors/Awards: Executive Notes Editor, Michigan Law Review; Order of the Coif
2009
University of Colorado at Boulder | B.A. with distinction, English Literature
• Honors/Awards: Phi Beta Kappa; Alumni Association Scholarship
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
2019 – 2020
Top Attorney, Appellate and Juvenile Law, Colorado Springs Style Magazine
2020
Super Lawyers, Rising Star, Appellate Law
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
El Paso County Bar Association
2018 – 2020
Trustee
2019 – 2020
Chair, New Lawyers’ Division
2017 – present
Member, Family Law Section
Colorado Bar Association
2015 – present
Member
2018 – present
Member, Family Law Section
VOLUNTEER/PRO BONO PROJECTS
- Civil Pro Bono Panel, El Paso County District Court
- Volunteer Attorney, the Justice Center, El Paso County
- Appellate Pro Bono Program, Colorado Bar Association
- Volunteer Attorney, Teen Court
- Family Law Day Planning Committee, 2019 – Present
- Columnist, Pikes Peak Lawyer, 2018 – Present
- Caregiver Advocacy Program, Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center