Adam J. Espinosa

Honorable Adam J. Espinosa is a Denver District Court Judge recently assigned to the Domestic Relations Division after serving three years in the Criminal Division. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. Previously, he served as a Denver County Court Judge where he presided over the Civil, Municipal Criminal, and State Criminal Divisions of that court. Judge Espinosa has presided over three hundred and thirty-two trials in the Denver trial courts. 

Prior to joining the bench, Judge Espinosa served as a senior trial attorney for the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel and as a deputy district attorney in several Colorado counties. Judge Espinosa earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and his law degree from Washburn University. He spent his final year in law school as a visiting student at the University of Denver College of Law and upon graduation served as a judicial law clerk for Chief Judge Michael A. Martinez (ret.) for the Second Judicial District (Denver).

Judge Espinosa is active in the community, having served in leadership positions on numerous local, state, and national boards including the Denver Crime Prevention and Control Commission, the Colorado Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, the ABA Standing Committee on Client Protection, the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, and the Denver Language School. He leads his own Dream Team of lawyers and judges that work with underrepresented youth in our community to mentor and encourage them to know their rights and join the legal profession. Judge Espinosa is a frequent lecturer and author for the several bar associations, law schools, and other groups on various legal, ethical, and professional responsibility topics. He has taught over one hundred and fifty continuing legal education courses and published several articles in the area of legal ethics, professionalism, and access to justice.  

Judge Espinosa is a proud alumni of the 2014 Colorado Bar Association Leadership Training Program and the 47th class of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s Leadership Denver program, Class of 2021. He has also been accepted and received a full scholarship to Duke Law’s Master of Judicial Studies Program, Class of 2025. Judge Espinosa was the recipient of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association’s 2024 Judicial Excellence Award, the Denver Bar Association’s 2022 Judicial Excellence Award, and a nominee for the Colorado Judicial Institute’s Judicial Excellence Award. 

Judge Espinosa has dedicated his legal career to public service, public safety, and access to justice. He is committed to serving the people of Denver and to the improvement of our courts.