Former Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Steve C. Briggs combines a 25-year career as a trial lawyer, arbitrator, mediator, and judge with more than 12 years experience as mediator and arbitrator at the Judicial Arbiter Group. He also consults with lawyers on cases covering the broad range of complex civil litigation, from early neutral evaluations to preparation for appeals and oral arguments. While with the Judicial Arbiter Group he has served as President of the Colorado Bar Association, been selected as a Colorado Super Lawyer (top 5% of Colorado lawyers), received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Colorado for his work as a judge and in alternative dispute resolution, been inducted as a Judicial Fellow into the Litigation Counsel of American (top ½% of American lawyers), and served as Chair of the Colorado Judicial Performance Commission.
 
On the Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Briggs authored more than 600 opinions concerning Colorado and federal law and was twice nominated to the Colorado Supreme Court. During this time he also judged mock trials for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and other organizations and gave numerous presentations on mediation and arbitration. Briggs became interested in alternative dispute resolution in the 1980s while in private practice in complex civil litigation, and received basic and advanced training in both mediation and arbitration. He served as Boulder County’s first contract mediator with the Colorado Office of Dispute Resolution and as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado Law School, teaching Negotiations and ADR. Briggs was also an active member of the Arbitration and Mediation Panels of the American Arbitration Association and was one of its first mediator trainers.