Valeri Pappas

Valeri Pappas was born in Syracuse, New York and has lived in Colorado since 1995. As an undergraduate, she attended the University of Michigan for two years in the Honors Program before receiving her B.A. from the University of Vermont, graduating magna cum laude and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She attended the University of Colorado School of Law where she served as an associate editor of the law review and received her J.D. in 1998. Ms. Pappas joined Davis & Ceriani as a litigation associate in 1999, became a partner in 2005 and managing partner in January 2015.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

DAVIS & CERIANI, P.C. | Denver, Colorado

Managing Partner | January 2015–Present
Shareholder | January 2005–Present
Litigation Associate | August 1999–December 2004

Practice focuses on securities litigation, complex commercial disputes, employment law, and general civil litigation.

Selected Experience & Leadership

  • Lead all phases of complex, high-value commercial and securities litigation, including investigations, discovery, depositions, expert coordination, dispositive motions, mediation, and trial.
  • Represent institutional investors in multi-million-dollar securities fraud litigation nationwide and individual investors in FINRA arbitrations.
  • Advise employers on employment law compliance, workplace investigations, employee handbook development, discrimination and harassment prevention, and personnel management issues.
  • Counsel employers and employees regarding severance agreements, restrictive covenants, dispute resolution, and workplace disputes.
  • Oversee firm operations, strategic planning, business development, attorney development, and firm leadership as Managing Partner.

EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO SCHOOL OF LAW | Boulder, Colorado

Juris Doctor, May 1998

  • Dean’s List
  • Associate Editor, Colorado Law Review
  • Recipient, Ira C. Rothgerber Memorial Scholarship
  • Recipient, Thomas Schatzel Scholarship

UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT | Burlington, Vermont

Bachelor of Arts, Environmental Studies | May 1995
Minor: English

  • Magna Cum Laude
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Golden Key National Honor Society
  • Dean’s List

SCHOOL FOR FIELD STUDIES (Northeastern University) | Friday Harbor, Washington

Ecology of Killer Whales Program | Summer 1994

  • Studied orcas in their natural environment and participated in whale-tagging research.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | Ann Arbor, Michigan

College of Arts and Sciences | 1991–1992

  • Honors Program
  • Dean’s List

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • Colorado Supreme Court
  • United States District Court, District of Colorado
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • Pro Hac Vice admissions in multiple federal jurisdictions

HONORS & RECOGNITION

  • Colorado Super Lawyers Top 100, 2017–Present
  • Colorado Super Lawyers Top 50 Women, 2017–Present
  • Colorado Super Lawyers, 2015–2016
  • Multiple-year Colorado Rising Star
  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell
  • Best Lawyers in America – Securities Litigation, 2021-Present
  • Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year – Securities Litigation, 2022
  • 5280 Top Lawyers – Civil Litigation, 2015; Securities Litigation, 2021-Present
  • 5280 Hall of Fame – Securities Litigation, 2024

TEACHING, SPEAKING & PUBLICATIONS

  • Adjunct Professor, University of Colorado Law School
    Technical & Engineering Knowledge in Litigation (2019)
  • Faculty Instructor, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) (2015–Present)
    • Rocky Mountain Trial Skills Program
    • Trial Skills for Legal Services Lawyers
    • Trial Skills for Immigration Lawyers
  • Moderator, National Federation of Municipal Analysts Annual Conference, “Catch Me If You Can – Alternative Recoveries” (2023)
  • Panelist, 4TH Annual Solo-Small Firm Institute, “Future Planning for Long Term Success.” (2022)
  • Moderator, 4th Annual Colorado Litigators’ Summit (2021)
  • Featured in the University of Vermont’s: Catamount Today: Denver Edition (2021)
  • Panelist, Colorado Litigators’ Summit, “Living and Leading in 2020 and Beyond: Safely Leading Your Partners, Employees, and Clients in the New COVID-19 Normal, and Lessons Learned Over the Last 6 Months.” (2020)
  • Panelist, 51st Annual Rocky Mountain Securities Conference, “Playing by the Rules:  Ethical Issues for Securities Industry Professionals” (2019)
  • Panelist, Ethics 7.0, “Ethics on the Silver Screen” (2019)
  • Author, “Examining the Title VII Ellerth/Faragher Affirmative Defense in the “Me Too” Era”, published in Trial Talk (December/January 2019)
  • Panelist, 50th Annual Rocky Mountain Securities Conference, “Ethical Issues for Securities Industry Professionals” (2018)
  • Author, “Workplace Bullying Legislation: A Primer for Colorado Employers and Employees,” published in Trial Talk (June/July 2008)

LEADERSHIP & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver

  • Board of Directors, 2023–Present
  • Chair, Board of Directors, 2023-2026
  • Chair, Associate Board (Ex-Officio Board Member), 2023–2026
  • Investment Committee Member, 2012–Present
  • Associate Board Member, 2006–2015

Leadership Denver

  • Class of 2017

Colorado Bar Association

  • Executive Council – Litigation Section, 2021-2024

Colorado Women’s Bar Foundation

  • Board of Directors, 2020-Present

ACE Scholarships

  • Board of Advisors, 2013–2017

LawLine9

  • Volunteer Attorney, 2007–2018
5280 TopLawyers 2025