Bagley Law Firm, LLC
attorneys at law
Our Attorneys
Brian J. Bagley,
J.D., M.B.A.
Founder & Chief Counsel
The founder and chief counsel of the Bagley Law Firm, LLC, Brian provides legal representation to businesses, families, and individuals. In addition to the practice of law, Brian served on City Council and as the Mayor of Longmont, CO for a decade of public service. Brian's other community activities include teaching at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder, as well as a professor for the university's prestigious Presidents Leadership Class, teaching upper-level courses on business, management, and leadership. Brian himself is a CU alumnus, having earned a Juris Doctor from CU's School of Law and a Master of Business Administration from the Leeds School of Business.
Brian began his professional career as a senior analyst and key member of the team that researched and wrote the New York Times Bestseller, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t. The best-selling hardback business book of all time, Good to Great has grossed more than $100 million in book sales alone. As the only research analyst throughout the five-year project for its entirety, Brian performed the in-depth investigations, interviews, and analysis on market-leading companies to understand how they came to dominate their industries. The research has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Business Week, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company.
Brian is a member of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, and has been licensed to practice law in the state of Colorado since 1999. His personal accomplishments include earning the rank of Eagle Scout from the Boy Scouts of America, speaking and writing fluent Spanish, writing and directing a full-length feature film distributed by Universal Vivendi, and volunteering – along with his wife – as a foster-adopt parent for Boulder County's Department of Housing and Human Services. His foremost passion is his family.
Scott T. Melin,
J.d., M.A.
Chief Operating Officer
Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, Criminal Defense & Family Law/Divorce
In addition to being the firm's Chief Operating Officer, Scott’s practice focuses on high-value civil matters, where his recent accomplishments include $1.58 million, $1.2 million, and $1.875 million recoveries for his clients.
Scott’s cases include personal injury, appeals, civil rights issues, business disputes, and other matters which may require complex litigation. Scott also handles high-conflict family matters, to which he brings years of family law experience.
Born and raised on the Colorado Front Range, Scott attended Colorado State University, where he studied philosophy and English. Thereafter, Scott received a merit scholarship to attend the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder, Colorado. During his legal studies, he served as a member – and executive – to the law school’s Public Interest Student Association.
Before joining the Bagley Law Firm, LLC, Scott’s passion for social justice took him to New York City where he attended Columbia University, earning a master’s degree in human rights and graduating with a 3.94 GPA. Long before this, however, Scott had been an advocate against domestic violence, having worked with organizations such as the Bringing Justice Home Project, an anti-domestic-violence project within Crossroads Safehouse in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Among his non-legal accomplishments, Scott formerly served on Littleton's city council as its Mayor Pro Tem. He has hiked the Colorado Trail, a stunningly beautiful 500-mile stretch of Colorado wilderness. In his spare time, he also enjoys birding, fly fishing, and gardening. Scott and his wife have a daughter and son.
JESSICA E. AVIS, J.D.
Senior Managing Attorney
Family Law
Growing up in rural Oklahoma, Jessica attended and graduated from The University of Oklahoma in 2015 with her Bachelor of Business Administration. Always ambitious, she graduated with a double major in Supply Chain Management and Marketing. Thereafter, Jessica was conferred a Juris Doctor in 2018 from Roger Williams University, graduating Cum Laude, recognized from among the top legal scholars in her graduating law-school class.
After law school, Jessica was selected to clerk for the Honorable Stephen Jouard of the 8th Judicial District in Larimer County. Completing her clerkship, Jessica moved on to focus her legal career on the area of family law. She now enjoys working in all aspects of family law, including divorce, child custody matters, contempt proceedings, child and spousal support enforcement, and post-decree modifications.
Jessica is uniquely qualified to represent both husbands and wives – fathers and mothers – as she has broad experience representing both “sides” of family law issues. While Colorado’s laws are meant to be gender neutral, the legal system oftentimes struggles to maintain its mandated indifference. Simply put, Jessica understands the small nuances of representing both men and women.
Having dealt with many high-conflict matters, Jessica has proved herself adept at keeping her cool in adverse, chaotic legal situations.
When she is not in a courtroom, Jessica enjoys camping, hiking,. and lakeside activities with her husband and three dogs.
Phil Clark, J.D.
Senior Associate Attorney
Criminal Defense
Phil Clark's talent for criminal defense is in his DNA, literally; litigating is a tradition in Phil Clark’s family, going back five generations, starting with Jonas J. Clark, who was appointed by Abraham Lincoln as the United States Attorney for District of Kansas City in 1861. Phil Clark is also a descendant of William Clark, the frontier explorer best recognized from his "partnership," Lewis and Clark.
Living up to his namesake, Phil Clark attended and excelled in law school at the University of Denver and never once veered from his life's ambition -- to become a world-class trial attorney.
Unheard of in this century, before Phil was even licensed to practice law, he had successfully performed over 35 trials as a supervised student attorney. Then, when he passed the Colorado bar exam in 1990, he did so with a score so high that the second portion of the test was waived.
Upon being admitted as a licensed attorney, Phil became a senior prosecutor and served in the district attorney's office for nearly two decade in the Metro-Denver area, where he prosecuted homicides, drug distribution, DUIs, domestic violence, and nearly every type of felony, misdemeanor, and traffic offense on the books.
Eventually, Phil was appointed second-in-command of the Weld County District Attorney’s Office. He was then elected as a member of the Colorado District Attorney’s Council State Governing Board where he served with each elected District Attorney in Colorado, members of the Governor’s Office, members of the Attorney General’s Office, members of the United States Attorney’s Office, and other high-ranking government officials.
Phil has been involved in numerous well-publicized cases and is highly respected in the legal community. With a "Never say die!" reputation, Phil is widely recognized as a legal expert and has taught at both the high school and college level. However, Mr. Clark is most proud of the recognition and appreciation he has received, in private, from his clients for his devotion to -- and success with -- championing their cases.
Sam Townsend, J.D.
Senior Associate Attorney
Family Law/Divorce, Estate Planning & Probate
Sam Townsend possesses years of experience in family law matters such as divorce, child custody, and grandparent rights, as well as estate planning and probate matters.
Sam has practiced in numerous county and district courts across Colorado from the eastern plains to the western slope, as well as in the Colorado Court of Appeals.
Having received a B.A. in History at the University of Virginia, Sam went on to graduate from Vermont Law School where he was a committee chairman in the Environmental Law Society.
Before attending law school, Sam worked numerous seasons in tourism and the outdoor recreation industry. Finishing what he starts, he is an Eagle Scout. Now, in his limited spare time, Sam can be found cycling and running throughout the mountains of Colorado, or being at home with his wife and child.
Nicholas de Castro, J.D.
Senior Associate Attorney
Criminal Defense, Civil Litigation & Personal Injury
Nick C. de Castro is a Senior Associate Attorney at the Bagley Law Firm, where he handles criminal defense, civil litigation, and personal injury cases.
Nick was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA and attended Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL, receiving a double B.A. in Political Science and Music in 2017. Nick then earned his J.D. at the University of Alabama School of Law, a top-25 law school, in 2020.
Before joining the Bagley Law Firm, Nick served for two years as a Colorado Public Defender. Nick has handled hundreds of cases ranging from misdemeanors to complex DUI, domestic violence, and felony matters. Nick prides himself on his ability to negotiate extremely favorable deals for his clients, but he is never afraid to take a case to trial.
The grandson of political refugees who fled Cuba, Nick became an attorney to protect individual freedoms and to advocate for victims of overzealous government action and prosecution.
In his free time, Nick enjoys playing music and cheering for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He is a classically trained opera singer and loves to perform whenever the opportunity arises.
Mallory Kindsfather, J.D.
Associate Attorney
Family Law/Divorce, Estate Planning, Probate & Elder Care
Mallory Kindsfather is an Associate Attorney exclusively practicing family law. With over seven years as a practicing attorney in Colorado, Mallory has discovered her passion - helping families navigate their most difficult legal challenges. Having "grown up" in the legal profession, Mallory cut her teeth as a law clerk and paralegal before attending law school. She has an empathic - yet honest - approach to problem solving; she helps her clients successfully resolve such issues as parenting time, maintenance (i.e., alimony), child support, enforcement actions, and adoptions.
Raised in Golden, Colorado, Mallory attended Colorado State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English. Upon graduation from CSU, she attended the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Since her graduation in 2017, Mallory has grown her legal practice so that it exclusively encompasses the area of family law.
When not fighting for her clients and their families, Mallory enjoys equestrian sports, having won a Colorado state championship and boasting membership on a competitive polo team. She also enjoys fostering dogs, participating in Roller Derby, and is an avid Star Trek fan.
Ellen Carlson, J.D.
Associate Attorney
Family Law/Divorce & Civil Litigation
Ellen Carlson is a Senior Associate Attorney with the Bagley Law Firm.
Ellen grew up in Texas and attended Southern Methodist University where she graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Religious Studies and a B.F.A. in Dance Performance. Ellen went to law school at the University of Denver where she spent her third year as a student attorney with the Child Advocacy Practicum. It was during this time that Ellen developed a passion for working with children and families.
After law school, Ellen clerked for the Honorable Ann Gail Meinster, presiding Juvenile Court Judge in Jefferson County, Colorado. She then spent seven years working as a court appointed Guardian ad Litem, representing the best interests of children in Dependency and Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency cases. Ellen then worked with a local non-profit to provide pro bono civil legal services to young people transitioning out of the foster care system.
Ellen uses her expertise in Juvenile Law as an instructor with the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse where she develops and delivers trainings on the legal system to new Department of Human Services caseworkers.
Outside of work, Ellen can be found at the local library or bookstore. She also enjoys exploring Colorado with her husband and two children.
Michaela Quinlan,
J.D., M.P.H.
Associate Attorney
Civil Litigation, Personal Injury & Family Law/Divorce
Michaela Quinlan is a rising star at the Bagley Law Firm. An associate attorney, Michaela primarily handles complex civil litigation and personal injury cases, as well as domestic relations matters (i.e., divorce, child custody and family law matters, including post-decree issues).
The daughter of a nuclear engineer and a high-school math teacher, she originally hails from Cheshire, CT. Blessed with an abnormally keen intellect, Michaela attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, earning a B.A. in both anthropology and history while serving as the school’s Head Captain for its rugby team.
Upon completing her undergraduate studies, Michaela attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law while concurrently earning a Masters of Public Health, graduating from both programs with honors. While attending graduate school, Michaela served as the President of OUTLaw, the University of Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ student organization, as well as the Executive Editor of the Pittsburgh Tax Review.
Before finding a home with the Bagley Law Firm, LLC, Michaela cut her teeth on the family law docket of Colorado’s 6th Judicial District in La Plata County while working for a family-law focused firm. This experience taught her how to manage a diverse case load of family law matters that include divorce, allocation of parental responsibilities, post-decree modifications, protection orders (i.e., restraining orders), adoptions, domestic violence issues, and more.
Earlier legal experience had Michaela serving as the Corporate Counsel for T-Mobile, overseeing regulatory affairs for California and other western states, as she worked with state utility commissions to assure regulatory compliance and propose/draft new industry-lead legislation and advocacy.
In addition to her intellect, Michaela has a heart of gold. She proved this while volunteering as a children’s immigration attorney for “Kids in Need of Defense.” Here, Michaela provided pro bono representation for children who had to appear before the United States’ Immigration Court.
Michaela now proudly calls Colorado home, and in her free time enjoys rock climbing, soccer, skiing, backpacking, painting, reading, cooking, and walking her dog, Wicklow.
Dustin Harvey, J.D.
Associate Attorney
Family Law/Divorce & Criminal Defense & Civil Litigation
Dustin Harvey is an associate attorney at the Bagley Law Firm who specializes in family law, criminal defense, and routine civil litigation matters. Having graduated from Colorado State University, Dustin went on to receive his law degree from the University of Wyoming’s College of Law.
Notably, Dustin is a former Colorado State Public Defender for Colorado’s 13th Judicial District in the jurisdictions of Morgan and Washington counties, where he represented indigent clientele and learned the invaluable habit of practicing law from a “client-centered” capacity; Dustin prioritizes the needs of each case and focuses on the best interests of his clients.
Upon entering private practice, Dustin chose to accept and assist clients who are struggling with family law issues. He frequently handles legal issues that are quite complicated. For example, Dustin routinely negotiates and drafts legal documents such as parenting plans, separation agreements, and contempt citations.
Although Dustin now chooses to focus on family law and criminal defense matters, his professional resume includes work with class action lawsuits. This experience permitted him to develop a keen eye for detail as he investigated and collected data and then organized the information on a multi-firm database. Dustin’s organization skill set helped his colleagues learn, negotiate, and successfully litigate difficult cases, all while managing an extremely high number of claimants.
In his spare time, Dustin enjoys spending his time outdoors as he engages in traditional Colorado activities such as hiking, running and target shooting. When pressed, he’ll readily admit that he loves his two cats who, it is rumored, love him back.