Current Employment: Managing and Founding Partner of Heckenbach Suazo LLP

Practice Areas:

Family law, with emphasis on high net worth and complex divorce issues as well as the allocation of parental responsibilities, post decree modifications, grandparent’s rights, common law marriage, and paternity.

Mediator/Special Master for Family Law Matters

Education:

Bachelor of Arts/Washington and Lee University/1976/, cum laude with honors in Psychology

Psi Chi the National Honors Society for Psychology; Published in the Virginia Journal of Science

Juris Doctorate/University of Colorado School of Law/May 1979

Quarter Finalist - Rothgerber Moot Court competition- appellate arguments; Research Assistant for Professor David Hill.

New York University Post Graduate Medical School/Forensic Science

Admissions:

State of Colorado (1979)

United States Federal Courts for the District of Colorado (1979)

10th Circuit Court of Appeals for the United States of America (1984)

David W. Heckenbach, Founding Partner

Dave began his career even before taking the bar exam as a law clerk for Bragg and Dubofsky and as an intern at the District Attorney’s office for the Second Judicial District for the State of Colorado (Denver). After passing the bar on his first attempt, Dave was sworn into practice law and sworn in as a Deputy District Attorney on the same day, Friday, on October 9, 1979. He tried his first case the following Monday and has been trying cases ever since.

By late 1983, Dave was already promoted to Chief Deputy District Attorney for the Denver District Attorney’s Office, and in 1985 became the Chief Deputy in charge of Complex Prosecutions for the Denver District Attorney’s office. He held that position until October of 1992 when he left for private practice.

During his tenure as the Chief Deputy in charge of the Complex Prosecution Unit, Dave handled a variety of high profile, high publicity, and highly complex matters. He was also in charge of all Denver Statutory Grand Jury matters and investigations. He was appointed as a Special Prosecutor a number of times, especially when cases from other jurisdictions had public corruption cases that involved a conflict for that jurisdiction’s District Attorney.

In 1992, Dave joined Christopher C. Cross as a partner in the firm of Cross and Heckenbach, PC. During the five years that Cross and Heckenbach, P.C. existed, Dave began primarily handling complicated divorce matters, security litigation, criminal matters, and some attorney disciplinary matters. Upon his partner’s elevation to the bench in 1997, Dave was a Founding Partner in one of the preceding entities to HECKENBACH SUAZO LLP. First known as Gutterman, Carlton & Heckenbach, LLP, the name changes evolved to reflect Dave Heckenbach and Aaron Suazo as the primary partners in the same entity that began on August 1, 1997.

During his time with HECKENBACH SUAZO LLP and its preceding iterations, Dave has continued to practice primarily in the area of highly complicated divorce matters for individuals of high net worth and income. He has handled literally hundreds of contested hearings in cases such as; divorce, paternity, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support modification, child support enforcement, maintenance modification, step-parent rights, common law marriage and grandparent rights.  

Dave has been a trial lawyer for more than 36 years, and in addition to his established litigation practice, Dave also functions as a Mediator for Family Law matters and as an expert witness.

Career Highlights:

Past President of the Douglas/Elbert Bar Association

Martindale- Hubbell AV Preeminent Lawyer

Multiple recognitions as a Colorado Super Lawyer

Featured in Forbes Magazine as Heckenbach, Carlton & Ammarell, LLP (October 17, 2007)

Featured in the American Registry, Law Week and the National Law Journals, as among the top 1 ½ percent of trial lawyers in the country.

Worldwide Registry of Executives, Professionals, and Entrepreneurs (2014 and 2015)

National Academy of Family Law Attorneys, Nationally Ranked Top 10 Attorney Award (2015 and 2016)

Co-authored and published The Guide to a Smart Divorce in 2011

Appeared numerous times on multiple radio talk shows regarding divorce issues.

Community Involvement and Professional Affiliations:

Member, Colorado Bar Association (Family Law Section)

Member, Douglas/Elbert Bar Association (past President, as well)

Member, Denver and Arapahoe Bar Association

Member, American Bar Association (Family Law Section)

Member, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association

Former Member of the Executive Council for the Family Law Section of the Colorado Bar Association

Leukemia Benefit Top Fundraiser

Past Board Member of the Alzheimer’s Association

Past Board Member/Former Chairman of the Board /American Heart Association of Colorado

Co-Chairman for the Toyota Celebrity Ski Challenge

Recipient of the Pacemaker Award for the Heart Association

Past Board Member and Volunteer for Cross and Clef Ministries