About Juliet R. Piccone Colorado Pet Lawyer
Pets are my Passion
I am the managing member of The Piccone Law Firm, LLC doing business as The Pet Law Firm "PLF". I am a proud Colorado native, fourth generation. In 1996 I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BS in Political Science. The following fall I enrolled in CU Boulder's College of Law, obtaining my law degree in 1999. I have over twenty years of litigation experience under my belt, eight of those in the field of animal law.
Prior to 2012 I worked as an insurance defense attorney, litigating property, malpractice, serious injury and death cases. Since insurance companies hire lawyers for their insureds (the defendants), the cases usually came down to what was the property or the injured or deceased person worth? How much money should be paid to the person or his or her family? Although I came to empathize with my clients and always defended them vigorously, I did not become a lawyer to save corporations money; I became an attorney to help people and make a difference in society. I decided to take a break and rethink my career options.
After taking some time off, somewhat disheartened about "the law" and my place in the field, I decided to explore options in animal law. I joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund and was offered an internship with a local animal law practice following a mixer sponsored by ALDF. During my 10-month internship, I quickly learned that attorneys practicing "animal law" must be fluent with divergent areas of the law.
Following my internship, in June 2013 I founded The Piccone Law Firm, LLC, with the goal of becoming Colorado's leading expert regarding pet legal issues. Pulling from my civil litigation background, I provide compassionate yet aggressive representation to both pet and person. I have provided hundreds of initial consultations to individuals, businesses and animal welfare organizations to craft unique solutions and weigh pros and cons of going to court or to trial, and lay out as many different options I can think of for a particular issue.
In 1990 when I decided to become a lawyer, I never thought I'd become a criminal defense attorney; but these are some of my most important cases. I defend both pet and person for vicious or dangerous dog cases which could lead to the pet's death at the hands of the government. The next largest category of animal law I handle is civil litigation or negotiating with the opposing party (or insurance company) for issues such as pet professional malpractice, animal custody disputes (typically outside of a divorce case), negligence, breach of contract, and the complicated property action of replevin used to recover a pet wrongfully taken or detained. I also have clients I assist in the areas of administrative (regulatory) and transactional law.
I have represented individuals, businesses and organizations, but only if I believed it to be in the animal’s best interests. I have handled both sides of civil litigation cases, sometimes for the plaintiff, sometimes for the defendant. I have defended multiple criminal dog bite cases, other "dangerous" dog cases where the dog's life was at stake, up to and including conducting jury trials when no plea deal to spare the pet's life could be made.
It would be my honor for you to entrust your pet's legal issues with me. I will do my best to represent you and achieve your goals.
What is animal law?
Animal Law Experience Counts
Animal Law is considered a specialty because it is both vast and obscure. The field includes any type of legal matter, whether it be criminal, civil, administrative or transactional, that affects the rights, standing and/or welfare of an animal or its guardian or third parties.
Juliet R. Piccone has specialized as a Colorado pet attorney for over eight of her 21 year career. When she entered the field in 2012, Animal Law was a relatively new area of the law where sparse case and statutory law exists in terms of defining, establishing and protecting the welfare of animals and legal rights and responsibilities of their guardians or owners.
Animal Law varies from civil issues involving incidents of wrongful death or injury of a pet, veterinarian malpractice, criminal defense at vicious/ dangerous dog hearings, defense of restricted breed/breed discriminatory law citations, suits for breach of contract or for return of a pet that is being kept by someone unlawfully, other custody issues, and transactional issues such as drafting estates & trusts and facilitating non-profit formation and organizational governance.
As an animal attorney who practices animal law exclusively, with a emphasis on protecting pets, Juliet R. Piccone uses the tools that the legal system provides to give animals a voice in both the litigation and transactional forums. Her practice focuses on preventing injury to pets and also making individuals and entities accountable for hurting animals and the damage this causes their guardians/owners.