Alderman Bernstein

When Jody Alderman and Carrie Bernstein first met in 2004, they didn't foresee starting their own law firm together five years later, but they're grateful they did. The women met while working at the Denver office of Grimshaw & Harring, a medium-sized law firm now called Spencer Fane. While there, Jody and Carrie primarily worked on eminent domain cases and other real estate-related litigation.
Our Story

In 2009, the women started their own firm, Alderman Bernstein, which focuses on real estate law, including transactions and litigation, with a focus on eminent domain. Despite the depressed economy, Jody and Carrie didn't hesitate to set out on their own. "We felt confident we would have clients," Carrie says. "In particular, because Jody had such a presence in eminent domain." "We really set out to be a niche eminent domain real estate law firm," continues Jody, who was a partner at Grimshaw & Harring when she left, having worked there for 15 years; Carrie spent five years with the firm.

From the very beginning, Alderman Bernstein found great success. The firm's vast knowledge and experience working on projects around the state, including on the Western Slope and in the mountain communities, has set them apart as one of the leading eminent domain law firms in Colorado. Jody and Carrie have both been recognized by their peers for their professional achievements: Jody has been selected to Super Lawyers since 2014, she has been designated as one of the Best Lawyers in America for Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law each year since 2007, and she is an AV Preeminent Rated Lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell. Carrie is a Rising Star on Super Lawyers and has been designated as one of the Best Lawyers in America for Eminent Domain and Condemnation each year since 2016 . U.S. News & World Report has named the firm to its list of Best Lawyers' Best Law Firm for eminent domain.

In the years since opening the firm, the women have added three attorneys and a paralegal, all of whom pride themselves on being super responsive and providing excellent service to their clients.

Both Carrie and Jody wanted to nurture their professional ambitions while being fully present in their families' lives, a primary reason for starting Alderman Bernstein. "I believe we can be really great lawyers, and really great parents and spouses," Jody says. "You don't have to choose to be one or the other, and we work on it every year to figure out how we can make it better." "We run lean, we do good work and we're all on flexible schedules," Carrie says. Jody and Carrie pride themselves on offering something that other firms do not: flexibility. And that work-life balance has helped them build a firm around attorneys who value family first and has helped them all be better attorneys, no doubt. "We're extremely focused and very efficient," Carrie says.

Locations	No. of Attorneys
Denver,	5

Practice Areas	No. of Attorneys
Environmental and Land Use	1
Government Contracts	1
Litigation - Real Estate	5
Real Estate	9
Trusts and Estates	1