James M. Cordes

James M. Cordes

Partner

Phone: 303-968-1711

About James M. Cordes

James M. Cordes is Colorado family law attorney and Partner at Kinnett & Cordes. Practicing family law exclusively since 2011, he has over 15 years of experience representing clients in complex family law matters, including high-asset, complex financial cases and parenting disputes involving mental health and substance use concerns. At Kinnett & Cordes, Mr. Cordes is a thoughtful advocate who considers not only the immediate outcome, but the long-term impacts of both settlement and litigation options. He brings a strategic approach to difficult cases and is committed to helping clients navigate significant personal and financial challenges while maintaining their goals and values.

Mr. Cordes has successfully litigated family law matters at both the trial court and appellate level and continues to help clients achieve their goals in the courtroom. In 2020, he expanded his practice to include Collaborative Divorce and Cooperative Law, which focuses on meeting client’s goals and needs while resolving family law disputes in a respectful manner, instead of the winner-take-all and at-all-costs approach that is all to common in Colorado courts. Within Collaborative Law, Mr. Cordes focuses on shepherding clients to find creative resolutions for their unique financial and parenting issues.

In addition to his client advocacy, Mr. Cordes has served as an experienced mediator and family law neutral since 2019. Leveraging his steady demeanor and courtroom experience to provide case feedback to both parties and counsel, he has guided hundreds of cases to settlement. His work as a family law neutral also includes his regular role as a decision maker and arbitrator for family law disputes, applying his deep understanding of the law to decide disputes as a court-appointed, quasi-judicial professional.

Mr. Cordes earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2006 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2010. He serves as Managing Editor of the Colorado Bar Association’s C.R.S. on Family Law (2024, 2025), the authoritative handbook for family law attorneys in court. Mr. Cordes has been recognized by Colorado Super Lawyers as a Rising Star from 2017 through 2024 and as a Super Lawyer from 2025 through the present. He also holds a “Superb” rating from Avvo and has contributed legal articles to Colorado Bar Association’s The Colorado Lawyer, Denver Bar Association’s The Docket, and Law Week Colorado.

Mr. Cordes is deeply involved in the Colorado legal and professional community. He has presented and moderated numerous continuing education courses, he serves on the Colorado Bar Association Family Law Section Executive Council, and he is Past President of the Metro Denver Interdisciplinary Committee where he continues to serve on the Board. As a Past President of the Colorado Collaborative Divorce Professionals and current Board Member, he is committed to Collaborative Law approaches and cooperative solutions that reduce conflict when appropriate. He is a leader in both practicing and advocating for Collaborative Law in Colorado, he regularly trains both new and experienced practitioners in Collaborative Law principles and practice, and he continues to hone his own skills with advanced workshops and courses.