Shelly S. Dill

Shelly believes it is an honor to walk alongside a person seeking a change in their family structure or their relationship dynamics. Shelly believes in the concept of being a Counselor at Law and in her representation will focus on the whole person and their current life transition.

Her practice includes all areas of family law including intimate partner civil protection orders, dissolutions, common law marriages, annulments, child custody disputes, pre and post marital agreements, relocation issues, decision-making disputes, child support issues, contempt actions, guardianships and adoptions for children, and other civil legal matters such as stalking and harassment as it relates to intimate partner violence.

Shelly takes cases throughout the State of Colorado. However, her physical office location is in the Aurora/Centennial area of Arapahoe County and this is where she mediates with clients. She takes traditional dissolution cases, or non-contested cases, as well as collaborative law cases. She can also operate as a neutral 3rd party mediator and does Coaching Calls for the firm.

Shelly has been licensed to practice law in Colorado since 2006 and
received her Juris Doctor from American University, Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C., with honors.  Shelly is a trained mediator and has completed her 40-hour mediation certification. Shelly also received her Colorado Collaborative Divorce Professional Training in November of 2024.

Prior to joining New Leaf Family, Shelly owned her own law firm, Uhuru Law & Mediation. Uhuru means freedom in Swahili and it is her passion to see people walk in greater freedom. She also created and directed the Pro Bono Project at the Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center in Denver and Project LIFT at Tessa in Colorado Springs, both aimed at serving victims of domestic violence. This is an area of law that Shelly feels passionate about. Shelly and now New Leaf continue to support the Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center and its efforts to help individuals dealing with domestic violence and abuse.

Early in her career Shelly clerked for Judge Margie Enquist in the 1st Judicial District, for Judge Jim Casebolt at the Colorado Court of Appeals, and for Justice Greg Hobbs Jr. at the Colorado Supreme Court.  She also worked as a Staff Attorney at the Judicial Arbiter Group, a leading mediation and arbitration firm in Colorado, as well as the Colorado Department of Labor in a Policy position.

Shelly served on the Board of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association for five years, chairing the Publications, Policy, and Legal Services Committees.  She also served three prior terms on the Board of Governors for the Colorado Bar Association and was on the Leadership Nomination Committee for the Colorado Bar Association for 2023.

She was a member of the Colorado Bar Association’s COBALT Leadership Training Class in 2015 and Emerge Political Leadership Class in 2016.  Over the years she has authored, coauthored, and edited multiple articles published in the Colorado Lawyer focusing on two additional legal passions she has, access to justice and women’s issues.

For three years she chaired and co-chaired the Denver Bar Association Access to Justice Committee.  She has also previously volunteered with the Colorado
Lawyers Committee Legal Nights and Project Homeless Connect as well as the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMAIN).  Additionally, she is a NITA National Trial Training Program Participant and completed an additional NITA Women in Trial Training Program in Denver in 2023.

Shelly believes in the importance of pro bono work and takes pro bono cases for the firm. She also continues to volunteer her time annually providing training related to civil protection orders for the Denver Courts.

In addition to her law degree, Shelly holds an MA from American University’s School of International Service in Political Economy, an MA from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal in Economic Development, and a BA from Baylor University in International Relations.

Shelly is currently a member of the Arapahoe County Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, and the Colorado Women’s Bar Association. She is also involved with the Christian Legal Society in the Denver Metro area.

Shelly welcomes you to choose New Leaf to be your partner in creating change in your life and would be honored to be your advocate.