Molly Kokesh

Molly Kokesh helps clients navigate high stakes environmental and natural resources disputes from early case assessment through trial and appeal. She has extensive experience handling contract disputes, class action royalty cases, and matters involving CERCLA and the Clean Water Act. Molly has represented clients in trial and appellate courts nationwide, including before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2021, Law Week Colorado named Molly an “Up and Coming Lawyer” for her work on complex appeals, and she has been named a Colorado Rising Star by Thomson Reuters each year since 2023.

Prior to joining Davis Graham, Molly served as a law clerk to the Honorable David M. Ebel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and for Chief Justice Nancy Rice of the Colorado Supreme Court. Molly earned her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, graduating in the top 1% of her class. She received her B.A. from Augustana University, where she graduated magna cum laude, earned All-American honors in track, and helped her cross-country team win an NCAA Division II National Championship. 

Molly is a committed community leader. She serves on the Mile High United Way’s Bridging the Gap Committee, which supports a program that connects young adults transitioning out of the foster care system to stable housing and wraparound services. She is a mentor for Law School . . . Yes We Can, a law school pipeline program supporting BIPOC and members of underserved communities. She also volunteers with the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.

Representative Experience

• In interlocutory appeal in CERCLA contribution action, persuaded the Tenth Circuit that its prior precedent had been overruled such that the applicable statute of limitations had not run.
• In CERCLA contribution action, obtained favorable bench trial verdict in the District of Montana, successfully defended result before the Ninth Circuit, and obtained denial of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court.  

Presentations & Publications

• Is Movement the Answer to Your Writer’s Block?, Colorado Lawyer, April 2024
• Judge Zita Weinshienk’s Legacy, The 1891 Blog by the Colorado Women’s Bar Association (December 2022)
• eDiscovery 101: The Basics of Conducting Efficient and Effective Electronic Discovery, CBA-CLE (April 2022)

Community Involvement

• Mile High United Way, Catalyst Society Member 
• Huntington’s Disease Society of America Rocky Mountain Chapter, Board Member 
• Law School…Yes, We Can, Volunteer Mentor 
• William E. Doyle Inn of Court