Martha L. Ridgway, Esq.

Areas of Practice:	Mediation Elder Law Probate Estate Planning Expert Witness
Education:	Certified Mediator, CDR Associates, 2003 J.D., University of Kansas School of Law, 1981 B.A., Magna cum Laude, Departmental Honors, Washburn University, 1978
Admission:	Colorado Kansas United States District Court for the District of Colorado United States District Court for the District of Kansas Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
Memberships:	Colorado Bar Association Co-founder and first co-chairperson, CBA Elder Law Committee ADR Liaison to Elder Law Committee Volunteer, Denver Probate Court Mediation Project Boulder County Bar Association First co-chairperson, Elder Law Committee, Boulder County Bar Association Volunteer, Boulder Probate Court Mediation Project National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc.
Published Opinions:	In re Marriage of Swink, 807 P.2d 1245 (Colo.App. 1991) Gatson v. Bowen, 854 F.2d 379 (10th Cir. 1988)
Biography:	Prior to joining Hamilton Faatz and Waller, PC as Special Counsel in 2011, Ms. Ridgway had practiced law in Colorado and Kansas for 30 years. She was the founding member and Senior Partner of Ridgway, Romeo & Vincent, LLC, and its predecessor. For the last 22 years her practice has emphasized elder and disability law; probate litigation; guardianship and conservatorship; guardian ad litem for impaired adults; estate administration; Medicaid eligibility; abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of the elderly; estate planning; family law; Social Security Disability and dependency and neglect. Ms. Ridgway is also a Certified Mediator who handles many complex mediations and family facilitations in the areas of inter-generational disputes, elder law, and probate. She has also served as an expert witness on numerous occasions.
Activities/Honors:	Boulder County Developmental Disabilities Center, Volunteer of the Year, 2000 Boulder County Bar Association John Robert Marshall Award, 1997, for “commitment and dedication in undertaking volunteer legal services to the elderly and less fortunate of Boulder County.” Boulder County Legal Services, 1996, special award for the most hours ever committed to a single pro bono case. Boulder County Bar Association, Lawyer for All Seasons Award, 1992, recognizing a bar member “who has exhibited exceptional dedication to the profession and the community, whose contributions may have gone unnoticed, and who merits special recognition by colleagues in the legal profession.” Kansas Legal Services, Excellence in Litigation Award, 1987
Presentations:	Boulder County Aging Services Caregiving Symposium Legal Issues that Affect Family Caregivers and Their Elder Care Recipients May 11, 2011 ELDEResolutions Capacity of Individuals Participating in mediation/Other Conflict Resolution Conflict Resolution for Elder Care Professionals May 3, 2011 CLE in Colorado, Inc. Statewide ADR Conference It’s Complicated: Facilitating Intergenerational Conversations November 4, 2010 CLE in Colorado, Inc. Guardianships and Conservatorships Alternatives to Guardianship and Conservatorship September 1992 Colorado Trial Lawyer’s Association People’s Law School Rights of the Elderly Fall 1990 Leading the Way into the Nineties-Colorado Women’s Bar Association Special Problems of Representing the Elderly: Medicaid and Spousal Impoverishment June 9, 1990 Tri-Cities Caregiver Education Series Financial and Legal Planning for Caregivers Louisville Senior Center May 16, 1989 Senior Citizens Law Project Public Benefits Available to Senior Citizens: What Every Practitioner Representing Elderly Clients Should Know February 17, 1988 (Partial listing of presentations; complete listing provided upon request.)
Publications:	Mediating Disputes Involving Older Adults and People with Disabilities, and Their Families Elder Law in Colorado, Fourth Edition (2011) CLE in Colorado, Inc. Facing the Challenges of Aging: The Role of Family Facilitation and Mediation Boulder County Aging Services’ “Care Connections” May/June 2011 issue Estate Planning, Probate, and Public Benefits Eligibility Lawyers’ Professional Liability in Colorado: Preventing Legal Malpractice and Disciplinary Actions CLE in Colorado, Inc., 2005; revised in 2009 and 2010. (Partial listing of publications; complete listing provided upon request.)