Leslie A. Tuft

Partner Leslie A. Tuft - Partner

Biography

Leslie A. Tuft has over 20 years of litigation experience. She focuses her practice on construction defect, real estate, business, and other civil litigation and appeals. She has briefed and argued many appeals before Colorado’s appellate courts and co-authored numerous articles and books concerning important construction defect, insurance, and ethics issues.

Before joining Torbet & Tuft, Ms. Tuft practiced law with Burg, Simpson, Eldredge, Hersh & Jardine, P.C. in Englewood, Colorado from 2014–2023 and the Denver law firm Sullan2, Sandgrund, Perczak & Nuss, P.C. and its predecessors from 2005 until its 2014 merger with Burg, Simpson, et al.

Ms. Tuft earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Utah, where she was also a National Merit Scholar. She attended Stanford Law School, where she received the Hilmer Oehlmann Jr. Award for excellence in legal research and writing and the Lawrason Driscoll Moot Court Award. While at Stanford, Ms. Tuft also served as Co-President of Stanford’s Kirkwood Moot Court program (2000-2001). Ms. Tuft was admitted to the California State Bar in 2002, and the Colorado State Bar in 2003.

Ms. Tuft currently serves as the coordinating editor for the Construction Law column of the Colorado Bar Association publication, Colorado Lawyer.

Ms. Tuft enjoys hiking, reading, podcasts, learning new things, and spending time in nature with her family.

Practice Focus

Construction Defect Litigation, Appeals, Business Litigation, Real Estate Litigation, Civil Litigation

Awards

  • Best Lawyers® in America, 2021–2024
  • Colorado Super Lawyers® Rising Stars, 2016

Publications

  • “Residential Construction Law in Colorado,” (CBA-CLE, Denver 2024, 8th ed.), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Valerie M. Sullan. First published in 2005, this guide is updated every two years, and won the Association for Continuing Legal Education’s national 2011 Award of Professional Excellence.
  • “A Deeper Look at CDARA’s Scope,” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 51, no. 8 (Aug./Sept. 2022), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund.
  • “Claim and Issue Preclusion Arising from Residential Construction and Other Arbitrations – Part 2,” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 51, no. 3 (Mar. 2022), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Jennifer A. Seidman.
  • “Claim and Issue Preclusion Arising from Residential Construction and Other Arbitrations – Part 1,” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 51, no. 2 (Feb. 2022), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Jennifer A. Seidman.
  • “The Scope of CDARA: Potential Time and Place Limitations,” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 50, no. 3 (Mar. 2021), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund.
  • “Residential Construction,” Chapter 14 in Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Construction Law (Robert E. Benson ed., CLE in Colo., Inc., Denver, 2020), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Valerie M. Sullan.
  • “Applying Waiver and Estoppel Principles to Insurance Contracts,” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 49, no. 1 (Jan. 2020), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Thomas L. Roberts.
  • “Mitigating Potential Condo Conversion and Renovation Construction Defect Liabilities (Part 2),” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 48, no. 5 (May 2019), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Jennifer A. Seidman.
  • “Mitigating Potential Condo Conversion and Renovation Construction Defect Liabilities (Part 1),” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 48, no. 4 (Apr. 2019), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Jennifer A. Seidman.
  • “Class Action Counsel’s Professional Responsibilities,” Chapter 33 in Lawyers’ Professional Liability in Colorado: Preventing Legal Malpractice and Disciplinary Actions (Michael T. Mihm ed., CLE in Colo., Inc., Denver, 2018), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Valerie M. Sullan.
  • “The Colorado Supreme Court May Have Granted Developers the Right to Perpetually Control Common Interest Communities,” Trial Talk, Aug./Sept. 2017,co-authored with Mari K. Perczak, Jennifer A. Seidman, Brian K. Matise, and Ronald M. Sandgrund.
  • “House Bill 17-1279: New Prerequisites to Homeowner Association Construction Defect Lawsuits,” Colorado Lawyer vol. 46, no. 8 (Aug./Sept. 2017), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Jennifer A. Seidman.
  • “Construction Defect Municipal Ordinances: The Balkanization of Tort and Contract Law (Part 3),” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 46, no. 4 (Apr. 2017), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund, Jennifer A. Seidman, and Nelson Boyle.
  • “Construction Defect Municipal Ordinances: The Balkanization of Tort and Contract Law (Part 2),” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 46, no. 3 (Mar. 2017), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund, Jennifer A. Seidman, and Nelson Boyle.
  • “Construction Defect Municipal Ordinances: The Balkanization of Tort and Contract Law (Part 1),” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 46, no. 2 (Feb. 2017), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund, Jennifer A. Seidman, and Nelson Boyle.
  • “TCD and Colorado Pool: The Bogeyman Lurks,” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 43, no. 4 (Apr. 2014), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund.
  • “Shoddy Work, Negligent Construction and Reconciling the Irreconcilable Under CGL Policies,” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 38, no. 11 (Nov. 2009), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Harmon Graves.
  • “Recovering ‘Actual Damages’ Under Colorado’s Construction Defect Action Reform Act, Part II” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 38, no. 6 (June 2009), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Mari K. Perczak.
  • “Recovering ‘Actual Damages’ Under Colorado’s Construction Defect Action Reform Act, Part I” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 38, no. 5 (May 2009), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Mari K. Perczak.
  • “Crossing the Separation of Powers Threshold: Legislative and Regulatory Control of Expert Witness Testimony,” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 37, no. 5 (May 2008), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund, Valerie M. Sullan, and Jennifer A. Seidman.
  • “Liability Insurance Coverage for Breach of Contract Damages,” Colorado Lawyer, vol. 36, no. 2 (Feb. 2007), co-authored with Ronald M. Sandgrund.
  • “Another Perspective on Extrapolation Evidence,” Mealey’s Litigation Report: Construction Defects, vol. 7, iss. 4 (2006), contributor, with Ronald M. Sandgrund and Valerie M. Sullan, authors.

Seminars

  • “Residential Construction Defect Law Update 2021,” CLE in Colorado, Inc., August 2021
  • “Residential Construction Defect Law Update 2018,” CLE in Colorado, Inc., June 2018

Contact

Leslie A. Tuft: Ltuft@torbetlaw.com