Attorney Profile - Kurt Zaner

Kurt Zaner is the founding partner of Zaner Law Personal Injury Lawyers in Denver, Colorado. He has dedicated his legal career to representing individuals against large corporations, embracing the challenge of standing up for people when the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against them. His practice spans personal injury law, insurance coverage, and product liability, among other areas. He handles all types of cases involving car accidents, truck accidents, and explosion accidents, and also represents families in wrongful death matters.

Zaner earned his bachelor's degree, cum laude, and his law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida, where he served as a board member of the University of Florida Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif honor society upon graduation. After receiving the American Bar Association's and American Law Institute's Best Graduate Award, awarded to the graduating student who best represents a combination of scholarship and leadership, he clerked for United States District Judge Ken Marra. A sought-after national speaker, Zaner frequently lectures on his trial techniques, legal writing strategies, and discovery tactics.

Notable Results

• $16,000,000 verdict (premises liability, Boulder) for a father of three diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) after a temporary electrical box exploded. The firm reports this is the largest premises liability verdict in the history of Colorado. The case is identified as Warembourg v. Excel, 471 P.3d 1213 (Co. Ct. App. 2020), affirmed in a 63-page, 3-0 published appellate opinion.
• $10,600,000 verdict (with interest) for a client who also developed CRPS following an electrocution, delivered by a Denver jury. The firm reports this was the #1 top personal injury verdict in all of Colorado in 2021.
• $30,000,000 verdict in Federal Court for an oil and gas worker who lost his leg in a tank explosion. The case is the subject of the podcast episode "Landmark case: $30 Million Verdict for Oil Field Worker with Kurt Zaner."
• $4,300,000 verdict for a client injured in a trucking crash.
• In 2017, Zaner and his partner secured a $2,500,000 verdict against a drunk driver who killed a client's son and fled the scene, and a $1,700,000 verdict against an oil company's distracted driver. These were ranked among the top 20 verdicts in Colorado across all practice areas in 2017.

Recognition

• Kurt Zaner and Zaner Law were recognized in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers, based on an extensive peer-review evaluation process.
• Named a 2026 Top Lawyer by 5280 Magazine.
• Recognized as a Colorado Super Lawyer, a designation reserved for the top 2.5 percent of lawyers in Colorado.
• Named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Colorado by The National Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only organization.
• Zaner has served on the boards of both the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association of Justice for nearly ten years.

Published Legal Work

• "Lessons From Cicero," published in Good Counsel, April 2017.
• Alhilo v. Kleim, 413 P.3d 902 (Co. Ct. App. 2016), cert denied (Colo. June 26, 2017), a published opinion that created helpful case law for victims of drunk drivers by allowing prior DUIs to be admitted as evidence, and clarified wrongful death damage caps for survivors.
• Zaner is a published author on Federal and State case law, including Colorado law establishing the right to punitive damages for victims of drunk drivers, and has authored legal articles on distracted driving and ancient Roman trial methods.

Bar Admissions

• Colorado, 2009 (Bar No. 40989)