Gretchen Smith joined Hinds & Hinds in May of 2024. She is a value-driven paralegal successfully supporting and managing the caseloads of multiple attorneys. Gretchen has over 15 years of experience as a family law paralegal, and joined the Colorado legal community in 2020 from Kansas City. Go Chiefs!

Gretchen has a broad and varied legal background that began in 1997 when she was a receptionist for a small personal injury firm, and continued through her work as a legal administrative assistant for an international insurance defense firm. Throughout her career, Gretchen has developed expertise in litigation, but it was her empathy and compassion for clients that solidified her decision to join the family law community. Her attention to detail and knowledge of the legal process help clients and their attorneys work toward an efficient and effective resolution to their particular case.

Gretchen earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice, then acquired a Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice with a Graduate Certificate in Forensic Child Psychology from Missouri State University. She regularly participates in continuing education courses to stay current with changes in family law and is a member of the Colorado Bar Association. Her commitment to professional development and passion for helping families navigate difficult legal situations make her a valuable asset to Hinds & Hinds.

Kendall Hartman joined Hinds and Hinds as a Legal Receptionist in March 2025.

Kendall was first drawn to the legal field out of a desire to help people navigate hard times in their lives. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy, and received her paralegal certification from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2024. Kendall interned for the Denver District Attorney’s Office for two years before joining the Hinds and Hinds team.

Throughout her education and internship, she became more passionate about the legal field and further fascinated by the inner workings of the legal system. She has found that working with the client-focused team at Hinds and Hinds has given her the opportunity to help people when they need it the most, and opened doors for her own professional growth in the legal field. She hopes to attend law school in the future.

Nicole was born and raised in New Orleans. Growing up in Louisiana, Nicole witnessed a fractured legal system that oftentimes resulted in unfair outcomes. Striving to make a difference, Nicole pursued practicing law to help ensure every litigant and defendant has the representation they deserve. After graduating from Louisiana State University Law Center in 2018, she began her career as a Public Defender outside of New Orleans, initially representing juveniles in delinquency cases before transitioning to defending adults with felony charges of all classes and degrees. Nicole also represented parents accused of abuse and/or neglect which included defense against termination of parental rights, and she eventually became responsible for all of the district’s dependency and neglect appeals.

Following her calling to the Rockies, Nicole moved to Denver and became licensed to practice law in Colorado in 2021, where she expanded her expertise to family law. Since then, Nicole has litigated dozens of high conflict and high asset divorce cases in Colorado, involving business and trust valuations, disputed calculations of income, child abuse, domestic violence, and parental alienation, among other issues. 

Every family’s situation is unique, and Nicole handles each case that comes across her desk with focus and diligence. Through every stage of the legal process, Nicole centers her client’s best interests, ensuring thoughtful strategy is applied to all facets of the case. She is a fearless litigator who feels at home in the courtroom, appreciates the thrill of being in contested court hearings, and enjoys the satisfaction of defending her clients’ interests. 

Currently, Nicole provides representation for a variety of civil and criminal matters to include: 

• Dissolution of marriage and related post-decree matters 
• Allocation of parental responsibilities and related post-decree matters
• Defense of dependency and neglect allegations
• Prosecution and defense of civil protection orders
• Prosecution and defense of civil contempt of court actions 
• Criminal defense, including all misdemeanor classes and felony classes 5 and 6

Monica Colvig is from the western Colorado mountain town of Silverton, and earned her undergraduate degrees in Durango at Fort Lewis College. In 2002, she moved to the Pacific Northwest with her family to attend law school in Portland, Oregon and practiced family law and criminal defense from 2005 until 2008. Monica returned with her family to Durango in 2008, where she specialized in domestic violence advocacy in domestic relations cases. Monica joined Hinds and Hinds Family Law in 2024 with over 20 years of family law practice behind her, making her a valuable asset to the firm.

Family law cases can be complex and emotional, and no two are the same. Monica approaches each case with her unique skillset of child-focused fairness and knowledgeable, calm counsel. Her clients benefit from her training in collaborative law, which helps families work toward peaceful and dignified out-of-court settlement in family law matters. Monica’s extensive experience in domestic violence advocacy makes her a powerful legal ally to her clients when the situation calls for it. She takes pride in her ability to help families navigate tough legal cases, and enjoys getting her clients to the other side of a stressful divorce or custody matter with their dignity intact.

Currently, Monica represents clients in a variety of legal situations, including:

• Divorce and custody Protection orders
• Modifications
• Prenuptial and marital agreements
• Adoptions
• Limited guardianships
• Collaborative divorce

Brianne Henninger brings a decade of legal experience to Hinds & Hinds Family Law, P.C. Brianne has dedicated her career to family law, and in the process, she has cultivated a long history of counseling people through some of the most difficult times of their lives. She takes pride in knowing she helps her clients – not only through the complex legal process, but also through the major life transitions they make while she is representing them. By ensuring that her clients feel comfortable throughout the process of their divorce and/or custody battle, she facilitates the trust and teamwork necessary to get the best results. A native of Pennsylvania, Brianne graduated magna cum laude from Widener University in 2012 and is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and Colorado. 

While most of her career has focused on family law, she also has experience in simple estate planning. Brianne works hard to settle cases outside of court but also will not hesitate to step into the courtroom and litigate with confidence and passion. She handles matters such as divorce, legal separation, allocation of parental responsibilities, maintenance and child support, post-decree modifications and enforcement issues, protection orders, and adoptions. She also drafts ands reviews Cohabitation Agreements and Marital Agreements. 

Brianne also serves as a Parent Coordinator and Decision-Maker to help parents resolve disputes concerning parental responsibilities and help implement court-ordered parenting plans.  

Brianne’s professional strengths include her writing skills, meticulous attention to detail, and ability to communicate effectively, both with her clients and with opposing parties and attorneys. She understands that each case is different, and crafts her legal approach to every case according to her client’s needs. 

When Brianne is not working on behalf of her clients or spending time with her family, she likes to travel, hike and camp throughout the Rocky Mountains, and cook and eat a variety of cuisines.

Joining Hinds and Hinds Family Law in early 2023, Darin began his legal career as a judicial law clerk. Working closely with judges, he gained an understanding of family law matters from the unique perspective of the court, and these practical insights are imbedded in Darin’s advice and in his preparation and approach to litigation.

Darin is committed to providing thoughtful, compassionate, and sensible representation to his clients facing sensitive and compelling family law issues. Darin’s practice focuses on all areas of family law, including divorce and post-decree matters, interstate cases involving custody (UCCJEA) and child support (UIFSA), as well as paternity actions, guardianship matters, and adoptions. Darin also handles appeals and basic estate planning.

Passionate about pro bono work and providing access to the legal system for the underserved and marginalized in the community, Darin serves as a volunteer attorney at the More Life Center pro bono clinic at Colorado Community Church sponsored by the Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Clinic.

Susan Lightley is a paralegal who has worked with Robert T. Hinds, Jr. for 37+ years. Susan has extensive experience in family law and case management, including drafting and e-filing pleadings, analyzing parental responsibilities evaluations, interviewing witnesses, preparing exhibits, sworn financial statements, child support and maintenance worksheets, assisting in depositions and trials, and daily communications with clients, attorneys, experts, and the courts.

Susan has a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from Indiana University and particularly enjoys working with our clients on family and child-related matters.

Riley DeWaters joined Hinds and Hinds as a Legal Assistant in the summer of 2022, excited to help the firm run smoothly in its daily operations. Riley has an extensive professional background, making her an asset to our team. She soon transitioned to being a paralegal to multiple attorneys at the firm.

Riley earned her Master of Legal Studies from Washington University’s School of Law, and has a Bachelor of Arts in English & Philosophy with High Distinction at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

During the last 20 years, Janet has worked in the area of domestic and juvenile law, in both the court system and private practice. She has been involved in multi-disciplinary projects as an employee and on a volunteer basis. She has been a Child and Family Investigator (CFI) since 2012 and provides parenting time supervision services. Prior to her work in the domestic area she spent more than 16 years working in the area of land use planning, specifically transportation and regional planning. 

Janet’s education spans the University of Colorado at Denver, Temple University, Denver Paralegal Institute, Aurora Community College, and extensive CFI training programs for the Colorado Bar Association and State Court Administration. 

She is a CASA (Court-Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer as well as a mediation volunteer with the Jefferson County Mediation Services. 

When she’s not in the realm of law, Janet loves spending time with her two fur babies.