Alissa Hecht Gardenswartz '92

Alissa Gardenswartz '92, a shareholder in law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck's Denver office, has been appointed to the board of directors of Roundup River Ranch, an organization that enriches the lives of children with serious illnesses and their families by offering free, medically-supported camp programs at its property in Gypsum, Colo.

“This incredible organization gives kids with serious illnesses the ability to take a break from their diagnosis and experience the fun and independence of overnight camp, and to bond with other kids facing similar challenges,” Gardenswartz said. “I look forward to contributing to Roundup River Ranch’s important mission.”

Gardenswartz, former deputy attorney general for consumer protection in the Colorado Attorney General’s office, joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck's litigation department and consumer protection practice as a shareholder in February.

“We are excited for Alissa to join our team and bring her broad consumer protection experience to the firm,” said Eric Burris, Brownstein’s Litigation Department chair. “Her more than 10 years of experience working on investigations at the Colorado AG’s office deepens our bench of talent focused on consumer protection issues for our clients.”

Gardenswartz joined the Office of the Colorado Attorney General in 2007 as an assistant attorney general, and then became the first assistant attorney general overseeing antitrust cases, financial fraud and charity fraud cases, and litigation related to the master settlement agreement between tobacco manufacturers and the states. In 2015, the Colorado attorney general appointed Gardenswartz deputy attorney general for consumer protection. As deputy, Gardenswartz oversaw all of the attorney general’s consumer protection and antitrust enforcement activities as well as the office’s consumer education and outreach. Additionally, she frequently testified before the Colorado General Assembly on consumer protection legislation, and was one of the principal drafters of Colorado’s new data protection and breach notification laws.

“Alissa made an enormous difference for the people of Colorado as the head of our Consumer Protection Section,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser stated. “Her departure is a big loss for our office, but it will be a gain for the private bar and those who have the opportunity to work with her. I know that she will continue to serve our state with distinction and that she will bring the highest levels of intellectual rigor, integrity, and leadership to the practice of law.”

Gardenswartz has also worked in private practice in both Denver and Washington, D.C. She began her career with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Competition.

A frequent speaker at national and local conferences, Gardenswartz focuses on a variety of consumer protection issues, including data security, consumer lending, nonprofit oversight and regulation, and consumer outreach strategies. Gardenswartz is a past president of the National Association of State Charity Officials and has also served as faculty for the National Attorneys General Training & Research Institute and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

Gardenswartz received her law degree from the University of Chicago in 1996 and her B.A. in communication studies from UCLA.