About Britta Kruse

Britta Kruse comes to Meilstrup & Brown after nearly twelve years spent sharpening her research, writing, and oral advocacy skills in the Appellate Division of the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office, where she began her legal career following a clerkship with Hon. Justice Alex J. Martinez on the Colorado Supreme Court, and an internship with Hon. Judge John L. Kane on the Federal District Court of the District of Colorado.

During her productive career as an appellate public defender, Britta drafted over 100 principal briefs and conducted 30 oral arguments in the Colorado Court of Appeals. In the Colorado Supreme Court, Britta has drafted 6 principal briefs and conducted 3 oral arguments. Despite the steep odds against any appellate defender, Britta’s persuasive advocacy has produced 3 published wins in the Colorado Supreme Court, and 7 published wins in the Colorado Court of Appeals, which is in addition to the dozens of unpublished wins she has obtained for her clients over the years. In total, Britta has 17 published appellate cases to her name in the appellate courts of Colorado.

Britta’s meticulous research ability coupled with her natural inquisitiveness has led Britta to develop an expertise in Colorado’s unique law governing extreme indifference crimes, which resulted in the creation of comprehensive training materials in this area. Since then, Britta has provided strategic consultation on over a dozen extreme indifference cases in district courts across the state of Colorado. Similarly, Britta developed an expertise and training materials pertaining to Colorado’s Force Against Intruders (“Make My Day”) defense, and other complex issues involving self-defense and “Heat of Passion” provocation.

Britta is a passionate advocate with a decisive, straightforward communication style and knack for strategizing complex legal issues. Britta has been a go-to source and valued mentor throughout her career owing to her ability to sift facts, leverage precedent, and craft compelling narratives. Britta’s expertise covers a broad spectrum of the most challenging legal issues in the criminal justice system, which makes her the ideal appellate attorney for any matter.

Britta Kruse

  • Direct Criminal Appeals
  • Appellate Procedure
  • Oral Argument
  • Petitions for Writ of Certiorari
  • Petitions for Extraordinary Relief per Rule 21
  • Reconstruction and Supplementation of the Record on Appeal
  • Jury Instructions
  • Modification of Terms and Conditions of Probation
  • Sentence Reconsideration
  • Petitions to Seal Criminal Justice Records
  • Extreme Indifference Offenses
  • Force Against Intruders Defense (“Make My Day”)
  • Self-Defense
  • Heat of Passion Provocation/Imperfect Self-Defense
  • Fourth Amendment Search and Seizure
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Double Jeopardy
  • Second Amendment
  • Speedy Disposition of Detainers
  • Rules of Evidence

  • Drafted a successful Petition for Extraordinary Relief per Rule 21 that prevented the unconstitutional disclosure of dozens of privileged attorney-client communications in a homicide case.
  • Created comprehensive annotated jury instruction packets for graded homicides, extreme indifference crimes, self-defense, and imperfect self-defense necessary for advancing critical defense theories and preserving key appellate issues.
  • Successfully defended an individual who falsely confessed to drug possession under coercion by a cop who was soon terminated for untruthfulness by achieving full reversal of the individual’s convictions on multiple grounds on appeal and later dismissal of his case on remand.
  • Successfully defended an individual whose vehicle was illegally seized and searched by the police by achieving full reversal of the individual’s convictions on appeal, suppression of the illegally obtained evidence leading to dismissal of the case on remand, and then succeeded in obtaining an order sealing all records of arrest and conviction.
  • Successfully defended an individual who was denied the constitutionally guaranteed right to confrontation at trial in a self-defense case by achieving full reversal of the convictions on appeal and assisted in negotiating a favorable disposition on remand.
  • Successfully litigated a petition to seal criminal justice records for an individual who was acquitted at trial of first degree murder on self-defense grounds.
  • Successfully represented an individual on a People’s appeal seeking to withdraw from a legal plea agreement by achieving an order affirming the plea agreement in the Court of Appeals, and then subsequently defended that ruling all the way to the Colorado Supreme Court, resulting in a published opinion affirming the plea agreement and the district court’s authority to exercise sound discretion when imposing sentence.

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison, BA in Liberal Arts & Integrated Liberal Studies
    • Graduated with Honors in Liberal Arts
  • University of Colorado, J.D.
    • Candidate for Order of the Coif
    • Associate Editor, Colorado Law Review

  • Colorado

  • Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
  • Colorado Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel, Researcher
  • Alternate Defense Counsel (ADC), Member

  • Colorado Supreme Court
    • 5 published cases involving issues relating to search and seizure, double jeopardy, expert testimony, and plea bargaining.
  • Colorado Court of Appeals
    • 12 published cases involving issues relating to jury instructions, extreme indifference crimes, expert testimony, sufficiency of the evidence, self-defense, search and seizure, pre-sentence confinement credit, double jeopardy, direct file, and admissibility of evidence.

What Our Clients Say:

“Britta was my appeals attorney from 2015-2020. At the time I was sitting without hope and another 40 years in prison on a conviction that should have never happened. She was my one ray of hope. She was honest, professional, caring and thorough. She did what I thought impossible. Gave me hope at life. Not a day goes by that I’m not thankful for her. I could go on for days about what an excellent attorney and person she is. But given the chance, I’m sure she’ll just show you.”

— Former Client, Direct Appeal

Because your future matters.