About Kelly Meilstrup

For 15 years, Kelly has served as a criminal defense attorney in jurisdictions across the United States. She spent three years in the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office, where she tried over 40 misdemeanor and felony cases. She is routinely asked to join teams of top-rated attorneys on complex state and federal cases, and has acted as co-counsel on death penalty cases and multi-million page federal prosecutions.

Currently, Kelly has a contract with Colorado’s Alternate Defense Counsel (ADC) and the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel in the 10th Circuit, District of Colorado, and the Western Districts of Washington and Alaska. She is licensed and practices law in state and federal courts in California, Colorado, New York, and Washington. As a seasoned litigator with a wide breadth of experience, Kelly is best described as nimble, adaptable, and prepared. She is a formidable adversary in any forum. Kelly utilizes her skillset to critically analyze weaknesses in the government’s case, and goes to bat for her clients to achieve the best outcomes possible.

Kelly Meilstrup

  • Federal Criminal Defense
  • State Criminal Defense
  • Complex Criminal and White Collar Cases
  • Sentencing Data Analysis – Proportionality Review
  • Federal Habeas Representation
  • Federal Compassionate Release Matters

  • Successfully argued against charging juvenile client in adult court, after which client was acquitted of first-degree murder in juvenile court.
  • Successfully advocated for federal client to receive sentence reduction under CARES ACT, compassionate release, 18 U.S.C. §3582(c)(1)(A).
  • Saved client decades of time in prison by successfully arguing that habitual sentence was disproportionate to the federal crime.

  • University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, BS in History (2002)
  • California Western School of Law, J.D. (2006)

  • Honors Recognition for Scholarly Writing
  • Academic Achievement Award for Trial Advocacy

  • California (2006)
  • United States District Court (2006)
  • New York (2008)
  • Colorado (2010)
  • Washington (2013)

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

What Our Clients Say:

“Kelly represented me in a very positive way. She was a great attorney for me in my compassionate release, appeal and resentencing.”

— Former Client, Federal Criminal Defense

Because your future matters.