Cara Thornton is a skilled lawyer with a practice focused on complex commercial litigation including intellectual property, business torts, cannabis law, real estate, and other business-related disputes. Cara also serves as outside general counsel for corporate clients, advising on a litany of issues including contract and employment-related matters, formation and dissolution, and risk management.

From 2006 to 2009, Cara was an Assistant Attorney General of Yap State, the Federated States of Micronesia where she advised the Governor on legislative and policy issues and handled the State’s civil litigation.  Both before and after working in Yap, Cara practiced with a boutique litigation and transactional firm in downtown Denver for more than a decade.

Practice Areas

• Business and Commercial Litigation
• Intellectual Property and Trademark Litigation
• Cannabis Litigation
• Real Estate Litigation
• White Collar Criminal Defense
• Employment Litigation
• General Corporate Advisement

Bar Admissions

• Colorado
• United States District Court for the District of Colorado
• United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Yap State, FSM

Education

• Juris Doctor, University of Tennessee College of Law – 2002
• Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Hollins University – 1999

Professional Affiliations

• Colorado Bar Association, Executive Council, Litigation Section
• Colorado Women’s Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Board of Directors, Colorado Lawyers Committee

Community Activities & Personal Interests

In her free time, Cara enjoys traveling, exploring nature, cooking and spending time with her family.

Representative Cases and Transactions

• Successful defense and favorable resolution of claims of fraud, civil conspiracy, civil theft, and breach of fiduciary duty, among others, related to entities and associated trusts with landholdings valued in excess of $50MM on behalf of corporate and individual clients in consolidated litigation involving parties in the United States, Russia, Panama, and elsewhere.
• Successful defense on motions of publicly traded company against claims of breach of a Letter of Intent.
• Successful defense of claims and prosecution of counterclaims, including breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation brought against landlord by cannabis companies who were denied licensing for a marijuana-infused products facility, resulting in a half million dollar award to Fortis’ client in damages, attorney fees and costs.
• Obtained permanent injunction and favorable economic settlement on behalf of an international corporation in the prosecution of trademark infringement, including the sale of counterfeit goods, under the Lanham Act.
• Successful defense on motions of CEO of publicly traded medical manufacturer of medical imaging equipment against federal securities class action lawsuit by shareholders.
• Successful defense on motions of high-ranking government officials against allegations of fraud in the awarding of government contracts.
• Analyzed and advised with respect to restructuring of more than twenty closely held real estate holding companies for succession planning.
• Drafted and implemented the first wage reform legislation in more than thirty years, as well as legislation establishing Yap State’s first marine conservation park.

Publications

• Featured, “Ladies Who Litigate” – MG Magazine, Nov. 2022, page 48
• Author, “How to Customize Cannabis Lease Agreements and Stay Protected” – MG Magazine, January 2022
• Quoted, “An Ironclad Lease Can Help Marijuana Companies Avoid Eviction in State-Legal Markets” – MJBiz, Nov. 2021