by Charles C. Bonniwell
One of Denver’s most experienced and successful attorneys, Craig Silverman, is joining one of Denver’s top law firms of Springer and Steinberg, P.C. He is also well known as a radio show host on Saturday mornings at 710 KNUS radio host and noted for his independent viewpoint. He launched his legal career at the Denver District Attorney’s Office, prosecuting some of Colorado’s and the nation’s highest profile criminal cases.
In 1997, he partnered with David Olivas at Silverman and Olivas, P.C., a well-known boutique law firm in the heart of Denver’s LODO area. There, Silverman successfully represented hundreds of civil and criminal defense clients. And now, Silverman is launching a new chapter in his legal career at the law offices of Springer and Steinberg, P.C.
Silverman says, “I was most interested, flattered, and excited about being recruited by Springer and Steinberg, P.C. Jeff Springer and Harvey Steinberg have been good friends of mine for many decades. I’ve played lots of sports with Jeff and plenty of poker with Harvey.”
Steinberg says, “I’ve known Craig for over 50 years. I followed his career as a prosecutor and marveled at his success. I watched Craig move into the world of civil practice and, as expected, his success there rivaled his prior accomplishments as a prosecutor. Given the closeness of our families, I am happy we will finally be able to join forces at the best and most effective law firm ever.”
Springer echoes those sentiments. “Craig and I go way back,” he says. “We’ve always respected Craig and his abilities as a trial lawyer and fierce competitor. Craig is fun to be around and fits in perfectly at Springer and Steinberg where we have a team approach to winning cases for our clients.
The law firm has close ties with the City of Glendale. Springer has served as Glendale City Attorney for over a decade and has been involved in Glendale’s remarkable development. Silverman points out he’s played a role in Glendale as well, and in 2013 was hired to help screen applicants to be the new Glendale Police Chief, a process which led to the hiring of Chief Joe Hoskins.
You could say Silverman’s love affair with “courts” began in the gym at Denver’s George Washington High School where he was a standout basketball player, earning seven varsity letters in basketball, golf and baseball. He continued his athletic career in college, setting a single season scoring record at Colorado College, over 20 points a game.
In June 1980, following his second year at CU Law School, he began work as an intern at the Denver District Attorney’s Office. He went on to become a Chief Deputy DA. “I prosecuted many violent Denver criminals,” Silverman recounts, “Including Quintin Wortham, the Capitol Hill Rapist, and Frank Rodriguez, Denver’s only modern-day death penalty verdict.”
Following the 1993 “summer of violence” in Denver, Silverman was the prosecutor in one of Denver’s highest profile murder cases. Shane Davis and Stephen Harrington were convicted of brutally murdering Tom Hollar and sentenced to life in prison plus 200 years. The two-week trial was televised live on Court TV. Silverman explains, “Tom’s widow, Christina Hollar, captivated good people everywhere as she bravely testified regarding the horror of her husband Tom being shot dead at 11th and Corona as he tried, in vain, to protect her from being carjacked.”
Silverman’s legal experience and engaging style were appreciated by local and national media outlets. He regularly appeared on local TV stations to provide expert analysis during the OJ Simpson murder case. Another Denver attorney, Dan Caplis, was doing a daily afternoon radio show on AM 760 covering the Simpson “Trial of the Century” and Silverman says, “He had me on regularly which began our friendship that lasts to this day.” In fact, the two started the Caplis and Silverman Show on KHOW Radio in 2004, a popular afternoon drive radio show that lasted over eight years.
Silverman’s legal and media careers converged in 1996, after he ran as an Independent candidate to unseat incumbent DA Bill Ritter. Silverman says, “I lost my race for Denver DA in November 1996, and in December 1996 JonBenét Ramsey was murdered in her Boulder home. Media outlets called me, and I again responded.” Silverman appeared on many network and national cable TV shows and that continued through other Colorado cases including Columbine, the Oklahoma City bombing trial, the Kobe Bryant case and the Aurora theater massacre.
In 2014 he began the Craig Silverman Show which continues to air every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. ’til noon on 710 KNUS radio. The schedule suits Silverman perfectly. He says, “I relish the opportunity to recap the week and express my thoughts about what happened, without having to worry about any interference with my primary job. My work as a lawyer for my clients is always my priority.”
In fact, Silverman explains, “Preparation is critical to putting on a great radio show and the same is true for putting together a client’s best case. Teamwork and a fierce desire to fight for justice make it happen at Springer and Steinberg.”
The firm is mid-sized with 30 some legal professionals dedicated to helping clients. Steinberg is famous as a pre-eminent criminal defense lawyer while Springer is an experienced and widely respected attorney who leads a large legal team working on serious injury and wrongful death cases.
Silverman says he will be focusing primarily on helping victims of bad driving and other injury-causing misconduct. “Helping people who have been victimized by the transgressions of others is what I most enjoy as an attorney and is a natural extension of my work as a prosecutor.” Silverman notes as a member of the Springer and Steinberg team, he won’t have to worry about administrative responsibilities like he did at his own firm. “That means more time with clients, preparing their cases and fighting for justice for our clients.”
For more information or to contact Craig Silverman at Springer and Steinberg, call 303-861-2800 or csilverman@springersteinberg.com.