HELLAND & MCPHERSON LAW - Key Persons
Attorney Ezra Hurwitz has made a name for himself as a passionate attorney in and out of the military. Before joining Knies, Helland & McPherson Law as an associate attorney, Ezra was a US Army JAG Officer who represented soldiers in the courtroom where he honed his trial skills and obtained positive results for his clients; some of Ezra's advocacy directly resulted in changes to military criminal justice law. Today he continues to serve as a JAG in the Colorado National Guard, and proudly represents the people and soldiers of the Centennial State.
Ezra has experienced divorce and child custody cases in his personal as well as professional life. For this reason, he is able to address concerns and issues from the perspective of the client as well as the attorney. He strives to maintain active communication with his clients throughout their case. Ezra believes it's important to work closely with his clients to garner a positive outcome and will always remain transparent and keep clients up to date in regard to case progression.
Through determination, grit and endurance, Ezra has developed a strong work ethic he applies to every case. Ezra wholeheartedly believes that it is his duty and obligation to conduct himself with the highest integrity and in a manner that garners positive outcomes for his clients. Ezra loves the courtroom, but he also knows the value of a good and fair settlement, so he will employ his work ethic to do all he can to get you a fair settlement, before stepping into Court. However, in those cases where the issues are too complicated to be resolved through negotiation, he will use his personal skills to fight for his clients' rights and best interests. If the situation leads to a trial, Ezra will ensure his clients are fully prepared.
Ezra graduated from the University of GA with a BA in Finance. He went on to Valparaiso University School of Law where he graduated with a JD/MSICP. He is actively involved in the local community, as a member of the Colorado Bar Association, the El Paso County Bar Association, where he served as a past chair of the El Paso County Family Law Section, and a member of the Military and Veterans Bar Association; he is also licensed in Georgia and is a member of the GA Bar Association. Ezra is also actively involved in the local Jewish community and is on the board of his synagogue.
Ezra grew up in Richmond, VA with two younger sisters. His parents divorced when he was 12 years old and understands what it is like to be a child of parents who share custody. In his spare time, he enjoys running, triathlons, skiing, and camping. He especially enjoys spending time in his family cabin in the Colorado High Country.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Founding Partner of Knies Helland & McPherson Attorneys at Law
Jennifer Helland is a founding partner of Knies Helland & McPherson Attorneys at Law. Ms. Helland's practice specializes in complex child custody disputes, military divorces, and high asset divorces. She is also a certified mediator conducting both mediations and arbitrations for parties with or without lawyers, a Child Legal Representative, and Parenting Time Coordinator and Decision Maker. With over 13 years of experience exclusively in family law, and another two years prior as a Deputy District Attorney in El Paso County, Ms. Helland has extensive litigation experience making her stand out amongst her peers. She is a highly skilled negotiator and litigator who reaches favorable and creative results for her clients both in and out of the courtroom.
Jennifer Helland has a unique background for working with families going through a divorce since she has previously worked as a psychotherapist. Jennifer has represented hundreds of people with a wide range of issues and is well trained in Domestic Violence, Military Divorce as well as Business Valuations and Executive Compensation. She is a vigorous advocate for her clients' interests, staying highly involved with every aspect of their case. She prides herself in knowing how to move a family matter forward, whether by reaching an agreement or litigating the matter.
Jennifer is a graduate of The University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minnesota. In keeping with the nationally recognized St. Thomas tradition of commitment to public service, Jennifer has dedicated ten years to public service primarily with assisting juveniles and their families. Prior to law school, Jennifer assisted in writing and implementing a district-wide truancy policy and program for local school districts in Minnesota and served as a behavioral specialist.
Jennifer is dedicated to the practice of family law and currently serves as a Board Member of the Executive Counsel of the Colorado Bar Association's Family Law Section. She is also a fellow with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), American Bar Association, Colorado Bar Association, El Paso County Bar Association, and Ben S. Wendelken American Inn of Court. She has served on the Board of Governors for the Colorado Bar Association and is the former Family Law section chair of the El Paso County Bar Association. Jennifer is a founding member and current board member of Liberty Tree Academy, a traditional American Education charter school in D49. Jennifer has written numerous articles that have been published locally on different family law and military law matters. She has taught other attorneys and pro se litigants at numerous conferences and CLEs in the areas of military retirement, third party visitation, ethics, and trauma and is our in-house trainer.
Jennifer Knies is a highly-experienced family law attorney in Colorado Springs and the Greater Denver Area with thousands of hours of trial experience, and has worked extensively in traditional divorce representation and litigation as well as divorce mediation, which offers a lower-conflict and lower-cost solution for divorcing couples. She has trained and practiced extensively in all areas of domestic relations law.
Jennifer is a retired US Army JAG Officer and combat veteran. Jennifer is a practicing family law attorney in El Paso County, a certified Child and Family Investigator (CFI), Parenting Coordinator and Decision Maker (PCDM) and Child's Legal Representative (CLR).
Jennifer has over fourteen years of experience as an Army JAG. She is a recognized expert in the areas of sexual assault and crimes against children. Jennifer possesses an in-depth knowledge of military law, as well as a unique understanding of the challenges military members and their families face during military divorce and parenting disputes. She has litigated hundreds of criminal cases and has years of experience in dealing with military commanders on behalf of service members.
Jennifer is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. She also earned a Master of Laws in Criminal Law from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School.
Jennifer is a member of the Colorado Bar Association, El Paso County Bar Association, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Colorado Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Association for Conflict Resolution and the Ben S. Wendelken American Inn of Court.
In her free time, Jennifer enjoys time with her five children and time with her two dogs. She loves skiing, yoga, biking, cooking, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Agent
- Founding Partner
- Officer
Kelly McPherson is a former federal agent and military officer who advocates for her clients in all areas of family law, to include contested divorces, child custody cases, and cases involving complex issues such as military divorce, relocation, domestic violence, parental alienation, same-sex marriage, assisted reproduction, and common law marriage. Kelly also does appellate work as it pertains to family law cases, has litigated issues surrounding the pre-disposition of frozen embryos, and draft surrogacy contracts.
Kelly previously served as the Chair of the El Paso County Bar Family Law Section. She published a widely circulated pre-repeal article on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, as well as other articles on same-sex common law marriage and transgender children the Pikes Peak Lawyer. She contributed regularly to our blog on issues that may be of interest to our clients.
Kelly is a graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where she received an award for excellence in Criminal Law. She has a Master's Degree from Syracuse University, and received a Bachelor of Science at the United States Air Force Academy where she regularly received recognition on the Superintendent's List. She was also a NCCA Division 1 track and cross-country runner while at the Academy.
Nick Sung is passionate about helping families navigate the complex issues that they are experiencing in and out of court. Nick takes a wholistic approach when practicing family law and understands that that the legal issues that his clients go through have very real impacts on his clients' lives. This approach helps Nick get great results in and out of the court room.
Nick is based out of our Douglas County office located in Castle Rock, but has extensive experience in courts all throughout Colorado from as high north as Jackson County to as far south as Pueblo county, and everywhere in between. Nick goes where his clients need him.
No case is too complicated for Nick to tackle. He is known for taking cases that are considered by many to be niche areas of family law - such as international abduction, third party allocation of parental rights, stepparent adoption and termination, etc. Nick is also highly experienced in taking cases involving high assets, reserved stock units, and property located outside of Colorado. One of Nick's happiest moments was when he was able to reunite a child with his Father that had been abducted from the United States to Mexico. In order to achieve this result, Nick had to tackle the issue with courts in Colorado and Mexico, as well as work with an international agency called the Hague.
Nick is a Colorado and Douglas County native and was born and raised in Parker, Colorado. In fact, his parents moved to Parker when Main Street was still a dirt road. Nick graduated from Chaparral High School and went on to attend both Colorado State University and University of Colorado at Boulder in which he a received a bachelor's degree in political science and a certificate in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies. From there, Nick attended law school at Roger Williams University located in Bristol, Rhode Island. While in law school, Nick helped victims of domestic violence obtain protection orders against their abusers.
Nick believes in giving back to the community that has provided him with so much opportunity so he is now a board member for Project C.U.R.E. When Nick isn't working, you can find him in the mountains, volunteering, and or trying new recipes with friends.
Philip "Shad" Shadwick brings a broad spectrum of legal experience to Knies, Helland & McPherson Law. He has litigated a wide range of civil cases in Colorado and Montana including wrongful death, banking, employment, insurance, and commercial disputes. He also has significant criminal law experience in Colorado, particularly in criminal defense. Throughout his career in Colorado, he has developed a reputation as being a problem solver, helping put his clients in a better position and being able to thrive in the future. Shad has a passion for helping his clients succeed. He believes in meeting his clients wherever they are in life, getting to know them, and being their voice in difficult times.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Member of the El Paso County Bar Association
Reilly Franek is an associate attorney practicing in all areas of family law.
She attended Fort Hays State University where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Social Work. While attending Fort Hays Reilly actively engaged in volunteer work through Big Brothers Big Sisters and Court Appointed Special Advocates. Reilly found her passion for helping people and continued her education at Washburn University School of Law.
While at Washburn, Reilly continued to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Reilly actively participated in the Children and Family Law Center as well as Women's Legal Forum where she held executive positions. Reilly along with a group of students and under the supervision of the Children and Family Law Center Associate Director, Gillian Chadwick, created a six-part webinar series titled Strengthening Families Model in a Legal Context which won 2023 Kansas Bar Association Pro Bono Certificate. Upon graduation from Washburn Reilly received a certificate in family law in recognition of completing various courses relating to family law including child advocacy, gender and sexuality in the law, domestic violence, divorce practice, and alternative dispute resolution.
Before joining Knies, Helland & McPherson, Reilly began her legal career after graduation at the 4 th Judicial District Attorney's Office where she gained significant litigation experience. Reilly has a passion for helping people whether the case be resolved through negotiations or litigation.
Reilly is a member of the El Paso County Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association.
Reilly is a native to Colorado, growing up in the small town of Elbert (blink and you will miss it). In her free time Reilly likes to garden, sketch, and explore Colorado.