Juliet Piccone
Pet Legal Problems? Call Juliet! It pays to hire an experienced animal attorney
I have represented or provided animal law consultations to hundreds of people over the past 8 years. If you hire me for an initial consultation, I will be thorough and will tell you exactly how I assess your pet legal problem. I do not believe in sugar coating bad news. I have seen and handled so many different types of pet/livestock cases that I have a different perspective from the generalist who dabbles in animal law.
I endeavor to give you as many low-cost options as I can, including do-it-yourself if that is what you can afford. My goal is to help you do the right thing for your pet. During your consultation, we will discuss whether you want to hire me to represent you. If we both agree to move forward with representation, I will draft an engagement agreement for you to review.
Often my consultation will give you the peace of mind or instructions you need to move forward without an attorney. Everything we discussed will remain confidential whether you retain me to represent you or not.
These are some of the legal issues for which I have represented clients or provided legal advice about: Criminal Defense: dog bites, "dangerous dog" designation cases, restricted (banned) breed, animal control violations, etc. (largest area of practice). Civil litigation: custody disputes, replevin (court order of possession for wrongfully held pets), veterinary malpractice, negligence, breach of contact (second largest area of practice). Second opinions for represented individuals and animal law expert consultation services to non-animal law attorneys to assist in their cases, including out of state attorneys. Transactional: demand letter, contracts (buyer/breeder, pet adoption from rescue), pet custody agreements. Administrative: Licensure, PACFA compliance, inspections and record keeping. I have also represented disabled individuals in need of assistance animals in housing or in public.
- Animal & Dog Law
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Credit Cards Accepted
I require pre-payment; please see my cancellation policy here: https://thepetlawfirm.com/cancellation-policy -
Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
I have specialized in this field for 9 of my 21 year legal career. When deciding whom to chose for advice, remember the adage "you get what you pay for". My initial consultations start at $250. If retained, my hourly rate starts at $200. Animal Law is considered a specialty because it is both vast and obscure. The field includes any type of legal matter, whether it be criminal, civil, administrative or transactional, that affects the rights, standing and/or welfare of an animal or its guardian or third parties. It is a relatively new area of the law where sparse case and statutory law exists in terms of defining, establishing and protecting the welfare of animals and legal rights and responsibilities of their guardians or owners. As a lawyer who practices animal law exclusively, with a emphasis on protecting pets, I use the tools that the legal system provides to give animals a voice in both the litigation and transactional forums.
- Colorado
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- English: Spoken, Written
- Managing Member, Senior Attorney
- The Piccone Law Firm LLC dba The Pet Law Firm
- - Current
- In June 2013 I founded The Piccone Law Firm, LLC dba The Pet Law Firm, with the goal of becoming Colorado's leading expert regarding pet legal issues. I provide compassionate yet aggressive representation to both pet and person, using best interest of animal analysis . I have provided hundreds of initial consultations to individuals, businesses and animal welfare organizations to craft unique solutions and weigh pros and cons of going to court or to trial, and lay out as many different options I can think of for a particular issue. In 1990 when I decided to become a lawyer, I never thought I'd become a criminal defense attorney; but these are some of my most important cases. I defend both pet and person for vicious or dangerous dog cases which could lead to the pet's death at the hands of the government. The next largest category of animal law I handle is civil litigation or negotiating with the opposing party (or insurance company) for custody disputes and liability issues.
- Associate Attorney
- The Animal Law Center LLC
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- After getting burned out practicing insurance defense law for ten years, I took an internship at The Animal Law Center in Wheat Ridge CO. During my 10-month internship, I quickly learned that attorneys practicing "animal law" must be fluent with divergent areas of the law. After 10 months I was ready to open my own animal law practice.
- Associate Attorney
- Various insurance defense law firms
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- Prior to 2012 I worked as an insurance defense attorney, litigating property, malpractice, serious injury and death cases. I represented both individuals and companies that had liability insurance coverage for alleged negligence. Later on in my carrier I also represented insurance companies in disputes with their insureds ("bad faith breach of contract being the main complaint"). Since insurance companies hire lawyers for their insureds (the defendants), the cases usually came down to what was the property or the injured or deceased person worth? How much money should be paid to the person or his or her family? Although I empathized with my clients and always defended them vigorously, I did not become a lawyer to save corporations money; I became an attorney to help people and make a difference in society. I did not become a lawyer to reduce an insured's chances of being covered under their paid liability or property policies. I decided to take a break and rethink my career options.
- Board Member
- Every Creature Counts
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- I was a volunteer board member for a local no-kill pet rescue/high volume spay and neuter clinic. I obtained first hand experience of what animal shelters go through with the pet overpopulation crisis. I assisted with fundraising activities and social media operations.
- Law clerk to Chief Judge John David Sullivan
- Colorado District Court Eighth Judicial District
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- I was then Chief Judge John David Sullivan's law clerk. He presided over felony criminal cases, civil cases and adoption proceedings. He presided over a number of jury trials. Part of my job was to be his bailiff and keep order in the courtroom while simultaneously reviewing motions that had been filed and drafting legal memorandum or proposed orders. All this in the era before the court used laptops, tablets or smart phones, so everything was written by hand until I could go to my office when court was not in session. This was an invaluable experience.
- Felony Victim/Witness unit Volunteer
- Boulder County Colorado District Attorney office
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- I very much desired to become a criminal prosecutor, so in my senior year at C.U. Boulder I volunteered with the local prosecutor's office in the felony crimes victim witness unit. I became close to several district attorneys, and obtained letters of recommendation for law school.
- University of Colorado Law School
- J.D. (1999) | Law
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- University of Colorado - Boulder
- B.S. (1996) | Political Science
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- Colorado State Bar # 30934
- Member
- - Current
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- PACFA Rule Changes for Petsitters and Rescues, Hopeful Hound
- No Kill Colorado
- Q. Who would be in violation if an unleashed dog runs up to a leashed dog and the leashed dog attacks unleashed dog?
- A: The owner of the unleashed dog would be liable for dog at large and the owner of the leashed dog could be liable for dangerous dog with the potential defense of provocation.
- Q. Why am I being told I can't adopt my boyfriend dog back after the humane office took it
- A: You are being told that you cannot adopt the dog because your boyfriend still owns the dog unless he fails to pay that $600 cost of care
bond the court just set. If he fails maintain ownership during the case by missing any payments, typically he forfeits his ownership which then goes to the government agency (probably a humane society) and they can do a number of things to dispose of the dog.
I’ve no idea what the charges are against your boyfriend, if it’s alleged animal cruelty and you live with him that’s a big reason for the humane society to not put the dog back in that situation by adopting it to you. Similarly if the dog was taken due to a dangerous dog attack on another ... Read More
- Q. Is Regulations on Assistance Animals (ESAs) Legal?
- A: This is not legal per the Fair Housing Act as a blanket set of rules. Reasonable restrictions can be requested by the landlord if your particular emotional support animal(s) would somehow interfere with the living situation of other residents/ the character of neighborhood (for example your emotional support animals happen to be a flock of chicken with loud roosters) or for another example, a Peacock (a woman was observed trying to board a plane with her ESA peacock several years back) . At that point the Fair Housing Act provides for landlord and tenant to mutually resolve the issue. If they refused to budge and had no specific factual basis for saying your animal had to comply with the broiler ... Read More
