Teresa M. Bruce
Teresa Bruce grew up in the Denver metropolitan area. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, with distinction, from Colorado State University, and a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Cornell Law School. After law school, Ms. Bruce clerked for the New York State Court of Appeals, New York’s high court, in Albany, New York. She also practiced in the commercial litigation departments of three law firms: Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP, in New York, New York, The Kobayashi Law Firm, P.C., in Denver, Colorado, and Brownstein Hyatt & Farber, P.C., in Denver, Colorado. She has been admitted to practice law in Colorado and New York.
Ms. Bruce has represented both plaintiffs and defendants on numerous contracts, products liability, and fraud cases, including the following:
Contract Disputes
- Secured a plaintiffs’ jury verdict of nearly one million dollars in a dispute over a partnership agreement to develop Texas real estate
- Secured a defense verdict of zero dollars plus fees and costs in a $900,000 dispute over a loan agreement for a LODO nightclub
Products Liability Cases
- Acted as defense counsel for a national bicycle manufacturer in disputes involving allegedly defective bicycles
- Acted as defense counsel for a national electronics manufacturer in disputes involving allegedly defective thermal cut-off switches
- Acted as plaintiff’s counsel to an oil and gas operator in a multi-million dollar dispute involving defective oilfield equipment
Fraud Cases
- Secured a plaintiff’s verdict of a half million dollars plus costs in a dispute involving the fraudulent acquisition of computer hardware
- Acted as plaintiff’s counsel to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in a dispute over a Boulder bank failure
- Acted as plaintiff’s counsel to a federally chartered bank in a dispute over a hundred-million dollar mortgage fraud
Teaching Experience. Ms. Bruce completed a concentration in Education in the course of getting her B.S. in Mathematics at Colorado State University. In 2004, she started teaching legal writing at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. In 2016, she became part of the legal-writing faculty at the University of Colorado Law School. Over the years, she has taught the required legal-writing course for 1Ls, an elective, upper-level legal-writing course for 2Ls and 3Ls, and various courses for international students interested in learning more about the American systems of law and government and about what makes for good legal writing by American standards. She is a trained, experienced educator who views teaching as a profession and a passion, not a pastime.
A Personal Note. In 2015, Ms. Bruce canoed 785 miles down the Mackenzie River, the second-longest river in North America, crossing the Arctic Circle and traveling almost to the Arctic Ocean. She spent twenty-five days in the wilderness, with her only connection to the world a satellite phone. The experience taught her a lesson in perseverance. It taught her that we all have immense inner strength and that, when we call upon that strength, it will propel us farther than we could ever imagine. She tries to cultivate that strength in her students. She can’t guarantee, of course, that they’ll ace all of their tests, but she can guarantee that she’ll do everything she can to help them reach their full potential and that, if nothing else, they will know the satisfaction that comes from trying their best.
TESTIMONIALS
These are actual quotes from law students who had Ms. Bruce for a legal-writing instructor.
This course was great. Simply great. Legal Writing is a crucial course, and arguably, the most practical of the 1L courses. The skills we learn from this class will be relevant throughout our entire careers, regardless of our field of Law. Our professor covered amply the core concepts of IRAC, Legal Research, Bluebooking, and the Writer’s Craft. The experiential and participatory nature of the course resonated well with me. We were encouraged to collaborate on non-graded assignments with “firms” of 1 to 2 classmates, which resulted in a desirable diffusion of ideas and perspectives. The memos we wrote were challenging, but the constructive feedback our professor provided on our papers genuinely helped me grow as a legal writer.
Fall 2018 – Legal Writing I
There aren’t enough good things to say about Professor Bruce. For 1L’s, in terms of professors, she is a sort of safe harbor. The hallmark of a great educator is the ability to distill complicated wide-reaching ideas into easy-to-remember frameworks. Professor Bruce has excelled beyond measure at this.
Fall 2018 – Legal Writing I
Professor Bruce is so incredibly accessible. This semester I’ve sent her questions on assignments via email pretty much at all hours and on weekends and she responds w/in a few hours. Super helpful. She has also made an effort to get to know me and has given me much guidance in improving my writing.
Spring 2017 – Legal Writing II
Professor Bruce is incredibly helpful and well-prepared. She is available in & out of the classroom. She really takes the time to make sure you understand & improve. The materials she’s prepared are comprehensive & informative.
Fall 2016 – Legal Writing I
Professor Bruce was instrumental in furthering my legal writing abilities over the course of my 1L year. Anytime I would have difficulty learning a new writing style (objective writing the first semester, persuasive the second), Professor Bruce would always be willing to meet and look over my drafts to help strengthen my skills. I am incredibly thankful to have been a part of her class, and I look forward to taking another class with her in the future.
Spring 2016 – Legal Writing II
The most accommodating professor I have ever had. Always willing to answer any question no matter if it was a big question or a small question. Her responses were always on point. My writing has markedly improved since beginning the course. Really enjoyed having Bruce as a professor.
Fall 2015 – Legal Writing I
Professor Bruce is amazing. She breaks down the process of legal writing into palatable and digestible pieces. She is always prepared for class and makes a sometimes boring subject engaging. I loved my 1L legal writing professor, but I also wish I had had Professor Bruce because she helped build my basic writing skills, and then expand upon them. She is very kind and encouraging. I highly recommend this class to anyone, regardless of his or her confidence in legal writing.
Fall 2014 – Advanced Legal Writing
Professor Bruce is highly organized and methodical in her teaching. She is very understanding and sweet. She gives very positive comments. Her classes are very interesting. She seems to have a great passion for language and writing. One of the best professors I’ve had.
Spring 2014 – Advanced Legal Writing
Professor Bruce is a great professor. She is very thorough and explains exactly what she expects of her students. She walked us through each step of each writing project she assigned us, and made sure we had all the materials we needed to do our best. Her feedback on each writing assignment was incredibly thorough and helpful. I’ve never had a professor give such detailed feedback, it was great. She’s also very friendly and approachable. I enjoyed attending her class.
Fall 2013 – Advanced Legal Writing
Professor Bruce is an excellent writing professor. I really feel that my writing improved over the semester. She gives extremely thorough and substantive feedback on each assignment, and she is very willing to provide extra help outside of class. So far, this is one of the most useful and practical classes I have taken in law school.
Spring 2013 – Advanced Legal Writing
Extremely helpful class to develop a solid writing sample. She also provided a great overview of the Bluebook and covered a lot of things that the rest of the legal classes seem to gloss over. She is incredibly thorough, very knowledgeable, and always willing to assist.
Fall 2012 – Advanced Legal Writing