Caplan & Earnest Elects Melissa Barber & Terry Cipoletti as Members

The law firm Caplan & Earnest is pleased to announce that Melissa Barber and Terry Cipoletti have been elected as members of the firm.

“Melissa and Terry are highly respected attorneys who bring tremendous value to both their colleagues and clients,” said Jim Branum, managing member. “They instill confidence and peace of mind for clients by working diligently to help them solve their most important business challenges. Both also consistently uphold the core values we hold closely including creating a culture in which we respect and collaborate with our clients. We welcome Melissa and Terry to membership at Caplan & Earnest, and congratulate them on this recognition.”

About Melissa Barber

Ms. Barber practices in Caplan & Earnest’s Education Law section, where she counsels clients on a range of legal and policy compliance matters, including special education, constitutional issues, discipline and school safety, employment law, contracts, inter-governmental agreements, student data privacy, open meetings and records, parliamentary procedure, charter schools, insurance/risk management, elections, and staff training. Prior to joining Caplan & Earnest, she spent 12 years as General Counsel for the Boulder Valley School District, where she was responsible for administering and overseeing the overall legal functions for the eighth-largest school district in Colorado.

Ms. Barber earned her bachelor’s degree (with honors) from the University of Texas at Austin and her law degree from Cornell University. She is a board member at the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Council of School Attorneys and a former board chair of the Colorado Council of School Board Attorneys.

About Terry Cipoletti

Mr. Cipoletti is recognized for his experience advising clients on privacy matters, including hacking and ransomware events, theft, and unauthorized access and disclosures governed by HIPAA regulations and Colorado law. Known for his rigorous attention to detail, Mr. Cipoletti has developed a robust privacy practice over the last six years and has advised more than 100 clients across a number of industries on issues related to investigations and breach notifications, policies and procedures, risk analysis and risk management, training and compliance. He also represents clients before government agencies and regulatory bodies that are investigating privacy breach incidents.

As a member of Caplan & Earnest’s Health Law and Litigation sections, Mr. Cipoletti also defends and represents clients involved in civil litigation. For 17 years, he has defended a wide range of healthcare entities and professionals, including individual medical and mental health providers, hospitals, nonprofit and private practice clinics, correctional healthcare entities, dental companies, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, behavioral health organizations, senior care centers and programs, skilled nursing facilities, and long-term care entities.

Mr. Cipoletti earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of William & Mary (Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society Mortar Board Honor Society) and his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School (Judge Alfred A. Arraj Scholarship, Sutcliffe Distinguished Service Award, OUTlaw Founder & President). He is admitted to practice law in Colorado and before the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He is currently serving as a board member for Boulder County AIDS Project.