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Grande Law is a boutique criminal defense and personal injury law firm with offices in Miami, FL and Steamboat Springs, CO. Founded by managing partners Stacy Marczak-Grande and Danny Grande, they bring over 40 years of combined legal experience across criminal defense, family law, personal injury, civil litigation, and property damage claims.
What separates Grande Law from larger firms is straightforward: when you call, Stacy or Danny picks up. Not an AI, not an assistant, not a paralegal. That 24/7 direct attorney access is not a marketing line, it is how the firm operates every day.
Most people assume they’ll have to prove they acted in self-defense. Colorado law works the other way around. Self-defense is an affirmative defense under C.R.S. 18-1-704. Your defense only needs to present some credible evidence that you were protecting yourself. Once that happens, the prosecution has to disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt, on top of every other element of the charge.
The prosecution has a few ways to try to meet that burden. It can argue that your fear wasn’t reasonable, or that you used more force than the situation called for. It can also argue that you provoked the fight or threw the first punch. Deadly force raises the bar further: it’s only justified when you reasonably believed you or someone else faced death or great bodily injury.
That’s why the details matter so much in these cases:
A self defense lawyer’s job is to put that evidence together before the prosecution’s version of events hardens into the official one.
Colorado doesn’t require you to run before defending yourself, as long as you didn’t start the confrontation. This rule comes from decades of Colorado Supreme Court decisions, not from a recent stand your ground statute. The Court reaffirmed it in People v. Monroe (2020). Prosecutors also can’t argue that you should have walked away as proof your fear wasn’t real. If you were somewhere you had a right to be, you can stand your ground.
Your home gets stronger protection. Colorado’s Make My Day Law (C.R.S. 18-1-704.5) is the state’s version of the castle doctrine. It allows an occupant to use force, including deadly force, against someone who unlawfully entered the dwelling. The occupant must reasonably believe the intruder is committing or intends to commit a crime there and might use physical force against anyone inside.
What sets this law apart is immunity. A Colorado Make My Day law attorney can ask the court for a pretrial hearing. If the evidence shows by a preponderance that the law applies, the charges are dismissed before a jury ever hears the case. Civil lawsuits from the intruder are barred too.
The protection has limits. It covers the dwelling itself, not your yard, driveway, or car. Courts have refused to apply it to incidents that happened outside the home. Garages, shared condo spaces, and short-term rentals are where these cases get decided on very specific facts.
Steamboat doesn’t see the case volume of Denver, but the situations that lead to self-defense charges here follow a pattern.
Packed bars on Lincoln Avenue, crowded après spots, and tired, overserved visitors during peak weekends turn small arguments into physical ones fast. Often several people were involved and nobody agrees on who started it.
Routt County has a large share of second homes and short-term rentals. Someone walks into the wrong unit, or a guest dispute gets heated at 2 a.m. Questions about who had a right to be there go straight to the heart of a Make My Day claim.
Colorado’s mandatory arrest rule means officers who find probable cause of domestic violence have to make an arrest. People who were protecting themselves still end up in handcuffs. Self-defense remains available, but it has to be raised early and backed by evidence.
These cases are filed in the 14th Judicial District and heard in Routt County. Prosecutors here see fewer files than their counterparts in larger cities, and they give each one closer attention. Your defense should get the same.
Assault charges range from a misdemeanor to a Class 3 felony (C.R.S. 18-3-202 to 204), and self-defense is the most common defense raised against them. We look at who escalated, the injuries on both sides, and whether the force you used matched the threat.
When a confrontation ends in a death, the stakes don’t get higher (C.R.S. 18-3-102 to 105). As a self defense shooting lawyer, we examine the scene, the timeline, and your state of mind. That includes imperfect self-defense, which can reduce a charge even when full justification is disputed.
Showing a weapon or making a threat to stop an attack can lead to a menacing charge under C.R.S. 18-3-206. We show the court why your response was a reasonable reaction to a real threat, not an act of intimidation.
Mandatory arrest laws don’t separate the aggressor from the person defending themselves. If you were protecting yourself during a domestic incident, we raise self-defense early and fight the protection order.
If you used force against someone who unlawfully entered your home, the Make My Day Law may give you immunity from prosecution. We file for the pretrial immunity hearing so your case can end before trial.
Colorado law lets you use reasonable force to protect another person from an attack (C.R.S. 18-1-704(1)). We show that stepping in for a friend, partner, or stranger was justified by what you reasonably saw happening.
Stacy or Danny answers every call personally, day or night, with no AI, no assistant, and no receptionist. Self-defense cases often start at 2 a.m., and that’s exactly when you’ll reach your lawyer.
Our attorneys have spent more than four decades in courtrooms handling criminal defense and trial work. That experience shapes how we read a prosecutor’s case and where we push back.
More than 5,000 clients have trusted Grande Law with their cases. That volume means we’ve seen nearly every way a confrontation can be charged, and how to defend each one.
Our licensure reaches beyond Colorado, including federal court. That matters when a case crosses state lines or picks up a federal angle, such as firearm issues.
You won’t be handed off to a junior associate or a call center. Your attorney knows your case, your history, and your goals, from the first call to the final hearing.
A three-year Routt County Humane Society sponsor and five-year STARS jacket sponsor. Grande Law is invested in the people and organizations that make Steamboat Springs home.
Every self-defense case is different. These results reflect the level of preparation and advocacy Grande Law brings to every matter.
Results depend on the specific facts of each case. Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case.
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Reach an attorney directly, any hour. The earlier we’re involved, the more evidence we can protect.
We guide what you say, and don’t say, to police. Early statements often become the prosecution’s strongest exhibit.
We move quickly to secure 911 recordings, body cam and security footage, witness names, and photos of injuries before they disappear.
We present the credible evidence that triggers the prosecution’s burden. Where it applies, we file for Make My Day immunity and push for a dismissal or reduced charges.
If the case goes to trial, we make sure the jury is properly instructed on self-defense and on the prosecution’s burden to disprove it.
“I had an excellent experience with Grande Law. Stacy Marczak did a tremendous job representing me. The outcome of my case exceeded my expectations. She was prompt in responding to my questions and always took the time to explain things clearly and thoroughly, breaking down the legal complexities in a way I could understand. I highly recommend Grande Law to anyone in need of strong, effective legal representation.”
“Not only was Stacy from Grande Law professional and knowledgeable, but she was very easy to work with. I felt fully supported throughout the entire process. Couldn’t recommend Grande Law more!”
“Stacy is very to the point and on the ball on every aspect best Lawyer in Steamboat highly recommend.”
Common questions about self-defense charges in Colorado and how we work.
The prosecutor. Your defense only needs to present some credible evidence that you acted in self-defense. Once it does, the prosecution must disprove that defense beyond a reasonable doubt, along with every element of the crime.
No, not if you didn’t start the confrontation. Colorado has a long-standing no-duty-to-retreat rule for non-aggressors. Prosecutors also can’t argue that you should have walked away to undercut your self-defense claim.
The Make My Day Law protects occupants inside a dwelling, so your car, yard, and driveway generally fall outside it. Attached garages, shared condo areas, and short-term rentals depend heavily on the facts. In those places, the general self-defense law still applies even when Make My Day doesn’t.
It’s harder, but not always impossible. An initial aggressor, or someone who provoked the fight intending to cause harm, generally loses the right to self-defense. That right can return if you clearly withdraw from the fight and communicate it, and the other person keeps coming. Agreeing to a fight usually rules out self-defense.
You can use reasonable force to defend another person under the same standards that apply to defending yourself. Protecting property is more limited. You may use reasonable force to stop a theft or a trespass, but deadly force over property alone is generally not justified.
Call 911, make sure everyone gets help, and identify yourself as the person who was attacked. Beyond that, you have the right to stay silent and ask for a lawyer, and it’s usually wise to use it. Statements made in the adrenaline of the moment often become the prosecution’s main evidence.
Yes, in many situations. A civil lawsuit uses a lower burden of proof than a criminal case. The exception is the Make My Day Law, which also gives qualifying homeowners immunity from civil claims brought by the intruder.
Yes, but it works differently. For crimes like reckless manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide, self-defense isn’t a separate affirmative defense the prosecution has to disprove. Instead, the jury weighs your self-defense evidence when deciding whether you acted recklessly or negligently at all (People v. Pickering, 2011). This affects how your defense is built from day one.
Colorado’s mandatory arrest rule means officers often arrest without fully sorting out who the aggressor was. Self-defense is still available to you. A mandatory protection order usually issues at your first appearance, so call us before that hearing and follow the order’s terms until it changes.
A self-defense charge in Steamboat Springs isn’t the end of the story. Call tonight and talk directly with an attorney who’ll start building your defense right away.
Reach out today, Stacy or Danny will be in touch directly.
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Stacy Marczak-Grande is based in Steamboat Springs and handles self-defense cases in Routt County courts. If you’re facing charges after protecting yourself, you’ll work with an attorney who knows these courts and this community.
941 Lincoln Ave Suite 200-E1-F
Steamboat Springs, CO 80487
Open 24 Hours, 7 Days a Week
Stacy knows how local prosecutors approach use of force cases and is available to talk any hour.