David J. Graf
Partner
David Graf has practiced community association law exclusively since 2001. In this time, he has represented a wide range of communities throughout the State of Colorado. Much of his practice involves interpreting and amending governing documents, advising associations on the corporate aspects of running a common interest community, and enforcing the terms of governing documents through court action. He has attended countless difficult and contentious board and member meetings on behalf of associations.
David is one of the most sought-after community association industry trainers and speakers in the United States. He is a national faculty member of the Community Associations Institute’s Professional Management Development Program (“PMDP”) and travels throughout the United States to facilitate multi-day corporate trainings for professional community managers. David is a member of the PMDP national faculty review panel, which reviews faculty conduct and training standards for all PMDP national faculty. In 2015, he was named CAI’s National Educator of the Year.
David has been admitted to the College of Community Association Lawyers (“CCAL” or the “College”). Of the thousands of lawyers practicing community association law throughout the United States, fewer than 200 have been admitted to the College. David, together with Steven Weil, Esq. of Berding & Weil, LLP of Walnut Creek, California, was awarded the first ever Best Manuscript Award from the College for the materials accompanying their presentation on national community association voting trends at the 2014 CAI National Law Seminar. David served on the Colorado Legislative Action Committee of CAI for many years, including as the co-chair of the committee. David served on the Executive Board of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of CAI for four years, with one year as President. In 2018 and 2020, David has been elected by his CCAL peers to the College’s Board of Governors and is a past President of the College.
David is a Connecticut native. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University and a Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Coming to Colorado in 1995, David began work at a collection company and then moved to a law firm specializing in collections. After that, he was a commercial litigator for two years and spent over one hundred days per year in courts during this period. He then became associated with a corporate law firm, where his practice focused on the representation of developers, owners of commercial properties, and corporations of all types. He left that practice in 2001 as a partner in the firm to practice community association law.
David is a stroke survivor. In 2013, he suffered a stroke after tearing his vertebral artery in a freak accident. David had always been an outdoor enthusiast and endurance athlete. After re-learning to walk, dress, and feed himself, he commuted to work and to client meetings on a folding bicycle until he was able to drive again, nearly a year after his stroke. David speaks on mental toughness during long-term rehabilitation, living with chronic pain, and human resilience. David is also a life and mindset coach who works with attorneys and with stroke survivors and their families to help them live their best lives during difficult circumstances. He is a Certified Professional Coach and holds the Energy Leadership Index-Master Practitioner designation.
