People v. Ahrens.
No. 25PDJ68. 2/25/2026. Oral Opinion Ordering Sanctions.
April 1, 2026
In an oral opinion following a sanctions hearing, the Presiding Disciplinary Judge disbarred David F. Ahrens from the practice of law in Colorado. Ahrens’s registered business address is in Longmont, and his attorney registration number is 47111. The disbarment was effective on March 11, 2026.
In three client matters, Ahrens failed to diligently complete work and failed to take any meaningful steps in furtherance of the representation. In two of those matters, Ahrens abandoned the clients’ matters. Ahrens thereby violated Colo. RPC 1.3 (a lawyer must act with reasonable diligence and promptness when representing a client). In four client matters, Ahrens ignored his clients’ reasonable requests for information, thereby violating Colo. RPC 1.4(a)(4). In one client matter, Ahrens failed to communicate the basis of his fee or scope of his representation in writing, thereby violating Colo. RPC 1.5(b). In two client matters, Ahrens issued the client a nonrefundable fee agreement, violating Colo. RPC 1.5(g). Because, in three client matters, Ahrens’s flat-fee agreement did not include specific benchmarks for earning a portion of the flat fee before he concluded the representation, Ahrens violated Colo. RPC 1.5(h). In all four client matters, Ahrens deposited the clients’ funds into his operating account and treated those funds as earned before he completed any useful work to earn the funds, thereby violating Colo. RPC 1.15A(a) (a lawyer must hold client property separate from the lawyer’s own property). When Ahrens’s representation terminated in three client matters, he failed to return to the clients any files or unearned fees in violation of Colo. RPC 1.16(d) (a lawyer must protect a client’s interests upon termination of the representation, including by giving reasonable notice to the client and returning unearned fees and any papers and property to which the client is entitled). Ahrens also knowingly failed to respond to the People’s requests for substantive information regarding three client matters, violating Colo. RPC 8.1(b). Finally, in three client matters, Ahrens knowingly converted the clients’ money by treating the funds as earned, even though he had not done work to earn the money and was not authorized to use the money for his own purposes. He therefore violated Colo. RPC 8.4(c) (it is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation).