David M. Tenner

Areas of Practice

• Alternative Dispute Resolution

From the Lawyer - Sponsored

David Tenner is an award-winning and nationally recognized arbitrator, mediator, and court-appointed neutral/special master appointed by state and federal trial courts. Before retiring to become a full-time neutral, his trial practice focused on the representation of businesses and individuals in both state and federal court and in arbitrations. He tried complex business, intellectual property, and tort cases to both judges and juries. He also tried complex claims in both domestic and international arbitrations. He represented a broad range of clients; from Fortune 500 companies to closely-held businesses to individuals.

Mr. Tenner has been an arbitrator since 2011 and presided over more than 60 arbitrations as a sole arbitrator, panel member and panel chair. He is a member of the commercial, large complex case, employment, and cannabis panels of the American Arbitration Association. Here also serves on CPR’s Colorado and cannabis panels and is on the Dispute Prevention and Resolution, Inc. (“DPR”) Hawai’i- based panel. David is a fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators and is past co-chair of both the ABA’s Arbitration Training Institute and the Dispute Resolution Section’s Arbitration Committee. He has been selected as Colorado’s Best Arbitrator by Law Week Colorado in eleven of the last thirteen years.

Mr. Tenner has been appointed on over 50 occasions as a special master in complicated matters pending in both state and federal courts. These matters range from complicated business and real estate cases to multi-state product liability litigation to employment claims. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Court Appointed Neutrals (“ACAN”) and formerly served as the Academy’s President. He currently serves on ACAN’s Board and in 2025 he received ACAN’s Civil Justice Award, its highest honor.

David has been listed in Best Lawyers in America (Arbitration, Mediation, and Commercial Litigation) from 2017 to 2025, becoming one of a handful of attorneys listed in all three fields. Mr. Tenner has been recognized by his peers on the Colorado Super Lawyers list in the area of business litigation from 2009 to 2011 and from 2013 to 2025, where he is listed in the area of alternative dispute resolution. He received his AV rating from Martindale Hubbell in March 1993, becoming Denver’s youngest AV-rated attorney.

Mr. Tenner has made countless presentations on arbitration and special masters/court-appointed neutrals and is currently on the faculty of the National Judicial College. He has also taught judges at the Colorado State Judicial Conference in 2012, 2018, and 2024.