OUR TEAM

Rachel E. Ellis of Livelihood Law, LLC is an advocate for workplace fairness and the advancement of employee rights. Ms. Ellis provides counsel to private sector and federal government employees; representative matters include discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, unpaid commission and wages, contractual disputes, non-competition agreements, severance negotiations, and unemployment benefits. Additionally, she is fiercely devoted to legislative efforts that protect Colorado workers.

Ms. Ellis also helps people who can no longer work get the social security disability benefits they have earned. This process can be long and confusing, which is disheartening, but she helps clients through the process from application through appeals.

Ms. Ellis regularly appears in front of the Colorado Legislature, Colorado’s State and Federal Courts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, and the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment. Ms. Ellis is a former Officer and current Board Member of the Colorado Plaintiffs Employment Lawyers Association, and is a past-Board Member of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association and the Colorado Symphony REMIX Board for Young Professionals.

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David Lichtenstein

OF COUNSEL

David Lichtenstein has been trying civil cases for over forty years, as well as representing and advising individuals in appeals, administrative hearings, settlement negotiations, and transactional matters. He practiced with three Denver-area firms before starting his own practice in 1997. He joined Livelihood Law in June 2023. His familiarity with a wide variety of areas of law allows him to take a multi-disciplinary approach to your case.

Mr. Lichtenstein handles

• Wage and overtime claims
• Severance agreements
• Employment contracts
• Family and Medical Leave
• Discrimination
• Retaliation and whistleblowing
• Sexual harassment
• Wrongful termination

Mr. Lichtenstein is a past officer and board member of the Colorado Plaintiffs Employment Lawyers Association, and a current member of its legislative committee. He is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, sits on the board of the Faculty of Federal Advocates, and is co-chair of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity committee. He is also a board member, Secretary, and performing member of the Littleton Symphony Orchestra.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Dave attained his B.A. from Yale University before moving to Colorado and receiving his J.D. from the University of Colorado. He and his wife, Donna Schmalberger, now a retired Denver Juvenile Court judge, have two adult sons, a purebred black and tan rescue dog, and an alpha red tabby cat.

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Kit E. Longnecker is a champion for Colorado workers who is committed to advocating for equity and justice. Ms. Longnecker joined Livelihood Law as a student intern in May 2023, and she now serves as the firm’s associate attorney. Ms. Longnecker helps employees with a wide range of employment issues, including discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, unpaid wages, whistleblowing, wrongful termination, severance agreements, and unemployment benefits.

Ms. Longnecker is a Colorado native. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado – Boulder and her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. In her free time, she enjoys cycling and knitting.

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Amber Klein

PARALEGAL

Amber Klein joined Livelihood Law as a paralegal in March 2018. After graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a BS in Journalism with an emphasis in advertising, Ms. Klein spent six years working in marketing and advertising where she learned about various types of communication and how to effectively market any business. In April 2017, she earned her Paralegal Certificate from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

In May 2017, she started working as a paralegal at Adoption Choices of Colorado where she assisted adoptive families in realizing their dream of adoption and birth parents in finding families for their unborn children.

At Livelihood Law, Ms. Klein provides paralegal support on a variety of employment matters and enjoys combining her interest in the law, litigation, and civil rights with her desire to help people. She enjoys the complexity of employment and civil rights issues, and we appreciate her commitment to keeping the entire firm organized. In her free time, Ms. Klein enjoys running agility with her dog, Kirra.

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Jake Edmondson joined Livelihood Law as the Office Manager in June of 2023. He is a transplant from North Carolina and moved to the Denver area in January of 2022. After graduating with a BA in English Literature from Appalachian State University in the spring of 2017, he began working in healthcare services before switching to legal administration. Mr. Edmondson has provided administrative support in a wide capacity for over five years.

Jake has a variety of interests but finds fulfillment in helping others and providing support to those who need it the most. It is his personal mission to help others in need whenever possible while still maintaining a healthy work/life balance. During his free time, Mr. Edmondson enjoys the typical Coloradan lifestyle: hiking and camping in the summer, skiing in the winter, gardening, spending time with friends and his fiercely loyal miniature schnauzer, Louie.

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