Ernest Márquez has practiced law in Colorado since 1986. A graduate of the University of Colorado School of Law, he served with the Office of the Public Defender from 1986 to 1990, working in Arapahoe, Douglas, Fremont, Chaffee, and Park County, Colorado. He opened his office in Salida, Colorado in September of 1990.
Ernest has a wide range of experience. He has tried numerous homicide cases and secured Not Guilty verdicts in Salida, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. He has defended and tried cases involving sexual assault, drug use and possession, theft, assault, arson, and other major crimes. He has worked on and is familiar with DNA evidence, gunshot residue, ballistics, tool marks, blood spatter, fingerprints, and other fields of scientific evidence.
He has worked on cases involving property rights, mining claims, and railroad right of ways. In 2010, he successfully litigated a claim against Chaffee County and private property owners for their claims of easement, a public right of way, and private condemnation across his client’s mining claims.
Prior to Law School, he was awarded a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Houston in 1977 as a performance major. He played the French horn semi-professionally in and around Chicago, Illinois for a number of years. He helped form and played with the chamber music group, De Anza, in Salida for a number of years. In 2004, he put down the horn for the last time, but a few years later, he picked up a banjo and has been playing old-time music ever since.
Professional organizations include:
- Colorado Bar Association (past member of the Executive Council and current member of the Board of Governors)
- Heart of the Rockies Bar Association (current president)
- Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
- National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Ernest was Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center from 2004 to 2012. Presently, he is a member of the Salida-Aspen Concert board, is an active member of the Rotary Club, and plays with the Salida Old Time Jam the last Tuesday of every month.