The founders of Peek Goldstone LLC had their first encounter as adversaries on opposite sides of the courtroom aisle. Amanda Peek, managing attorney of the highly respected Peek Law Firm which her father Stanley had started, and Scott Goldstone of Antommaria & Associates were well-matched – equals in both experience and passion.
“I was familiar with Scott’s work,” says Peek. “My father had previously gone up against him in court. While it was a hotly contested case, my dad did admit to respecting the skill set of the young attorney.”
In the natural course of events, Peek and Goldstone would continue to face-off against one another over the ensuing six-plus years. Then, they had the opportunity to work together on the same side in a handful of cases, and the adversarial relationship became one of mutual respect and professional friendship. So much so in fact, that the two discussed joining forces.
“I had been trying to convince my dad to retire for quite a while,” says Peek, “and having a partner would certainly make that more feasible. Aft er working together on the same side in a few cases, I found that our strengths complemented each other’s, and Scott and I both came to the realization that we would work even better as a team. It seemed like a natural fit and fortunately, he agreed.”
“I thought Amanda was fantastic,” says Goldstone. “She’s great handling family law; always prepared and never seems to get rattled. Perhaps most appealing when she asked me to join her was the comfort in knowing that I would be working with someone I trust and whose level of devotion to her clients matched my own.”
“I’ve seen her with her clients,” he adds. “That tells me a lot about a person, how they treat their clients. She’s a strong and persuasive advocate, but at the same time, her sensitivity to each client’s needs is unparalleled.”
New Year – New Firm
So, as we ring in 2018, these one-time adversaries will officially join forces as they open the doors to the new law firm of Peek Goldstone LLC.
“We’re very excited and have a lot of plans for the future. One of the biggest plans is the opening of a second office in Erie. It’s an area that’s really growing quickly and has very few, if any, family law practices,” says Scott who lives in Erie with his wife and two children.
“We’re also planning on expanding the size of our firm,” says Peek. “We’d like to add another attorney or two to serve the additional clients that we believe will be coming soon when we open our second office in Erie.”
“The practice itself will remain essentially the same,” she continues. “My father has done a wonderful job building a family law practice, and Scott and I are both devoted to practicing family law. I should add that we do assist clients in other areas as well. We are looking forward to being able to help more people due to the larger geographic reach that we will soon have.”
Peek and Goldstone explain that they will continue to offer mediation services, criminal defense, a small civil practice, wills and estates, and tax defense.
“Our main goal is to continue to build upon what Stan created by providing competent, caring, and reliable representation to as many people and families as possible,” Goldstone says.
East Meets West
Born and raised in Greeley, Peek says she knew she wanted to be a lawyer from a very young age. “Once I discovered that being a marine biologist would not guarantee me a job at SeaWorld, I kind of lost interest,” she says with a laugh. “By the time I reached middle school, I was definitely determined to become a lawyer, even though my father tried to talk me out of it. He kept pushing me toward medical school, but that was never going to happen. I hate needles and I am not crazy about the sight of blood, so I didn’t see how that could work.”
Aft er receiving her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Peek went on to earn her Juris Doctor from Gonzaga School of Law, graduating cum laude.
“My passion in my younger years was always to be a prosecutor,” she says. “My dad was the district attorney here for many years. He started with the D.A.’s office right out of law school, and that certainly influenced my interest in the law.”
While still in law school, Peek worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, prosecuting a variety of cases and accruing a vast amount of experience. This led to her becoming a deputy prosecuting attorney for Kittitas County Washington which exposed her to even more diverse cases. Perhaps what was most interesting, and certainly unusual, was that along with her other duties, Peek also served as deputy coroner.
“It was quite strange,” she says with a smile. “They hadn’t changed the laws in a long time out there, and so in any county with fewer than 40,000 residents, the prosecuting attorney doubles as the deputy coroner. I have to admit I really loved the prosecution work, but over the years I’ve developed a true passion for family law.” With children aged 7 and 4, Peek tries to structure her work schedule to allow for family time with her youngsters. “I try to arrange my work hours around my children’s schedule,” said Peek. “That sometimes means early mornings, or late nights, or weekend work, but I love the flexibility to be there for my children when they need me.” Peek adds, “I went through my own divorce a couple years ago and I have found that the shared experience I have with my clients allows me to provide a personal touch to my representation.”
Outside the office, Peek serves as a board member of Weld County Legal Services, the Weld County Bar Association and the Weld County Chapter of the Colorado Women’s Bar Association. In addition to her active participation on boards, Peek volunteers for Weld County Legal Services at their monthly Ask An Attorney clinic, Project Connect and the Weld County Legal Fair.
Meanwhile, on the east coast, New York native Goldstone was growing up in a family that also had strong legal affiliations. “My mother, father, two of my sisters and stepfather are all attorneys,” he explains. “My mother has devoted her life to assisting victims of domestic violence. While in New York, she was the director of the Pace Women’s Justice Center. She then became the director of Crossroads Safehouse in Fort Collins once we moved out to Colorado. My father co-founded a personal injury firm in Manhattan, New York – Schwartz, Goldstone, & Campisi. He was pretty transparent in his desire for me to one day take over the firm, but I suppose I chose a different path.”
Choosing a career in law didn’t come as automatically as one might assume given how many family members were already entrenched in legal careers. However, aft er graduating with honors from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, Goldstone ventured west to the Rockies where he earned his Juris Doctor at Denver University Sturm College of Law.
Goldstone had moved across the country to attend law school, and he decided to stay in Colorado to help his sister care for his nephew. “Sure, my sister could have done it on her own, but I wanted to be here for her and my nephew, you know, just in case. Looking back, this really turned out to be one of those life-changing decisions for me – certainly for the best,” he says. “If I hadn’t made the move, I never would have met my wonderful wife, I wouldn’t have my two little ones (who are my world), and I wouldn’t be starting with Amanda (who is also amazing) on January 1.”
But ultimately, there was another reason he couldn’t accept his father’s offer. “I didn’t want anything ‘handed’ to me,” he says. “I wanted to blaze my own path and I am so fortunate that I have been able to do it in this legal community. Colorado has been a good fit for me and it’s a wonderful place to raise a family.”
A gifted athlete, Goldstone played basketball, tennis and ran cross country for his high school teams at Iona Prep in New Rochelle. At the same time, the intrigue of law pulled at him and he made an excellent showing in the school’s moot court. With two interests that seemed equally compelling, Goldstone recalls vacillating between choosing a career in sports or the law. Serendipitously, he managed to combine his love for both early in his career.
“In another life, I worked for the New York Jets and a hockey agency called KO Sports,” he says. “That was certainly interesting work, and particularly fun for me given my life-long interest in sports.’
Goldstone’s background also includes assisting victims of domestic violence while working for the Pace Women’s Justice Center in New York and Bringing Justice Home in Colorado. He continues this work in his own practice and is a regular guest speaker at a UC Denver graduate course on Interpersonal Violence Law and Public Policy, where he teaches students about family law and its intersection with domestic violence.
“Helping domestic violence survivors rebuild their lives, and navigate toward a safe environment for themselves and their children, is challenging, but ultimately rewarding,” he says. “A lot of the work goes beyond what would be strictly defined as ‘legal tasks.’ When you are representing someone, who has been victimized by their abuser, you really need to do everything you can to promote their ongoing safety. In these situations, there’s much more than simply getting them temporarily safe; they essentially are starting their lives over, and a lot of that involves helping the client rebuild their self-esteem.”
Goldstone continues to offer his expertise and services to local women’s shelters and other groups who support women’s rights and provide protective services. While he generally states that he practices family law, tax law and provides mediation services, it is clear that Goldstone has an affinity for helping victims of domestic abuse.
New Horizons
Combining their diverse yet complementary skills, Peek and Goldstone have mapped out a future that focuses on helping as many individuals and families as possible. Both are fully committed to family law and are passionate about helping those less fortunate in their communities.
It would seem that Peek and Goldstone have law in their blood, yet each has designed his or her own practice path. Joining forces means doubling their expertise and bolstering one another as they continue to strive to help the people of Colorado.
“It’s an exciting time,” says Goldstone. “I can’t wait to open the doors to our new firm and new location in Erie just as we begin a new year.”
“I agree with Scott,” says Peek. “It’s exciting. It feels like everything we’ve done has been leading up to this moment.”
