Maria Zalessky
Founding Partner
Maria Zalessky is a bilingual, proud Ukrainian who has been in the legal industry for over ten years, nominated by her peers to Super Lawyers Rising Stars in 2025, and 2026. Maria graduated summa cum laude from the University of Northern Colorado and, after working in law firms as a paralegal, completed her JD at the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver.
Maria prosecuted cases with the City Attorney of Englewood while in law school and served as a judicial law clerk in the 18th judicial district before she found out she passed the Bar. As a lawyer, Maria honed her specialties as estates, family law, and personal injury, where her empathy and specialized skill in litigation sets her apart. She has guided Clients through dissolutions of marriage, child custody issues, civil litigation, personal injury, probate, and evictions. An Avvo Client's Choice winner, Maria prides herself on the real connections she makes with her clients that go beyond their legal issues, taking the role of counselor at law as seriously as the one of attorney.
In her spare time, Maria loves making orchids bloom, doing puzzles, and reading.
Shannara Quissell
Associate Attorney
Shannara is a 2018 graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. While at DU, she served as Vice-President of the DU OUTLaws, the DU student liaison for the Colorado LGBT Bar Association, and President of Elder Law Society. Her work during law school included participation in the Tribal Wills Project, an externship with Denver Probate Court, and directed research on laws regarding violence against women and the LGBTQ+ community. She received the Public Good Distinction and a Student Leadership Award.
She also serves as Executive Director for the Colorado Name Change Project and as Programming and Technology Committee Chair for the Colorado LGBT Bar Association.
In her free time, Shannara enjoys knitting/crocheting, playing video games, and spending time with her husband and cat.
Chelle LeBlanc
Associate Attorney
Chelle is an Associate Attorney at Zalessky Law Group specializing in Estate Planning, Probate, Name Changes and Passport issues with gender markers. She joins Zalessky Law Group with a history in civil rights advocacy. Her service included the ACLU of Mississippi, where she created a program to assist pro se litigants in drafting documents to have names and gender markers amended on their birth certificates. She currently serves as a consultant for the ACLU of Mississippi’s LGBTQ+ Justice Project concerning name and gender marker changes, birth certificates, and passport policy. Chelle created and automated the forms for name changes in Mississippi, modeling them after the Colorado Name Change Project.
Chelle graduated cum laude from Mississippi College School of Law in 2024. She also served as a staff writer for the Mississippi College Law Review 2023 Volume and a staff editor for the 2024 Volume. During law school, she interned with the Antitrust and Consumer Protection division of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, where she provided investigative research and drafting support on high-profile cases.
In her down time, Chelle finds joy in studying languages, solving logistical problems, travelling, and spending time with her friends.
Taylor Hartin
Associate Attorney
Taylor Hartin joins Zalessky Law Group as an Associate Attorney with a passion for Family Law and justice. She provides compassionate, solutions-focused family law representation and collaborative problem-solving services to clients throughout Colorado. Her diverse background in law, regulation, and policy informs her practical, client-centered approach to helping families navigate challenging transitions with clarity and confidence. Before joining the firm, Taylor practiced at The Law Office of Casey James Alexander, LLC, honing her litigation and client advocacy skills in a wide range of family law matters. She also brings deep experience in regulatory policy and compliance, having served as Senior Associate at VS Strategies, Director of Compliance and Enforcement for the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, and Senior Regulatory Analyst at Simplifya.
Taylor earned her J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where she was President and Director of Communications for the Students for Sensible Drug Policy chapter and served as a Senior Research Assistant on the seminal bookMarijuana Politics: Uncovering the Troublesome History and Social Costs of Criminalization.
Ari Malman
Associate Attorney
Ari Malman is a Denver, Colorado native who cares deeply about serving and representing his community. Ari attended Denver East High School, where he was a member of the National Junior Honor Society and co-captain of the varsity tennis team. After graduating from East High, Ari attended the University of Wisconsin- Madison, where he got an undergraduate degree in Spanish, including studying abroad in Seville, Spain. Ari then lived abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he taught English lessons and immersed himself in Argentine culture. Upon his return from Argentina, Ari attended and graduated from Loyola Chicago Law School. While at Loyola, Ari was a member of the ChildLaw Clinic and International Law Review.
After completing law school, Ari moved back to Denver, where he took and passed the bar. Ari began practicing domestic relations law that was focused on serving the Hispanic community, including but not limited to, child custody, divorce, and special immigrant juvenile status cases. Ari then went on to strengthen his domestic relations practice, working at a higher-end divorce firm.
As Ari was taking on more and more conservatorship and guardianship cases through his domestic relations practice, he realized that probate law is his true passion. Turning to probate law full-time, Ari represented clients in estate planning, estate administration, and estate litigation cases. Ari brings a calm, yet stern and legally-sound approach to each one of his cases. Realizing that there can be interfamilial conflict in estate cases, Ari helps his client navigate the emotional stress while providing unaffected legal advice.
Outside of the office and the courtroom, Ari enjoys playing soccer, softball, fishing, going to sporting events and seeing live music.
Jeanine Beyer
Licensed Legal Paraprofessional
One of the first paralegals in Colorado to earn the Licensed Legal Paraprofessional (LLP) designation, Jeanine Beyer specializes in family law, probate, and personal injury, She has over sixteen years of experience in the legal industry, and has a special talent for assisting in litigation matters. Jeanine and Maria Zalessky have been a legal team for over 7 years. She is deeply committed to expanding access to the legal system for families and individuals. She graduated from Everest College and earned her LLP certificate from Community College of Denver. She was sworn in as an LLP in January of 2025. In her spare time, Jeanine loves working out and encouraging her brilliant daughter to shine brightly.
Pennie Helgevold
Paralegal
Pennie Helgevold comes to Zalessky Law group with five years of experience as a Paralegal at a boutique law firm, building a strong foundation in legal principles and practices.
Pennie demonstrates her strong work ethic and desire to win to make a positive impact on both her ZLG cases, and in hitting her target. When she's not working, Pennie enjoys pursuing her passion for darts, a hobby that allows her to unwind and challenge herself. Pennie earned her Bachelor's degree in Legal Studies from Purdue University, and continues to excel and push herself to new heights.
Kree Iraldo
Paralegal
Kree is a Colorado- based juvenile and family law paralegal originally from Los Angeles. He graduated from California State University of Northridge. With ten years of paralegal experience at the Law Office of Vincent W. Davis & Associates, his team was one of the few people to successfully counter-sue DFCS for damages on behalf of minors and their families.
In his free time, Kree enjoys listening and producing music as well as watching movies.
Lindsey Anderson
Business Manager
Lindsey Anderson joins Zalessky Law Group with over 25 years of experience in Operations and Marketing, specializing in startups and new technologies. She has led teams in various marketing disciplines, including branding, digital, retail, and experiential marketing. Lindsey began her career in advertising, working on major campaigns for brands like Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sony Music, and Camel. During the dot-com boom, she transitioned to digital marketing and project management. She later owned and managed three bars and venues, earning an award for Best Historic Interior Restoration from the Fort Collins Historical Society.
Lindsey served as Business Manager for Cleer.tax, a global Corporate Tax Accounting firm, where she significantly grew the team and achieved consistent profitability. As part of the C-level Leadership team, she managed development and customer success teams, and oversaw financial reporting, software development and management of platforms. Lindsey brings her extensive expertise to ZLG, a self-funded startup already profitable in its first year of operation.