Claudia E. Abernethy is the owner of Abernethy Law Office, a private firm that specializes in landlord/tenant litigation, family law and probate. Ms. Abernethy has been practicing law since she graduated from Texas Southern University in 1981 and became licensed in Colorado in 1984. She was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. Her late father, O. C. Abernethy, Sr., a retired Judge, was a member of the firm until his death in 1997. Her brother, Ronald P. Abernethy is an attorney practicing criminal law in Seattle, Washington.

Prior to establishing her firm, Attorney Abernethy was with Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Denver. She was lead counsel for the prevailing party in DURAN -V- DENVER HOUSING AUTHORITY, a Colorado Supreme Court case. This case extensively defined the Colorado law regarding landlord waiver.

Ms. Abernethy's legal efforts include lecturers and seminars in housing law to housing authorities, attorneys, tenant associations, and community groups. Her efforts have lead to awards from the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations, the Better Business Bureau, and many community groups.

Ms. Abernethy served two terms as President of the Colorado Chapter of the National Association of Black Women Attorneys and two terms as delegate liaison for the Colorado Women's Leadership Coalition. On the nomination of Colorado Senator Gloria Tanner, and appointment of Governor Roy Romer, she was elected Vice Chair of the Task Force for the Recodification of the Colorado Children's Code. In 1999 Chief Judge Robert Patterson appointed her a Magistrate for the Denver County Court.

Ms. Abernethy is the author of Abernethy's Ultimate Tenant Handbook. This manual has sold more than 3000 copies on word of mouth publicity only. It is used as a bench/resource book by most judges and attorneys in metro Denver. More importantly to Ms. Abernethy, it is now being used as a learning tool in Denver Public Schools. Through her copyrighted TenantTalks^© program, she provides the handbook, lectures and advise to senior high school students on their rights and responsibilities as tenants. In authoring this work, Ms. Abernethy jokes that her goal is to end the misconception that this knowledge is acquired through osmosis.

Ms. Abernethy resides in Denver , Colorado with her husband of many years.