Colorado

 

Founded in 1993 by partners that splintered off from blue-chip litigation powerhouse Kirkland & Ellis, Bartlit Beck Herman Palencher & Scott is revered for its deft handling of cases involving a wide range of areas, including antitrust, class actions, and many others. Adam Hoeflich represents companies and individuals in federal and state courts and in domestic and international arbitrations. He represented DuPont, which marketed and sold an herbicide that was associated with injuries to certain types of trees on tens of thousands of properties, in litigation that involved both individual cases and dozens of purported class actions. With extensive experience representing companies in cases involving intellectual property, trade secret misappropriation, product liability, accountant liability, toxic tort, and breach of contract matters, Sean Gallagher recently represented Ken Griffin in divorce proceedings which involved challenges to his premarital agreement and the valuation of complex assets. The case settled before trial. Having been with Bartlit Beck since its inception in 1993, Mark Ferguson manages a diverse practice which has led him to handle cases involving a range of subjects, such as complex computer hardware, software and semiconductor patents, financial and security matters, product liability, business torts, housing discrimination, and employment matters. He served as lead counsel to Hewlett Packard in contract and related claims arising out of Oracle's decision to discontinue software support for HP servers. He also represented Hewlett-Packard in an antirust matter which involved price-fixing claims against suppliers of Flat Panel LCD screens used in HP computers and other products.

 

A full-service firm, Davis Graham & Stubbs is particularly noted for its work in corporate finance, energy and mining, natural resources, and complex litigation. A competitor says, "Davis Graham & Stubbs has good folks who know what they're doing." Clients appreciate the diversity of skill represented by the firm. One notes, "Each attorney has different strengths/talents that enabled us to thoroughly understand all aspects/perspectives of our case." He added, "They are extremely bright lawyers, but also pragmatic about meeting client deadlines and focusing on business priorities and not 'overlawyering' things."

Shannon Stevenson, star of the firm's energy-related litigation practice and co-head of the litigation team, receives consistent praise for her "passion for and deep involvement in [the] case," which clients call "a huge advantage." Stevenson is revered for the noted strength of her closing argument, and precedent setting work on both the defense and plaintiff's side of natural resource-related cases. She recently obtained early dismissal of a significant toxic tort case involving hydraulic fracturing, an area of reputed "tremendous economic significance in Colorado." Stevenson partnered with IP and commercial litigator Kenzo Kawanabe to secure a jury plaintiff's verdict of $43.1 million in favor of all claims submitted by their client, a software company, in a high-stakes, high-tech case. Kawanabe's own practice concerns business torts, contract disputes, intellectual property, and product liability. As the deputy chair of the trial group, he also serves on the firm's executive committee. Michael Gallagher is a trial lawyer who focuses his practice on commercial and environmental litigation. He has handled Superfund litigation, various contract disputes, and environmental cases for the metals mining and coal industries. Called "one of the best litigators in the nation" by admiring peers, Gallagher recently obtained a dismissal for SM Energy in a putative class action brought on behalf of royalty owners seeking the recovery of royalties on all gas flared from North Dakota. Tom Johnson is a star of the firm's white collar practice along with Chad Williams, who is currently litigating a confidential case valued well above $30 million.

 

A full-service firm based in Denver, Reilly Pozner maintains a national reach with lawyers serving as lead counsel in nearly every state. The demonstrates a focus on high-exposure cases for clients such as AIG, Zoloft, and the Colorado public employee retirement association in a range of matters from criminal defense to complex civil and commercial litigation and class actions in which they can be found on either side of the "V". Lawyers are quick to add that in addition to representing corporations, the firm takes pro bono work "very seriously" and views it as "part of [their] commitment to being lawyers." Before the US Supreme Court ruled to legalize gay marriage, the firm was instrumental in reversing the state-wide ban, thanks to a pro bono team made nearly entirely of associates. Former clients sing the firm's praise while peers admiringly offer, "Reilly Pozner has a fairly young team, seasoned beyond their years, which gives them a lot of headroom." Another testifies, "They also do appellate work, and they have a keen way with that." Where most firms hire resolution firms for mass tort work, Reilly Pozner takes pride on handling all mass-tort-related matters in-house. Reilly Pozner's recent activities have centered on representing thousands of plaintiffs in transvaginal-mesh, anti-depressant, and birth defects-related class-action litigation. Joseph Zonies is identified as "a nationally recognized guru in this field." One peer plainly affirms, "Joe Zonies is the star." In addition to being a star in personal injury and mass tort cases, Joe Zonies occasionally appears on television. He is known by other firms as a "go-to" litigator for mass tort cases seeking rescue at the final hour.

Among the firm's highest impact victories is a 6 year litigation representing 35 health and life insurance companies in a 5 week trial that concluded with a full plaintiff's verdict, spearheaded by name partnersDaniel Reilly and Larry Pozner. A competitor simply calls Reilly "outstanding" and with more than three decades of trial experience, he has served as lead counsel in complex cases nationwide. Reilly's practice concerns civil trials, tort litigation, class actions, consumer fraud, stock brokerage fraud, legal malpractice, product liability, franchise litigation, and residential mortgage-backed securities litigation. Larry Pozner concentrates on criminal defense with additional experience in complex commercial litigation and class actions. Anthony Giacomini focuses on complex commercial litigation, including multistate class and mass actions. He represents many plaintiffs in catastrophic personal injury litigation. He also represents defendants, including a prominent life insurance company in nationwide consumer class actions. Future star Jason Lynch are garnering a reputation for his work in "incredibly complex" commercial litigation and appeals with high stakes and "staggering" values.

 

A relatively young firm, founded in 1998, Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell houses more than 100 attorneys in its office in Denver. Malcolm Wheeler, whose client list includes such household names as Ford, Pfizer, and Nissan, practices in the appellate, personal injury, mass tort, product liability, class action, commercial litigation, and antitrust areas. He represented Travelers Property Casualty Company of America in a matter which culminated in the reversing of two lower courts and remanding the case for further proceedings. Defending manufacturers in mass tort litigation, James Hooper has handled matters involving such issues as asbestos wrongful-death lawsuits. More recently, he has served as lead attorney to Pfizer in multidistrict litigation that included more than 300 cases. It was alleged that the antidepressant, Zoloft, caused birth defects. In 2016, a federal judge granted Pfizer's motion for summary judgment. Managing partner of the firm, Carolyn Fairless specializes in complex commercial litigation, insurance disputes, and professional liability defense. She spearheaded the representation for her clients in a matter before the Colorado Supreme Court in which it was affirmed that strict privity remains the rule in the state. It was further affirmed that a non-client can only sue an attorney in a narrow set of circumstances where the lawyer has committed fraud, malicious conduct, or negligent representation.