Previous Law Firm Name

• James H. Chalat, P.C., October 9, 1992
• Chalat & Co., P.C., December 31, 1995
• Chalat Justino, P.C., September 1, 1998

Law Firm Overview

At Chalat Hatten, we are experienced Colorado trial lawyers who specialize in serious personal injuries or wrongful death cases caused by the negligence of others, including car accidents, ski accidents, recreational sports accidents and medical malpractice cases. We understand the nature of serious injuries and the details of the law, and we can help.

For many accident victims, the thought of pursuing a legal claim is unpleasant and perhaps intimidating. This is why you need an experienced personal injury attorney to help evaluate your situation. We provide free legal advice during this evaluation period to help you decide the best way to proceed. The free legal advice we offer is a preliminary step we take as a law firm to understand the scope of possible claims and give potential clients a clear view of their situation from a legal perspective.

We have assisted countless individuals receive the compensation they deserve for serious injuries sustained as the result of an accident. Among our clients are former Olympic athletes and professional skiers. We have also acted as counsel for the National Federation of the Blind and the Colorado Center on Deafness.

At Chalat Hatten, our attorneys are proud to donate their time and expertise to benefit organizations in our community. Various members of our firm have served on the boards or volunteered for community schools, local arts organizations and non-profit groups such as the Colorado Ballet, the Jefferson County Public School District, Mountain Area Midget Football Association, the Soda Creek Property Owners Association, the Jefferson County Juvenile Review Board, the local chapter of the Boy Scouts of America, and Congregation Beth Evergreen.

Personal Injury
Tractor Trailer Accidents
Bus & Light Rail Accidents
Shuttles & Delivery Trucks
Truck vs. Pedestrian
Causes of Truck Accidents
8.5 Bicycle Laws
The Injury Claim Process
Caps on Recovering Damages
Birth Injuries
Failure to Diagnose Cancer
Misdiagnoses
Disfigurement
Surgical Errors
Prescription Error
Physician Negligence
FTCA Claims - Military
Hospital Malpractice
Negligence in Long-Term Healthcare Facilities
Colorado Auto Accidents
Medical Negligence
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Motorcycle Accidents
Military Medical Malpractice
Ski Accidents
Recreational Accidents
Defective Products / Products Liability
Legal Malpractice
Wrongful Death
Other Serious Personal Injuries

Serving clients throughout Colorado, including Denver, Colorado Springs, Ft. Collins, Boulder, Broomfield, Englewood, Grand Junction, Lafayette, and Pueblo.

Areas of Practice

• Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff
• Personal Injury -- Plaintiff 100%
• Motor Vehicle Defects
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Products Liability Law
• Suv Rollovers
• Trucking Accidents

Honors and Awards

• Recipient, Pro Bono Award, Denver Bar Association
• Thursday Night Bar Volunteer, Pro Bono Award, 1985

Published Works

• The Nine Commandments of Malpractice Prevention, with Linda J. Chalat, 22 Trial Lawyer 183-198, 1999
• Liability of Skier for Injury to Another Skier, 46 Proof of Fact 1, (West's), 1998
• Liability of Ski area Operator for Skiing Accident, 45 Am Jur Proof of Facts 3d 115 (West's), 1998
• Colorado Ski Law, 27 Colo. Lawyer, No. 2, at 5-18, February, 1998
• Closing Argument, The Art and the Law, Section 331 Jury-Function, p. 53 (Jacob A. Stein, Ed.), Clark Boardman Calahan Cum. Supp., 1995
• Expert Testimony and the Dancing Ballerina, 7 The Expert Witness Journal No. 2, February, 1995
• $2,150,000 Verdict - General Negligence - Skiing Accident, 9 National Jury Verdict Reporter Issue 12, November, 1994
• The Constitutional Foundations of Modern American Tort Law, 16 The Colorado Lawyer 970, September, 1987
• Michigan's Ski Law, 63 Mich. B.J. 355, May, 1984
• Ski Safety News (1989-Present)
• Development of Standard of Care in Colorado's Ski Law, The Colorado Lawyer, March, 1986

Classes and Seminars

• Survey of Ski Law in United States, Recreation & Adventure Program Law & Liability, 2006
• Ski Law in the United States: A Practical Guide to Ski Accident Litigation, Recreation & Adventure Program Law & Liability, 2005
• Ski Law in the United States, Law Education Institute, 2005
• How to Try a Medical Malpractice Case in Colorado, Colorado Bar Assoc. CLE, 2004
• Faculty, Avalanche Liability Law & Ski Law in the United States, A Practical Guideline to Ski Accident litigation for non-U.S. Attorneys, XXXI SKILEX 2004, Obergurgl/Solden Austria, 2004
• Faculty Member, Trial Advocacy Program - Ethics Section, Colorado Trial Lawyers Assoc. Annual Convention, 2003
• Civil Litigation Update, Colorado Bar Assoc. CLE, 2003
• Faculty, "Preventing Legal Malpractice", Colorado Bar Assoc. CLE, 2001
• Nine Commandments of Malpractice Prevention, Ethics 2001 Conference, 2001
• Faculty, Recreation Tort Law, Colorado Tort Law Update, CLE in Colorado, 2000
• Faculty, Current Topics in Legal Ethics, Colorado CLE Seminar, University of Colorado School of Law, Boulder, Colorado, 2000
• The Nine Commandments of Malpractice Prevention, National CLE Seminar, Practicing Law Institute, Vail Colorado, 1999
• Presentation, Lead Defense Counsel, Moot Court, Jones v. Clinton, American Inns of Court, Thompson G. Marsh Inn, 1998
• Faculty, Avoiding Malpractice - The Nine Commandments of Avoiding Legal Malpractice, Lex Legis, 1997
• Faculty, National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 1995 - 1996
• Trial Advocacy for the Occasional Litigator, National Business Institute, 1995
• Faculty, National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Western Regional Session, 1995 - 1996
• Adjunct Professor, University of Denver College of Law, 1985 - 1987
• Presentation, Ski Law, Accredited by the Colorado Supreme Court Board of Continuing Legal Education, Counties of Arapahoe, Bolder, Denver, Pitkin, Routt and Weld
• Presentation, Ski Law, Accredited by the Colorado Supreme Court Board of Continuing Legal Education, Southwest Colorado
• Presentation, Ski Law, Accredited by the Colorado Supreme Court Board of Continuing Legal Education, Ninth Judicial District
• Presentation, Ski Law, Accredited by the Colorado Supreme Court Board of Continuing Legal Education, Fourteenth Judicial District
• Presentation, Ski Law, Accredited by the Colorado Supreme Court Board of Continuing Legal Education, Texas Trial Lawyers Bar Association
• Presentation, Ski Law, Accredited by the Colorado Supreme Court Board of Continuing Legal Education, Dartmouth College Bar Association
• Presentation, National Ski Patrol, 1998 - Present
• Presentation, Jackson's Hole Ski Patrol
• Presentation, Winter Park Volunteer Ski Patrol

Pro Bono Activities

• Pro Bono Program, Denver Bar Association

Representative Clients

• National Federation of the Blind, Colorado Center
• Colorado Center on Deafness
• Former Olympic Athletes and Professional Skiers

Representative Cases

• Hoar v. Great Eastern, 506 S.E. 2d 777 (Va. 1998)
• Ulissey v. Shvartsdman, 61 F. 3d 805 (10th Circuit 1995)
• Wong v. Sharp, 734 F. Supp. 943 (D. Colo. 1990)
• People v. Watson, 833 P. 2d 50 (Colo. 1992)
• Hudson v. Boxer, 632 F. Supp. 1569 (D. Colo. 1986)

References

• FirstBank of Denver

West Practice Categories

Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff, Products Liability Law, Motor Vehicle Defects, Medical Malpractice, Trucking