Jacob Gudenkauf

Senior Associate

Jacob Gudenkauf is a litigator with a broad range of experience in construction and design, premises liability, health care, employment, toxic torts, commercial litigation, catastrophic injury, and coverage matters. Mr. Gudenkauf defends a variety of licensed professionals including architects, engineers, and design professionals involved with construction defect claims, as well as doctors, nurses, and health care providers facing medical malpractice claims. He counsels employers with investigations of harassment, retaliation, and discrimination and defends public entities in matters involving Constitutional torts, governmental immunity, and local governance.

Mr. Gudenkauf’s focus is on first seeking to understand his client’s goals and story. Whether through facilitating an early resolution or pursuing a matter through trial and final judgment, he always seeks to find creative solutions to the problems that face his clients and to help them reach their goals.

Mr. Gudenkauf graduated cum laude from Willamette University College of Law. During law school, he served as a Judicial Extern for the Honorable Elizabeth Weishaupl in Colorado’s 18th District and clerked with the Trial Division of the Oregon Department of Justice.

Bar Admissions

  • Utah, 2022
  • Colorado, 2016
  • U.S. District Court, District of Utah
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado

Location

Salt Lake City Office

Education

JD: Willamette University College of Law, 2016, cum laude
BA: University of Colorado, 2012, History and Political Science

Contact

gudenkaufj@hallevans.com

More About
Jacob

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Mountain States Super Lawyers®, “Rising Star,” Construction Litigation, 2025
Decisions
  • Won summary judgment on behalf of general contractor construction defect, defamation, and breach of contract case.
Professional Associations
  • Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
Other Activities
  • Mr. Gudenkauf enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf (poorly), and cheering for the University of Colorado Buffaloes.

Lucas J. Myers

Counsel

Lucas Myers is a seasoned litigator with over a decade of experience handling a wide variety of commercial claims. As a member of the firm’s Construction & Design Practice Group, he focuses his practice on disputes and accidents arising from design, construction, and environmental projects. Lucas prides himself on efficiently obtaining the best possible outcome for his clients.

Prior to moving to Colorado, he was a partner for several years at a respected insurance defense firm in Michigan, where his expertise as a litigator led to the successful resolution of hundreds of lawsuits against insurers in some of Michigan’s least hospitable forums. Before that, Lucas began his practice at one of Hawaii’s premier law firms. There, in addition to an array of other commercial claims, he successfully litigated two class actions as lead counsel. In one, he represented the class of property owners adjacent to Enchanted Lake in Kailua against a developer and its construction contractors. That action settled for policy limits and resulted not only in compensation for the property owners, but also in Enchanted Lake’s complete remediation.

Originally from Wisconsin, Lucas received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Arizona State University, which he attended on a full National Merit Scholarship. He was also named one of one hundred U.S. Senate Scholars. After college, Lucas worked as a claims adjuster for over two years before attending law school. He then obtained his juris doctorate from the Michigan State University College of Law, graduating summa cum laude. In law school, he was the only member of his class selected for both moot court and law review. After winning the regional competition in New York, his moot court team took third overall at the ABA’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition in Chicago. Following law school, Lucas further focused on litigation by obtaining a masters in Litigation & Dispute Resolution from the George Washington University School of Law, the only program of its kind in the nation.

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2023
  • Michigan, 2011
  • Hawaii (inactive), 2013
  • Virginia (inactive), 2010
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado

Location

Denver Office

Education

LLM: George Washington University Law School, 2011, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, magna cum laude

JD: Michigan State University College of Law, 2010, summa cum laude

BA: Arizona State University, 2004, Political Science, magna cum laude

Contact

myersl@hallevans.com

More About
Lucas

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • National Merit Scholar

  • United States Senate Scholar, Wisconsin

  • Robert C. Byrd Scholar

  • All-State Honors Scholar, Wisconsin

  • Dean King Memorial Scholar

  • Associate Editor, Michigan State Law Review

  • Captain, Michigan State Moot Court Team

Edward A. Khatskin

Senior Associate

Edward Khatskin focuses his practice on representing clients in high-dollar-value commercial and complex civil litigation matters in federal and state courts throughout Illinois and Missouri. Additionally, Mr. Khatskin has continuously obtained favorable results in defending claims involving medical malpractice, 42 U.S.C.§ 1983 civil rights, class action, wrongful death, personal injury, premises liability, transportation, employment, insurance coverage, toxic tort, and general civil and other tort claims.

Prior to law school, Mr. Khatskin worked as an accountant and owned a mortgage brokerage. This experience has helped him successfully represent clients in litigation involving the financial services and real estate industries, including cases with complex financial data, business valuation disputes, complex mechanic’s lien issues, quiet title actions, easements, boundary disputes, HOA and condominium disputes, and alleged realtor and title company negligence.

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois, 2015
  • Missouri, 2012
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri

Location

Chicago Office

Education

JD: Washington University School of Law, 2012

BS: Saint Louis University, 2000, Finance/Accounting

Contact

khatskine@hallevans.com

More About
Edward

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America; Healthcare Law, 2021-2022
  • CALI Excellence for the Future Award, Complex Civil Litigation, 2012
Professional Associations
  • Chicago Bar Association
Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • As a member of the Chicago Bar Association’s Litigation Committee presented and moderated panel discussion with Judge Mary Rowland from the Northern District of Illinois on Settlement Conferences.
Other Activities
  • In his free time, Mr. Khatskin enjoys raising his two kids, traveling, skiing, motorcycling, and scuba diving.

Languages
  • Native proficiency in Russian

Sean T. Carlson

Senior Associate

Sean Carlson’s practice focuses on defending litigation involving premises liability, transportation, construction defect, uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, property damage, and allegations of insurance bad faith in federal and state courts throughout Colorado.

Prior to joining Hall & Evans, Mr. Carlson practiced insurance defense at a small Denver area firm, where he gained a substantial amount of experience in insurance bad faith litigation. Mr. Carlson was also a Law Clerk for the Honorable Michael A. MacDonald with the Fourth Judicial District of Alaska.  While attending Washington University School of Law, he was a recipient of the William H. Webster Society Scholarship and the Wiley Rutledge Moot Court Competition Golden Quill Award for Best Appellant’s Brief. Mr. Carlson was also a student attorney for the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office while in law school.

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2019
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado

Location

Denver Office

Education

JD: Washington University School of Law, 2019, cum laude
BA: University of Colorado, 2013, History and Russian Studies, with distinction

Contact

carlsons@hallevans.com

More About
Sean

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • William H. Webster Society Scholarship
  • Wiley Rutledge Moot Court Competition Golden Quill Award for Best Appellant’s Brief, 2017
  • Staff Editor, Washington University Jurisprudence Review, 2017-2018
Professional Associations
  • Colorado Defense Lawyers Association
Professional Experience
  • Law Clerk, Hon. Michael A. MacDonald, Fourth Judicial District of Alaska, Fairbanks Superior Court, Fairbanks, AK, 2019-2020

Other Activities
  • Foreign languages, reading, travel, cooking, running, cycling, hiking, and skiing.

Languages
  • Russian

Meredith J. Short

Senior Associate

Meredith Short joined Hall & Evans as an Associate in 2023.  She defends clients across Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Utah in litigation involving premises liability, hospitality & retail, transportation, construction defects, products liability, and healthcare.  Before joining Hall & Evans, Ms. Short was an Associate with a small civil litigation firm in Kansas City, Missouri.

While attending the University of Kansas School of Law, Ms. Short interned with the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, the Douglas County Legal Aid Society, and the University of Kansas Hospital’s Medical-Legal Partnership.  She also was Vice President of the Student Bar Association and competed with the Mock Trial Counsel.

Bar Admissions

  • Missouri, 2020
  • Kansas, 2022
  • Utah, 2025
  • Nebraska, 2026
  • U.S. District Court, District of Kansas
  • U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska
  • U.S. District Court, District of Utah
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri

Location

Kansas City Office

Education

JD: University of Kansas School of Law, 2020

BA: Kansas State University, 2017, Social Work and Modern Language-Spanish

Contact

shortm@hallevans.com

More About
Meredith

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • CALI Excellence for the Future Award, State Court Practice, 2019
Languages
  • Spanish