Rachel H. Parkin

Of Counsel

Rachel Parkin’s practice is focused on complex civil litigation, including insurance coverage and civil defense.  Ms. Parkin represents insurers in coverage and bad faith litigation and insureds in claims of all kinds. She often handles trucking, premises liability, employment, professional liability, and real estate throughout Montana. She is highly regarded for her legal writing and appellate advocacy.

Prior to joining Hall & Evans, Ms. Parkin was a shareholder at Milodragovich, Dale & Steinbrenner. Before her legal career, she was an adjunct instructor at Kansas State University and a youth librarian in a large public library system.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Montana, 2013
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Montana
  • U.S. Tax Court
  • Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Court

Location

Missoula Office

Education

JD: University of Montana School of Law, 2013
MA: Kansas State University, 2009, English Literature
BA: Kansas State University, 2005, English Literature and Women’s Studies

Contact

parkinr@hallevans.com

More About
Rachel

Resume

Linkedin

Professional Associations
  • State Bar of Montana
  • Western Montana Bar Association, Past Board of Directors, 2019-2025
Business & Community Service
  • A Carousel for Missoula, Board of Directors, President, 2018-2024
  • Volunteer, Missoula Public Library, 2015-2020​

Sylvia Grace Acosta

Counsel

Sylvia Grace Acosta has over 25 years of wide-ranging litigation experience.  Ms. Acosta’s current practice includes insurance defense, construction defect, dram shop, premises liability, insurance bad faith litigation, and coverage disputes.  She also handles commercial litigation, real estate matters, estate planning, and workers’ compensation.   

Ms. Acosta is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law, where she instructs and mentors students on arbitration and negotiation. She is an active member and Past President of the Utah Minority Bar Association, and active with the Women Lawyers of Utah and Utah Center for Legal Inclusion.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Utah, 2003
  • Nebraska (inactive), 1997
  • California (inactive), 2002
  • Idaho (inactive), 2010

Location

Salt Lake City Office

Education

JD: University of Nebraska College of Law, 1997
BA: Auburn University, 1994, Psychology and English

Contact

acostag@hallevans.com

More About
Grace

Resume

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Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Martindale-Hubbell®, AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
  • Law Clerk, Utah Court of Appeals, Hon. William A. Thorne, Jr., 2002-2004
Professional Associations
  • Utah Minority Bar Association
  • Women Lawyers of Utah
  • Utah Center of Legal Inclusion

April D. Moore

Member

April Moore is a trial attorney with over eighteen years of experience in the areas of personal injury, product liability, construction and design, insurance coverage, and employment law. Her experience includes all phases of civil litigation from pre-litigated matters to trials, mediations, arbitrations, and appeals in state and federal courts.

Ms. Moore enjoys the complexities of litigation, and she strives to provide high-quality, efficient representation.  She has significant experience with high exposure, tort and commercial lawsuits, including cases involving allegations of wrongful death, brain injury, and incapacitating traumatic injuries. As lead counsel, Ms. Moore has achieved defense verdicts, prevailed on appeals, and obtained summary judgments for her clients on several occasions.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2006
  • Texas, 2023
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Location

Denver Office

Education

JD: UCLA Law School, 2006
BA: California State University-Northridge, 2001, Psychology, magna cum laude

Contact

moorea@hallevans.com

More About
April

Resume

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Appeals
  • Sinclair Wyo. Ref. Co. v. A & B Builders, Ltd., 989 F.3d 747 (10th Cir. 2021)
  • Duncan v. Kobneck, 16CA0150 (Colo. App. 2017) unpublished
  • Vititoe v. Rocky Mountain Pavement Main., Inc., 412 P.3d 767 (Colo. App. 2015)
  • Engeman Enterprises, LLC v. Tolin Mechanical Systems Co., 320 P.3d 364 (Colo. App. 2013)
Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Presenter, “Colorado Personal Injury Statutes,” Carrier client, 2023
  • Co-Presenter, “Best Practices for Panel Counsel,” Carrier client Legal Academy, 2019
  • Presenter, “Medicare Subrogation Rights,” Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, Denver Chapter Education and Networking Event, 2013
Professional Associations
  • Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
  • Texas Bar Association

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.

Practice Areas

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

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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.

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.

Practice Areas

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

Resume

Linkedin

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

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