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

David M. Sexton

Member

David Sexton’s practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation and business transactions. His litigation experience includes premises liability, personal injury, and insurance defense, frequently defending retailers and insurance companies. On the business side, Mr. Sexton has experience handling antitrust matters, contracts, leases, franchises, and common-interest community law. He also has experience helping clients with their estate planning needs.

Mr. Sexton graduated cum laude from J. Reuben Clark Law School and graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in business management. While attending law school, Mr. Sexton interned with the Apache County Attorney’s Office in Arizona, was a research assistant and teaching assistant, and served as Editor in Chief for the Journal of Public Law.

Location

Las Vegas Office

Education

JD: J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, 2018, cum laude

BS: Brigham Young University, 2015, Business Management, magna cum laude

Contact

sextond@hallevans.com

More About
David

Resume

Linkedin

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Editor in Chief, Journal of Public Law, 2017-2018
Other Activities
  • David enjoys spending his free time planning and organizing activities and service projects for youth groups through his local church congregation.
Languages
  • Spanish

Adam R. Knecht

Member

Adam Knecht concentrates his practice on both transactional and business/civil litigation. Mr. Knecht’s civil work encompasses all aspects of civil trial work, including business litigation, landlord/tenant disputes, non-competition litigation, transportation law, premises liability, and insurance defense. His civil practice includes defending catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases, defending healthcare professions against medical malpractice and nursing home lawsuits, workers’ compensation defense, defense of civil rights claims, and defending the manufacturers of various products including building products and medical products. Mr. Knecht’s transactional practice involves mergers and acquisitions, general business transactions, real estate law, and securities law.

Mr. Knecht represents clients in a wide variety of litigation and appellate matters in Federal and State courts in Nevada and Utah. He has successfully defended and prosecuted cases through trial, serving as lead trial counsel in more than 20 cases generally involving complex commercial, business, premises liability, personal injury, and real estate issues. Mr. Knecht has also been recognized by Mountain States Super Lawyers® for his business litigation law practice.

Prior to law practice, Mr. Knecht had many years of business management experience in both the technology and construction industries. He also advised and provided management consulting services for various mid to large companies while working for global consulting firms Accenture and Bridge Strategy Group. Subsequent to that, Mr. Knecht was the general manager of a construction and real estate development company.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Nevada, 2013
  • Utah, 2021
  • New Mexico, 2022
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Nevada
  • U.S. District Court, District of Utah

Location

Las Vegas Office

Education

JD: University of Nevada-Las Vegas, William S. Boyd School of Law, 2013

BS: Brigham Young University, 1998, Finance and Information Systems, Minor in Spanish

Contact

knechta@hallevans.com

More About
Adam

Resume

Linkedin

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America; Corporate Law, 2024-2025
  • Mountain States Super Lawyers®, Business Litigation, 2022
  • Outstanding Academic Achievement Full Scholarship
  • CALI Excellence for the Future Award: Legal Writing I (2010), Legal Writing II (2011), and Evidence, (2012)
Professional Associations
  • State Bar of Nevada
  • State Bar of Utah
  • Southern Utah Bar
  • State Bar New Mexico
  • Nevada Contractors Association
  • National Association of Home Builders
Business & Community Service
  • Volunteer, Boy Scouts of America, 2000-present
  • Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity, 1989-present
Other Activities
  • Outside of work, Mr. Knecht enjoys spending time with his wife and children, running, boating, climbing, and hiking.
Languages
  • Spanish

Fred Simpson

Counsel

Fred Simpson has over 25 years of civil litigation experience representing individuals, businesses, and insurers. His practice includes general tort defense, defense of professional negligence claims, defense of disciplinary complaints against attorneys and real estate professionals, insurance coverage, insurance defense, defense of unfair trade practices claims, construction disputes, and real property/commercial litigation.

Mr. Simpson has tried multiple jury and bench trials in both state and federal court on a wide range of matters, including personal injury, fair debt collection practice act violations, insurance bad faith, property damage, employment/wage and hour claims, and easement disputes. He has also successfully briefed and argued multiple appeals before the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Montana Supreme Court. Additionally, Mr. Simpson conducts dispute resolution as a mediator.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Montana, 1995
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Montana
  • Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Court

Location

Missoula Office

Education

JD: University of Montana School of Law, 1995
BA: University of Idaho, 1990, Political Science

Contact

simpsonf@hallevans.com

More About
Fred

Resume

Professional Associations
  • ​State Bar of Montana
Professional Experience
  • Prior to joining Hall & Evans, Mr. Simpson was a partner at Jenks & Simpson, P.C.
Career Distinctions & Honors
  • ​Martindale-Hubbell®, AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
Business & Community Service
  • Mr. Simpson has previously served on the board of Missoula Housing Authority and the Missoula Food Bank.
Decisions
  • Glacier Bear Retreat, LLC v. Dusek, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 16974 (9th Cir. 2024)
  • McAtee v. Morrison & Frampton, PLLP, 405 Mont. 269 (Mont. 2021)
  • Rochdale Insurance Co. v. Dixon, 849 Fed.Appx. 697 (9th Cir. 2021)
  • Western Heritage Ins. Co. v. Slopeside Condominium Association, Inc., 2019 WL 1060704 (D. Mont. 2019)
  • Progressive Northwestern Ins. Co. v. Jensen, 2017 WL 728202 (D. Mont. 2017)
  • WBI Energy Transmission, Inc. v. Colony Ins. Co., 56 F.Supp.3d 1194 (D. Mont. 2014)
  • Salminen v. Morrison & Frampton, PLLP, 339 P.3d 602 (Mont. 2014)
  • Brilz v. Metropolitan General Ins. Co., 285 P.3d 494 (Mont. 2012)
  • Leys v. Employers Ins. Co. of Wausau, 2011 WL 1239726 (D. Mont. 2011)
  • McCollough v. Johnson, Rodenburg & Lauinger, LLC, 637 F.3d 939 (9th Cir. 2011)
  • Moe v. System Transport, Inc., 2010 WL 4643336 (D. Mont. 2010)
  • Travelers Property Casualty Co. of America v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., 2010 WL 5387491 (D. Mont. 2010)
  • Neal v. Nelson, 198 P.3d 819 (Mont. 2008)
  • Brilz v. Metlife Auto & Home, 251 Fed.Appx. 458 (9th Cir. 2007)
  • Redies v. Attorneys Liability Protection Society, 150 P.3d 930 (Mont. 2007)
  • Smith v. Salish Kootenai College, 434 F.3d 1127 (9th Cir. 2006)
  • Superior Enterprises, LLC v. Montana Power Co., 49 P.3d 565 (Mont. 2002)
  • Farmers Plant Aid, Inc. v. Fedder, 999 P.2d 315 (Mont. 2000)
  • Ratchye v. Lucas, 957 P.2d 1128 (Mont. 1998)

Meghan A. Sheridan

Member

Meghan Sheridan is a civil litigation trial attorney whose practice concentrates in personal injury defense, primarily in recreation accident cases, premises liability, product liability, gig-economy matters, and trucking and aviation accidents.  She also works with general contractors and subcontractors on construction defect claims. Meghan is the Managing Member of the Hall & Evans Utah office.

Meghan focuses on understanding her clients’ specific business and priorities to build effective working relationships.  She emphasizes frequent communication with her clients, including providing early and ongoing case evaluation for potential resolution purposes; however, working on trial strategy from day one.  Meghan also provides additional consulting to ski areas and recreation providers regarding risk management, including speaking at ski areas and national conferences regarding winter and summer operations.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Utah, 2012
  • U.S. District Court, District of Utah

Location

Salt Lake City Office

Education

JD: University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, 2012, High Honors
BS: Pennsylvania State University, 2001, Psychology, Highest Honors

Contact

sheridanm@hallevans.com

More About
Meghan

Resume

Linkedin

Recent Decisions
  • Summary Judgment granted for ski resort for negligence and gross negligence claims in zip-lining accident.
  • Defense verdict for ski area in premises liability action.
  • Defense verdict for ski area in skier-skier collision case.
  • Summary Judgment granted for commercial airline carrier for negligence alleged in on board incident.
  • Summary Judgment granted for ski resort for negligence claim on accident in double-black diamond area.
Other Activities
  • In her free time, Meghan spends time outdoors with her family, competes in local and regional mountain bike races, and Nordic skiing races.
Professional Associations
  • Board Member, Association of Ski Defense Attorneys, 2022-present
  • Member, Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel
  • ASTM International
  • National Ski Areas Association
  • Toastmasters
  • Utah Defense Lawyers Association
  • Utah State Bar
Blog Posts About Meghan

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