Jeana R. Lervick

Counsel

Jeana Lervick is a seasoned litigator who provides counseling and defense through every step of conflict prevention and resolution. Ms. Lervick focuses primarily on employment and health care law, from day-to-day operations to large-scale litigation.  She handles all aspects of employment management and defense, including contract negotiation and drafting, as well as appearing regularly in administrative proceedings before the Montana Human Rights Bureau. Ms. Lervick also has extensive experience in public entity defense and intellectual property, including both trademarks and patents, and routinely leads general litigation matters across all areas of the law.

Ms. Lervick began her career as a litigator in Chicago focusing on patents and trademarks for more than a decade. She returned to Montana to raise her family and became In-house Counsel for a Montana school district before serving as Chief of the Civil Department of Montana’s largest county. Prior to joining Hall & Evans, Ms. Lervick was Senior Counsel at a large litigation firm in Montana.

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois, 2002
  • Montana, 2014
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Montana
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Location

Billings Office

Education

JD: DePaul University College of, 2002
BS: Montana State University, 1999, Directed Interdisciplinary Studies

Contact

lervickj@hallevans.com

More About
Jeana

Professional Associations
  • Yellowstone County Bar Association

Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Speaker, “Trial Preparation for Montana Legal Assistants,” Half Moon Seminar, 2024

  • Speaker, “Montana Employment Law: Hiring, Firing, and Disciplining Employees,” NBI Seminar, 2023

Business & Community Service
  • Yellowstone Soccer Association, Vice President
Other Activities
  • Outside of work, Jeana is a coach and team mom for numerous youth athletic programs and can often be found cheering on her son with their Bernese Mountain Dog, Rosie, and rescue pup, Bandit.​

Jeffrey S. Alterman

Associate

Jeffrey Alterman has over a decade of civil litigation experience focused on insurance defense. Mr. Alterman’s current practice includes transportation, premises liability, coverage matters, and general insurance defense. He is also experienced with real estate and employment matters.

Before joining Hall & Evans, Mr. Alterman was an Associate at an insurance defense firm in Miami, Florida. He previously served as Associate General Counsel for a property and casualty insurance company where he litigated first and third-party property insurance claims.

Bar Admissions

  • Florida, 2014
  • Colorado, pending
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado

Location

Denver Office

Education

JD: Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, 2013
BA: University of Florida, 2010, English

Contact

altermanj@hallevans.com

More About
Jeffrey

Julie L. Sanpei

Counsel

Julie Sanpei is a seasoned civil litigator and estate planning attorney with over 30 years of experience.  Her civil practice includes complex business litigation, contract disputes, real estate, insurance defense, creditor law, receiver representation, judgment enforcement, and appeals before the Nevada Supreme Court and U.S Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.  She represents clients through all phases of litigation in state and federal court and has assisted entities in defense of NERC and EEOC claims.  Ms. Sanpei also assists individuals with guardianship, general estate planning, wills, revocable trusts, probate and trust administration.

Bar Admissions

  • Nevada, 1994
  • California (inactive), 1993
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Nevada

Location

Las Vegas Office

Education

JD: University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 1993
BA: University of California, Los Angeles, 1989, Psychology

Contact

sanpeij@hallevans.com

More About
Julie

Professional Experience
  • Prior to joining Hall & Evans, Ms. Sanpei practiced at a boutique law firm in Las Vegas, Nevada for 27 years. While attending law school, Ms. Sanpei participated in pro bono programs assisting underserved community members facing legal challenges.
Professional Associations
  • Clark County Bar Association

Jeff Soffer

Senior Associate

Jeff’s practice focuses on premises liability, products liability, medical malpractice, employment, hospitality & retail, professional liability, and complex commercial litigation. Representative clients include hospital systems, nursing facilities, trucking companies, gig-economy platforms, retail establishments, and hospitality businesses.

Jeff utilizes his experience in litigation, business strategy, and risk assessment to advocate for clients in high-stakes conflicts, develop innovative legal arguments, and mitigate risk through proactive compliance and dispute resolution.

Prior to joining Hall & Evans in 2025, Jeff worked for two law firms in Houston, Texas. He received his JD from the University of Texas School of Law, his MBA from New York University, and his BA from Northwestern University. He lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife and three fun-loving children.

Location

Denver Office

Education

JD: University of Texas School of Law, 2012
MBA: New York University, 2017, Financial Instruments and Markets, Economics, and Marketing
BA: Northwestern University, 2008, Economics and Philosophy

Contact

sofferj@hallevans.com

More About
Jeff

Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Author, “A Professional (lack of) Courtesy: The Emergence of Expert Testimony in Legal and Medical Malpractice Cases,” St. Mary’s Law Journal on Legal Malpractice and Ethics, Volume 46, 2015
  • Author, “Apologize First; Mediate Second; Litigate…Never?” The University of Texas School of Law, The Review of Litigation, Volume 34, 2015
  • Presenter, “A Professional (lack of) Courtesy: The Emergence of Expert Testimony in Legal and Medical Malpractice Cases,” St. Mary’s Legal Ethics Symposium 2015
  • Presenter, “Handling Lawsuits: It’s Not Just For Lawyers Anymore,” American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, Annual Conference & Exhibition, 2014

Marcella Alvarez Morgan

Associate

Marcella Alvarez Morgan has a broad range of civil litigation experience representing individuals, businesses, and insurers. Ms. Morgan’s practice includes premises liability, construction, trucking, employment, and environmental matters. She is also experienced with commercial real estate, business transactions, trademark, and copyright matters.

Prior to joining Hall & Evans, Ms. Morgan was a litigator at firms in Albuquerque, NM and Boston, MA. While attending Northeastern University School of law, she served as an intern with a global financial services company, a real estate investment trust company, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, and a legal aid foundation. Ms. Morgan is licensed in New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Texas.

Bar Admissions

  • New Mexico, 2023
  • Massachusetts, 2020
  • Texas, 2022
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico
  • U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts

Location

Santa Fe Office

Education

JD: Northeastern University School of Law, 2019

BA: Colorado College, 2012, Russian and Literature

Contact

morganm@hallevans.com

More About
Marcella

Professional Associations
  • State Bar of New Mexico, Young Lawyers Division
Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Co-author, “New Media and Advocacy,” Understanding Nonviolence, Chapter 6, Wiley, 2015
Languages
  • Russian