Michael S. Rawlings

Counsel

Michael Rawlings has built a practice focused on commercial litigation as defense counsel but also in personal injury, premises liability, construction defect, and family law matters.

Prior to joining Hall & Evans, Mr. Rawlings defended numerous cases that involved injury and loss, including complex traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, psychological injuries, loss of earning capacity and lost wages, claims for future medical treatment and damages, loss of consortium, and more. Working on the insurance defense side and as legal counsel with personal injury cases and clients has provided Mr. Rawlings the ability to evaluate a case, assess realistic outcomes, and pursue that outcome through settlement negotiations, arbitrations, mediations, short trials, and jury trials. He is active in the local community, handling pro bono cases for the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada. 

A Las Vegas native, Mr. Rawlings attended Bonanza High School and then earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Japanese from Utah State University. Before law school, he went to work as a third-party claims adjuster focused entirely on transportation. He investigated motor vehicle accidents alongside local law enforcement, the taxi authority, and was involved in accident reconstruction with local experts and experts across the country. He helped in the testing and implementation of data impact devices with several Las Vegas taxicab and limousine companies when the technology was new. Mr. Rawlings eventually became a claims manager, resolving hundreds of personal injury cases through settlements, arbitrations, mediation, and trials in Clark County. With this background and depth of experience, Mr. Rawlings decided to pursue his law degree, earning a J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan.

Bar Admissions

  • Nevada, 2013
  • U.S. District Court, District of Nevada

Location

Las Vegas Office

Education

JD: Thomas M. Cooley Law School, 2011
BA: Utah State University, 2009, English, Minor in Japanese

Contact

rawlingsm@hallevans.com

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Michael

Languages
  • Japanese

Bill Tatom

Associate

Bill Tatom is an Associate in the Hall & Evans Chicago office. His practice focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis on health care matters, premises liability, and insurance defense.  Mr. Tatom defends health care providers, long-term care facilities, and local businesses facing litigation. His experience also includes defending matters involving commercial litigation, construction defects, breach of contract, fraudulent misrepresentation, warranty of habitability, property disputes, and product liability claims.

Mr. Tatom’s practice also includes he defense of correctional healthcare providers in medical and civil rights claims.

Mr. Tatom earned his JD from the University of Houston Law Center and was the recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship and the Buck J. Wynne Memorial Scholarship.  Before his legal career, Mr. Tatom spent eight years teaching U.S. History and English. 

Bar Admissions

  • Texas, 2024
  • Colorado, 2025
  • 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 Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas

Location

Chicago Office

Education

JD: University of Houston Law Center, 2024
BA: Eastern Illinois University, 2012, History

Contact

tatomb@hallevans.com

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Bill

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Dean’s Scholarship
  • Buck J. Wynne Memorial Scholarship
Professional Associations
  • Colorado Bar Association

  • Denver Bar Association

  • State Bar of Texas, Construction Law Section, Insurance Law Section, Litigation Section

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, 2026
  • 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

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Jeffrey

Nolan W. Wright

Associate

Nolan Wright focuses on the defense of personal injury and premises liability claims. Mr. Wright represents drivers of personal and commercial vehicles, common carriers, retail stores, and restaurants throughout all phases of litigation.  Mr. Wright is also experienced with matters involving construction, real estate, contract disputes, intra-business disputes, local government law, and misdemeanors and traffic defense.  Before joining Hall & Evans, Mr. Wright was an Associate at a general civil litigation firm in Wichita, KS where he gained extensive litigation experience.

Mr. Wright graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law. He is licensed in Kansas and Missouri. While earning his J.D., he was a Law Intern with the Honorable Judge Eric Melgren in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas, interned for a civil defense firm in Topeka, Kansas, and for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas.

Bar Admissions

  • Kansas, 2018
  • Missouri, 2026
  • U.S. District Court, District of Kansas

Location

Kansas City Office

Education

JD: University of Kansas School of Law, 2018
BSW: University of Kansas, 2014, Social Work

Contact

wrightn@hallevans.com

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Nolan

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America; Municipal Law; Trusts and Estates; Litigation – Trusts and Estates; 2025-2027

  • Wichita Business Journal, Young Professionals, Legal Services, 2023

  • Kansas Association of Defense Counsel, Horizon Award, 2021

  • Intern, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas, Hon. Eric F. Melgren, 2016

Professional Associations
  • Kansas Association of Defense Counsel

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.

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

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Grace

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