Briana K. Smith

Associate

Ms. Smith provides general civil litigation defense to individuals, businesses, and insurers. Her practice includes transportation, hospitality & retail, premises liability, business law, and administrative law. Ms. Smith also has a background in family law and general civil litigation.

Before joining Hall & Evans, she was an attorney with the State of Wyoming’s Office of the Public Defender, providing criminal defense for indigent clients. She was also an Adjunct Professor at the Park University-Warren Air Force Base, where she taught the course American Government.

Bar Admissions

  • Wyoming, 2020
  • Montana, 2020
  • Arizona, 2024
  • Colorado, 2024
  • U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
  • U.S. District Court, District of Montana
  • U.S. District Court, District of Wyoming

Location

Phoenix Office
112 North Central Avenue
1st Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Education

JD: University of Wyoming College of Law, 2018
BA: University of Wyoming, 2015, Criminal Justice

Contact

smithb@hallevans.com

More About
Briana

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Student of the year, University of Wyoming Family & Immigration Justice Clinic, 2017-2018
  • M.F. Blackstone Scholarship Recipient, University of Wyoming Foundation, 2015-2018
Professional Associations
  • Wyoming State Bar

Professional Experience
  • Attorney, State of Wyoming Office of the Public Defender, Cheyenne, WY, 2021-2022

Business & Community Service
  • Wyoming Towing & Recovery Professionals, President, 2019-2021

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
1001 17th Street
Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202

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

Professional Associations
  • Colorado Bar Association

  • Denver Bar Association

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

Bria A. Perkins

Associate

Bria Perkins joined Hall & Evans, LLC as an Associate in 2025. Ms. Perkins focuses primarily on corporate litigation, business law, torts, and premises liability matters in Nevada.

Ms. Perkins earned her JD from The University of Houston Law Center where she competed with the ADR team and was a semifinalist in the John Black Moot Court Competition. While in law school, Ms. Perkins served as a Judicial Intern with the 165th District Court in Houston, TX, clerked at a small personal injury firm, and was a Summer Associate at Hall & Evans.

Bar Admissions

  • Nevada, 2025

Location

Las Vegas Office
1160 North Town Center Drive
Suite 330
Las Vegas, NV 89144

Education

JD: University of Houston Law Center, 2024
BS: Texas A&M University, 2020, Sociology, Minor in Mathematics

Contact

perkinsb@hallevans.com

More About
Bria

Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Presenter, “Pretty Privilege: Analysis of Diction in Young Adult Novels,” New Directions Conference, 2020
  • Author, “Analysis of Race and Diversity of Extracurriculars and Study Spaces for Engineering Students,” American Society for Engineering Education Conference, 2017
Other Activities
  • In her free time, Ms. Perkins enjoys reading, movies, and baking for her friends and family.

Steven P. Johnston

Senior Associate

Steven Johnston has over 20 years of civil litigation experience in Colorado state and federal courts. He focuses on medical malpractice and defends medical and dental providers along with hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Outside of his healthcare practice, Mr. Johnston has extensive experience with insurance defense, premises liability, and business related matters. He has also managed mass tort litigation involving pharmaceutical product liability and environmental contamination.

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2003
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado

Location

Denver Office
1001 17th Street
Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202

Education

JD: Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School, 2003
BS: Brigham Young University, 1998, Business Management

Contact

johnstons@hallevans.com

More About
Steven

Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Presenter, “Drafting the Complaint: Why It Controls Your Entire Case and Using the Amended Civil Rules to Your Advantage,” Colorado Trial Lawyers Association Blockbuster, 2016

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
125 Lincoln Avenue
Suite 225
Santa Fe, NM 87501

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