Stephanie A. Montague

Member

Ms. Montague focuses on first-party insurance bad faith litigation, insurance coverage disputes, and other tort liability cases in both state and federal courts. She has expertise in sales, marketing and coverage matters for personal and commercial lines of insurance, emphasizing lawyers’ professional liability, motor vehicle, and homeowners insurance. Her experience includes all phases of civil litigation from discovery and pre-trial matters, trials, mediations, arbitrations, and appeals at the state and federal levels.

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 1995
  • 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: University of Denver College of Law, 1995
BA: University of Texas at Austin, 1991, Government

Contact

montagues@hallevans.com

More About
Stephanie

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Martindale-Hubbell®, Distinguished Peer Review Rated
Professional Associations
  • American Bar Association

  • Colorado Bar Association

  • Denver Bar Association

  • Defense Research Institute

  • Colorado Women’s Bar Association

  • Colorado Defense Lawyers Association, Vice President, 2024-present; Treasurer, 2023-2024; Secretary, 2022-2023; Legislative Committee Member

Decisions
  • Pompa v. American Family Mut. Ins. Co., 506 F. Supp. 2d 412 (D.Colo. 2007)
  • American Standard Ins. Co. v. Savainano, 298 F. Supp. 2d 1092 (D.Colo. 2003)
Appeals
  • State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Stein, 940 P.2d 384 (Colo. 1997)
  • Carlisle v. Farmers Ins. Exch., 946 P.2d 555 (Colo. App. 1997)
  • Martinez v. Allstate, 961 P.2d 531 (Colo. App. 1997)
  • Travelers v. Mid-Century Ins. Co., 961 P. 2d 509 (Colo. App. 1997)
  • Mid-Century Ins. Co. v. Travelers, 982 P.2d 310 (Colo. 1999)
  • Fazio v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 520 F.3d 1139 (10th Cir. 2008)
  • Browning v. Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. Co., 396 Fed. Appx. 496 (10th Cir. 2010)
License
  • Licensed Colorado Property and Casualty Insurance Producer, 2008-2014
Business & Community Service
  • Colorado Bar Exam Grader, Colorado Supreme Court, 2019-present
Blog Posts About Stephanie

Ryan L. Winter

Member

Mr. Winter has a diverse litigation practice and represents a wide array of regional and national businesses. He has successfully defended hundreds of commercial and tort cases in state and federal court. A significant part of his practice focuses on large, complex tort cases, and his practice areas include sports and recreation law, product liability defense, professional liability defense, public entity defense, and premises liability defense.

Mr. Winter has served as the contact partner and supervising attorney on numerous high exposure, tort and commercial lawsuits, including cases involving allegations of wrongful death, brain injury, and other traumatic injuries. Mr. Winter is equally adept at defending cases in which the injuries are purely economic, as he has served as lead counsel on numerous multi-million dollar cases alleging property damage, design deficiencies, and construction defects. He has represented his clients as counsel in trials, appeals, arbitrations, and mediations. He has achieved defense verdicts, prevailed on appeals, and obtained summary judgment for his clients on a number of occasions. Mr. Winter tries to manage litigation efficiently while still obtaining the best possible outcome for his clients.

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2000
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Location

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

Education

JD: University of Colorado School of Law, 2000, Editor of Journal
BA: Kansas State University, 1996, Political Science, Phi Beta Kappa and Honors Program

Contact

winterr@hallevans.com

More About
Ryan

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Martindale-Hubbell®, AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
  • Colorado Super Lawyers®, Personal Injury General: Defense, 2019-2025
  • Colorado Super Lawyers®, “Rising Star,” Personal Injury Defense, 2011-2013
  • Judicial Clerkship with Justice Nancy E. Rice of the Supreme Court of Colorado
  • Internship with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office – Tort Division
Professional Associations
  • Claims and Litigation Management Alliance, Denver Chapter Vice President
  • ALFA International, Business Litigation Practice Group Steering Committee
  • Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa
ARTICLES & PUBLICATIONS // PRESENTATIONS // WEBINARS

Mr. Winter is published and has received awards for his writing. He has lectured on a host of litigation related topics, and his speaking engagements include continuing legal education programs for attorneys. He has also lectured on a national stage to insurance claim professionals and general counsel for Fortune 500 companies.

Blog Posts About Ryan

Peter C. Middleton

Member

Mr. Middleton has over twenty years of litigation experience representing local, state, national and international insured and self-insured companies in complex catastrophic tort litigation, including multidistrict litigation.  He has enjoyed a thriving and diverse practice and successfully defended property owners, product manufacturers, outdoor recreational companies, event promoters, trucking and towing companies, hotels, bars, restaurants, healthcare and mental health providers, municipal organizations, construction design professionals, insurance companies and other businesses.  He regularly speaks at regional and national conferences for the sports, entertainment, recreation and hospitality industries.

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2000
  • Illinois, 1997
  • Indiana, 1998
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit

Location

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

Education

JD: DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, IL, 1997, Cert. of Health Law
BA: University of Illinois, 1994

Contact

middletonp@hallevans.com

More About
Peter

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Martindale-Hubbell®, AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
  • Colorado Super Lawyers, Civil Litigation Defense, 2013-2015, 2025
Decisions

Recent notable decisions include:

  • August 2022: Jury trial defense verdict in premises liability case by quadriplegic plaintiff seeking $50M+ in damages against event promoter
  • July 2021: Hamric v. Wilderness Expeditions, 6 F.4th 1108 (10th Cir. 2021): summary judgment affirmed in rappelling fatality case against outdoor recreational company
  • April 2019: Jury trial defense verdict in liquor liability case against a tavern
Professional Associations
  • Illinois State Bar Association
Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars

 

  • Speaker, “Legal Liability Updates – What’s the Latest?,” Colorado River Outfitters Association Annual Conference, February 2022
  • Speaker, “Get Your House in Order – Colorado’s Premises Liability Act,” Colorado River Outfitters Association Annual Conference, March 2021
  • Speaker, “Legal Update – What Line Are You Taking?,” Colorado River Outfitters Association Annual Conference, February 2020
  • Speaker, “Legal and Business Mindfulness,” Colorado River Outfitters Association Convention and Trade Show, 2019
  • Author, “Public Accommodation: Colorado Determines that Refusal to Allow a Service Dog on a Chairlift is Not Discriminatory,” America Outdoors, Spring 2018 Newsletter
  • Speaker, “Legal Headwaters: Preparing for the Choppy Waters of Minors, Accident Investigations, and Potential Harassment Complaints,” Colorado River Outfitters Association Convention and Trade Show, February 2018
  • Speaker, “There Must be Some Kind of Way Out of Here: A Rock and Roll Take on Risk Management for Outfitters and Guides,” America Outdoors Association Annual Conference, December 2017
Other Activities

Mr. Middleton is the proud papa of an 19 year old daughter and 17 year old son.  He is an avid mountain biker.  Mr. Middleton also plays guitar, bass and harmonica and has occasional gigs in two different rock bands.

Christopher D. Bryan

Member

Chris represents a variety of clients in matters involving premises liability, products liability, construction, professional liability, real estate and other general litigation matters, with a particular emphasis on hospitality and retail industries.   He is well-versed in all phases of litigation, and his trial and appellate experience includes conducting jury trials and appeals in Colorado, New York, and New Jersey.

Prior to joining Hall & Evans in 2011, Chris was an Associate at a large firm in New York City, where he also served as an approved mediator for the New York Courts, EEOC, and Safe Horizons Community Mediation Centers.  As a mediator, he conducted over 75 mediations covering a wide range of cases including: personal injury, employment, and disability discrimination, juvenile issues, landlord/tenant, creditor/debtor, construction, contracts, and various community or family-based disputes.  Chris has also completed more than 100 hours of mediation training including advanced training in domestic violence, divorce mediation, and cross-cultural issues.

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2010
  • New Jersey, 2008
  • New York, 2009
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York

Location

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

Education

JD: Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, 2008
BA: Metropolitan State College of Denver, 2001, Journalism

Contact

bryanc@hallevans.com

More About
Christopher

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Colorado Super Lawyers®, “Rising Star,” Civil Litigation: Defense, 2017-2019
  • While a law student at Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, Chris was a member of one of the nation’s top-ranked Mediation Clinics, a Finalist in the 2006-2007 ABA Representation in Mediation Competition, and a Member of the Arts & Entertainment Law Journal.

Timothy M. Murphy

Member

Tim is a native Coloradan with a diverse litigation practice and handles a variety of matters for individuals and business entities.  Tim’s practice is centered around construction law, environmental law, and transportation litigation. His legal experience also includes practice in the areas of premises liability, professional liability, FDPCA, contract disputes, and regulatory compliance.

Tim litigates cases in both state and federal court in Colorado and has experience in trials, arbitrations, and appeals. Tim’s professional focus is to manage litigation efficiently, provide practical legal advice, and obtain the best possible outcome for his clients.

Bar Admissions

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

Location

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

Education

JD: University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2003
BA: University of Kansas, 2000, Environmental Science, Dean’s List

Contact

murphyt@hallevans.com

More About
Timothy

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Colorado Super Lawyers®, “Rising Star,” Civil Litigation: Defense, 2013-2018
Professional Experience

While a student at the University of Denver College of Law, Mr. Murphy worked for EarthJustice and assisted in the representation of clients concerning federal land management and litigation under federal environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

Professional Associations
  • Colorado Creditor Bar Association
Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars

Tim has authored sections on statutory employees, logo liability, and the validity of exculpatory agreements for the ALFA Transportation Compendium from 2008 to the present.

Business & Community Service
  • The Denver Foundation, Travis Kubiak Memorial Fund, Volunteer
  • Denver’s Road Home, Volunteer
  • Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado
  • Big Dogs Huge Paws, Contributor