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.

Practice Areas

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

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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.

Blog Posts About Peter

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.

Practice Areas

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

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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.
Professional Associations
  • Colorado Bar Association
  • Denver Bar Association
  • Foodservice Industry Risk Management Association
  • Colorado Restaurant Association
  • ALFA International
  • National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association
Blog Posts About Christopher

Brian L. Taylor

Member

Brian Taylor practices in our Billings, Montana office.  Mr. Taylor is a litigation attorney with a historically diverse practice.  His practice primarily focuses on civil defense where he has represented clients in a wide variety of cases including bad faith and product liability.  He also represents a number of insurance carriers in traditional insurance defense matters and insurance coverage issues.  His experience in the product liability field has covered a wide spectrum of self-insured automobile manufacturers and component part manufacturers. His experience representing automobile manufacturers includes a three-plus week trial in Great Falls, Montana involving a traumatic brain injury. 

Mr. Taylor’s litigation defense practice is centered in the field of transportation, insurance, medical malpractice, trucking, municipal entities, and product liability.  His experience in traditional insurance defense litigation includes property damage claims, personal injury claims, and larger construction defect lawsuits.  Mr. Taylor’s practice also includes representing many employers in employment related actions. Mr. Taylor has participated in numerous trials in both State and Federal Court throughout Montana.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Montana, 1997
  • U.S. District Court, District of Montana
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado

Location

Billings Office

175 North 27th Street
Suite 1101
Billings, MT 59101

Education

JD: Gonzaga University, 1997, magna cum laude
BA: Montana State University, 1994, Finance, With Honors

Contact

taylorb@hallevans.com

More About
Brian

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Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Martindale-Hubbell®, AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
  • Judge Robert P. Goff Pro Bono Award, 2011
  • Served as Special Master for Judge Sandefur, Cascade County District Court, State of Montana
Professional Associations
  • Montana State Bar Association
  • Cascade County Bar Association
  • Montana Defense Trial Lawyers Association
  • Montana State Bar, CLE Institute
  • National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
  • Yellowstone Area Bar Association
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
Decisions
  • GER v. Florence: Strict liability for dog bite claim, Missoula, Montana in 2020.
  • Niedermeyer v. Geyser Whitewater: Wrongful death and survivorship claims related to a whitewater rafting accident, Bozeman, Montana in 2018.
  • Tsohonis v. BNSF: FELA claim in Billings, Montana in 2014.
  • Brennan v. Ford Motor Corp. and Firestone: Products liability related to a tire de-tread in Great Falls, Montana. Matter was tried twice, first trial lasted 17 days.
  • Ray v. Connell, 371 P.3d 391: Obtained Summary Judgment which was upheld on appeal to the Montana Supreme Court in a case involving alleged libel and slander issues in 2016
  • Allison v. Farmer Brothers Co., 2018 WL 3609537: Obtained Summary Judgment in Federal Court in a wrongful discharge from employment matter in 2018.
  • Baker v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20571: Obtained Summary Judgment in Federal Court in a case involving long term disability benefits in 2016.
  • Sorlie v. City of Billings: Obtained Summary Judgment for the City of Billings, Montana on an alleged negligent building inspection claim in 2020.
Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Speaker, Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority, Defense Counsel Summit, Helena, Montana, 2019
  • Speaker, “Montana Insurance Law,” American Hallmark Insurance, Fort Worth Texas, 2009
Business & Community Service
  • Former Board Member for the Cascade County Law Clinic, an organization devoted to providing pro bono legal representation to those in need
Professional Experience
  • Prior to joining Hall & Evans in 2013, Mr. Taylor was a partner at Jardine Stephenson, Blewett & Weaver in Great Falls, Montana.
Other Activities
  • Mr. Taylor enjoys spending time with his wife and two wonderful daughters. In his spare time he enjoys skiing, snowmobiling, and soccer.
Blog Posts About Brian

Conor P. Boyle

Member

Conor represents a wide array of regional, national, and international businesses, from fortune-500 manufacturers to local Colorado companies. He has successfully defended clients in commercial and tort cases in Colorado state and federal court and abroad. A significant part of his practice focuses on large complex tort cases, with significant experience defending clients in product liability, commercial, recreational, insurance, and premises liability actions.

Conor has successfully represented his clients as counsel in all phases of litigation, including first-chair jury trial practice, resulting in defense verdicts and numerous summary judgment victories for his clients.  Conor is often retained as appellate counsel in cases he litigates at the district court level and is also often retained as outside appellate counsel.  Conor has argued and prevailed before the Colorado Supreme Court and Colorado Court of Appeals and has prevailed on briefing at the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2008
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court

Location

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

Education

JD: University of Colorado School of Law, 2008
BA: University of Colorado, 2005, Political Science, Phi Beta Kappa, Dean’s List

Contact

boylec@hallevans.com

More About
Conor

Resume

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Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Colorado Super Lawyers®, “Rising Star,” Civil Litigation: Defense, 2015-2018
  • Bernard J. Seeman Scholarship
  • Chuck Mau Scholarship
Appeals
  • McKinney v. United States, 724 Fed. Appx. 628 (10th Cir. 2018)
  • Align Corp v. Boustred, 405 P.3d 1148 (Colo. 2017), cert. denied, 138 S. Ct. 2623 (2018)
  • McGill v. DIA Airport Parking, LLC, 395 P.3d 1153 (Colo. App. 2016)
  • Boustred v. Align Corp., 410 P.3d 640 (Colo. App. 2016)
  • Espinoza v. Ark. Valley Adventures, LLC, 809 F.3d 1150 (10th Cir. 2016)
  • Giduck v. Niblett, 408 P.3d 856 (Colo. App. 2014)
Articles // Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Speaker, “Legal and Business Mindfulness,” Colorado River Outfitters Association Convention and Trade Show, 2019
  • Speaker, “Legal Headwaters: Preparing for the Choppy Waters of Minors, Accident Investigations, and Potential Harassment Complaints,” Colorado River Outfitters Association Convention and Trade Show, 2018
  • Speaker, “The Legal and Business Confluence: Good Releases Make Good Law, Bad Business Makes Bad Law,” Colorado River Outfitters Association Convention and Trade Show, 2017
  • Speaker, “An Outfitter’s Guide to Preserving Release of Liability,” Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area Contractor’s Workshop, 2016
  • Speaker, “An Outfitter’s Guide to Preserving Release of Liability,” Colorado River Outfitters Association Convention and Trade Show, 2016
  • Articles Editor, Journal on Telecommunications and High Technology Law, University of Colorado School of Law, 2008
Professional Associations
  • ALFA International, Product Liability & Complex Torts Practice Group Steering Committee, 2019 – Present
  • Product Liability Advisory Council, Future Leaders Program, 2019 – Present
  • Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
Business & Community Service
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Project C.U.R.E.
Blog Posts About Conor

Gary L. Kuhn

Member

Gary Kuhn’s practice focuses on complex civil litigation where he handles professional and product liability defense in state and federal courts, as well as mediation and arbitration. Gary has substantial experience defending against construction claims in his representation of developers, contractors, architects, engineers, surveyors, and subcontractors. He has represented clients with contract disputes, mechanic’s lien claims, defective design and/or construction and land use issues including public and private easements and trespass claims.

Gary’s products liability practice centers on the defense of claims brought against product designers, manufacturers and suppliers related to the design and manufacturing of industrial, recreational, and outdoor equipment. Gary also serves as local counsel to out-of-state law firms seeking guidance and assistance litigating in Colorado courts.

Practice Areas

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: Vermont Law School, 1999
MSEL: Vermont Law School, 1999, Environmental Law
BS: Indiana University, 1995, Environmental Science

Contact

kuhng@hallevans.com

More About
Gary

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Professional Associations
  • Colorado Defense Lawyers Association
  • Colorado Bar Association
    • Construction Law Section
    • Environmental Law Section
    • Litigation Section
    • Natural Resource and Energy Law Section
  • Denver Bar Association
Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Author, “The Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Construction Law,” Section 8.4.12, 2013 Supplement
Blog Posts About Gary

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