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.

Practice Areas

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

Resume

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

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.

Practice Areas

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

More About
Grace

Resume

Linkedin

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

David M. Sexton

Member

David Sexton’s practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation and business transactions. His litigation experience includes premises liability, personal injury, and insurance defense, frequently defending retailers and insurance companies. On the business side, Mr. Sexton has experience handling antitrust matters, contracts, leases, franchises, and common-interest community law. He also has experience helping clients with their estate planning needs.

Mr. Sexton graduated cum laude from J. Reuben Clark Law School and graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in business management. While attending law school, Mr. Sexton interned with the Apache County Attorney’s Office in Arizona, was a research assistant and teaching assistant, and served as Editor in Chief for the Journal of Public Law.

Location

Las Vegas Office

Education

JD: J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, 2018, cum laude

BS: Brigham Young University, 2015, Business Management, magna cum laude

Contact

sextond@hallevans.com

More About
David

Resume

Linkedin

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Editor in Chief, Journal of Public Law, 2017-2018
Other Activities
  • David enjoys spending his free time planning and organizing activities and service projects for youth groups through his local church congregation.
Languages
  • Spanish

John F. “Jack” Peters

Member

Jack is a trial and appellate litigator. He has first chaired over fifty jury trials, tried cases to judges and arbitrators, litigated before numerous state and federal agencies, and handled multiple appeals to state and federal appellate courts. Jack has a diverse practice focused on labor and employment, school and local government law, and trust and estate litigation.

In his labor and employment work, Jack handles employment discrimination claims such as Title VII, ADEA, ADA, FMLA, and CADA; employment counseling; workplace investigations; wage and hour issues; and other employment counseling and litigation. In addition to employment, Jack represents companies in labor claims, including unfair labor practice charges before the NLRB and CDLE, union grievance arbitrations, and other labor disputes.

A large portion of Jack’s practice is devoted to Title IX, IDEA, Section 504, Title VI, FERPA, Claire Davis Act, and other claims against educational institutions. In addition to schools and universities, he represents a variety of public entities for claims under 42 USC 1983 and 1981, open records and open meetings issues, tort claims under the CGIA, and other claims against local governments.

Jack also brings his litigation experience to representing beneficiaries and fiduciaries, such as trustees, personal representatives, guardians, and conservators, in claims of breach of fiduciary duty, will contests, probate hearings, and other disputed trust, estate, and probate issues.

Before joining Hall and Evans, Jack was a prosecutor in Boulder County where he tried dozens of cases to verdict, handled extensive appellate work, and supervised the District Attorney’s Office law clerks. Jack graduated college from the University of Chicago and from Vermont Law School magna cum laude in the top 5% of his class. During law school he worked in the chambers of Justice Denise Johnson of the Vermont Supreme Court and was a summer associate in the Shanghai office of an international law firm. He continues to mentor law students and is actively involved in the legal community. Before law school, Jack was a licensed real estate salesperson in New York City and a middle school teacher in Denver.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado, 2012
  • Kentucky (inactive), 2011
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado

Location

Denver Office

Education

JD: Vermont Law School, 2011, magna cum laude
BA: University of Chicago, 2004, Classical Languages and Literatures

Contact

petersj@hallevans.com

More About
Jack

Resume

Linkedin

Appeals
  • People v. Penn, 32, 379 P.3d 298 (Colo. 2016)
Professional Associations
  • Boulder Bar Association, Member, Board of Directors 2017 – 2020
  • Faculty of Federal Advocates
  • Council of School Attorneys and Colorado Council of School Board Attorneys
Career Distinctions & Honors
  • Senior Articles Editor, Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, 2010 – 2011
License
  • New York State Real Estate Salesperson License, inactive
Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Presenter, “It’s Hard to Keep Up – Discrimination Law in 2025,” Colorado Bar Association’s Employment Law Conference, 2025
  • Presenter, “Diverse Juries Reach Better Verdicts: How Litigators can Create Diverse Jury Panels and Prevent Bias in Deliberations” Colorado Bar Association Litigators’ Summit, November 2023
  • Presenter, “Qualified Immunity and the Basics of Civil Claims Against Law Officers,” Boulder County Bar Association CLE, September 2020
  • Presenter, “The Legal Effect of Turning 18,” Monarch High School, 2014 – present
  • Presenter, “Finding and Using Digital Evidence,” Kentucky Prosecutors Conference, 2017
  • Trainer, Colorado District Attorney’s Council, 2014 – 2018
Professional Experience
  • Deputy District Attorney, Twentieth Judicial District, Boulder, CO, 2012 – 2019
  • Intern, Hon. Justice Denise Johnson, Vermont Supreme Court, Montpelier, VT, 2009
Languages
  • Conversational in French, Italian, and Spanish. Knowledge of Mandarin Chinese, German, and Swedish.
Blog Posts About Jack

Kurt R. Bonds

Member

Kurt Bonds has practiced in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1997, focusing on litigation and transactional law. His litigation practice includes trucking and transportation matters, hospitality & retail, premises liability, employment, products liability, insurance defense, workers’ compensation defense, and toxic tort law. On the transactional side, Mr. Bonds handles corporate law, business transactions, banking law, contracts, real estate matters, and homeowners’ association matters.

Mr. Bonds serves as a court appointed Arbitrator for the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County and as a Referee/Arbitrator for the Nevada Real Estate Division. He also teaches risk reduction classes at the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors on various issues including trademark, licensing, advertising, and contracts.

An active participant in the legal community, Mr. Bonds is a member of the State Bar of Nevada, International Bar Association, American Inns of Court, the Clark County Bar Association, the Community Associations Institute, and the Supreme Court Historical Society. He is a frequent seminar speaker on transactional law issues, estate planning, and legal issues affecting homeowners’ associations and management companies. Mr. Bonds was named one of Nevada’s top business attorneys in the 2008 “Legal Elite” issue of the Nevada Business Magazine. He has also been recognized in Mountain States Super Lawyers® for his business and corporate law practice.

Practice Areas

Bar Admissions

  • Nevada, 1997
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Nevada

Location

Las Vegas Office

Education

JD: University of Nebraska College of Law, 1996
BS: Brigham Young University, 1993, International Finance, Minor in Business Composite

Contact

bondsk@hallevans.com

More About
Kurt

Resume

Linkedin

Career Distinctions & Honors
  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Commercial Litigation, 2025-2026
  • Martindale-Hubbell®, Distinguished Peer Review Rated
  • Mountain States Super Lawyers®, Business/Corporate, 2016-2017, 2025
  • Nevada’s Top Attorneys, Nevada Business Magazine, 2008
Professional Associations
  • Association of Defense Trial Attorneys
  • State Bar of Nevada
  • Clark County Bar Association
  • Supreme Court Historical Society
  • International Bar Association
Professional Experience

  • Prior to joining Hall & Evans, Mr. Bonds served as Managing Partner and Chair of the Business Law department at Alverson Taylor & Sanders in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
  • Speaker, “Negotiation Win/Win for Client”, Greater Las Vegas Area Realtors, June 2016
  • Speaker, “Legal Update,” Nevada Mutual Insurance Company Risk Management Seminar, May 2014
  • Speaker, “Advertising, Social Media Ethics and Liabilities,” Greater Las Vegas Area Realtors, May 2014
  • Author, “Conquering Contracts–Property Management Agreements and Landlord/Tenant Laws,” State of Nevada, Department of Business and Industry Real Estate Division, September 2012
Other Activities

  • In his spare time, Mr. Bonds enjoys playing and coaching basketball and spending time with his wife and their five children.

Languages
  • Portuguese

© 2012-2026 Hall & Evans, LLC | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy