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.

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

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.

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

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

Nathan R. Garcia

Senior Associate

Nathan Garcia is a versatile attorney with experience in civil litigation, transactional law, and trust and estate planning.

Mr. Garcia handles a wide variety of general civil litigation across Utah and Colorado including premises liability, insurance defense, and HOA matters.  His transactional work includes wills/trusts, entity formation, lease and contract negotiations, buy/sell agreements, and corporate governance. Mr. Garcia also handles complex trust and estate administration.

Prior to joining Hall & Evans, Mr. Garcia was the co-founder of a boutique law firm, and a nonprofit legal services firm based in Salt Lake City.

Bar Admissions

  • Utah, 2011
  • Colorado, 2019
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, District of Utah

Location

Salt Lake City Office

Education

JD: Seattle University School of Law, 2011

BA: University of Utah, 2008, Sociology

Contact

garcianr@hallevans.com

More About
Nathan

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

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 Peters is a trial and appellate litigator. He has first chaired over fifty jury trials, tried cases to judges and arbitrators, and handled multiple appeals to state and federal appellate courts. His practice focuses on the defense of civil rights and other claims against public entities; representing school districts in a wide variety of claims, including Title IX, Title VI, IDEA, and Section 504; labor and employment litigation and counseling; administrative complaints before state and federal regulatory bodies; professional liability claims against real estate brokers and medical professionals; probate, guardianship, and other fiduciary litigation; and general commercial litigation, including securities fraud and contract disputes, including real estate broker commission disputes.

Before joining Hall and Evans, Mr. Peters 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. Mr. Peters graduated from Vermont Law School magna cum laude in the top 5% of his class. He served as articles editor of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, 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, Mr. Peters was a licensed real estate salesperson in New York City and a middle school teacher in Denver.

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

Appeals
  • People v. Penn, 32, 379 P.3d 298 (Colo. 2016)
Professional Associations
  • Colorado Bar Association
  • Boulder Bar Association, Member, Board of Directors 2017 – 2020
  • Faculty of Federal Advocates
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, “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.