John D. Halepaska
John D. Halepaska received his J.D. from the University of Colorado in 1997. He studied civil engineering as an undergraduate at Colorado State University. After practicing for a number of years, John took a brief hiatus to pursue interests in the construction field. Mr. Halepaska paid his way through school as a skilled carpenter in residential and commercial construction.
His knowledge of engineering and construction practices and procedures has been invaluable on the many technical and “expert driven” personal injury cases he has handled over his 20 years of practice. During his career, his practice has consisted of a blend of plaintiff matters and complex insurance defense cases.
He has practiced with some of Colorado’s finest plaintiff and insurance defense firms and is experienced on both sides of the fence. Mr. Halepaska was one of a handful of Colorado attorneys allowed to try cases for Zurich North America Insurance.
Mr. Halepaska’s practice now focuses primarily on plaintiff personal injury and has been listed in Colorado’s Top 20 verdicts. Mr. Halepaska has represented clients in a wide variety of claims, including cases involving trucking and motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, product liability, wrongful death, intentional torts, traumatic brain injury, orthopedic injury, spinal cord injury, and bad faith insurance litigation at both the state and federal levels. In addition to personal injury matters, Mr. Halepaska also represents business owners and private individuals in contractual/transactional disputes and other civil litigation matters.
Mr. Halepaska is a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Lawyers Helping Lawyers assistance program.
EDUCATION
Law School:
University of Colorado, 1997, Juris Doctor
Undergraduate:
Colorado State University, 1993, Bachelor of Science
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Colorado Bar Association
Douglas County Bar Association
Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
American Bar Association
Colorado Trial Lawyer’s Association
Colorado Lawyers Helping Lawyers (member of the Board of Directors)
PUBLISHED APPELLATE DECISIONS
Groh v. Westin Operator, LLC, — P.3d —-, 2012 WL 5360917, 2012 COA 189 (Colo.App. Nov 01, 2012) (NO. 11CA0363); Opinion Withdrawn and Superseded on Rehearing by Groh v. Westin Operator, LLC, — P.3d —-, 2013 WL 3989289, 2013 COA 39 (Colo.App. Mar 28, 2013) (NO. 11CA0363); rehearing denied (May 02, 2013); Certiorari Granted by Westin Operator, LLC v. Groh, 2013 WL 5785599 (Colo. Oct 28, 2013) (NO. 13SC382)
Puhl v. Medved Chevrolet South, Inc., 2013 WL 4894078 (Colo.App. Sep 12, 2013) (NO. 12CA0815); Certiorari Denied by Puhl v. Medved Chevrolet South, Inc., 2014 WL 3037426 (Colo. Jul 07, 2014) (NO. 13SC856)
PRESENTATIONS
Professional Responsibility and Ethics – Colorado District Attorney’s Council – August 2009
Professional Responsibility and Ethics – University of Denver School of Law – Guest Lecturer each semester – August 2009 – present
Professional Responsibility and Ethics – University of Colorado School of Law – Guest Lecturer each semester – August 2009 – present
COURT ADMISSIONS
State Of Colorado
United States Court Of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
United States District Court, District Of Colorado
United States Bankruptcy Court, District of Colorado
ADDITIONAL
