"He brings calm to the chaos of high-stakes litigation."
—Client comment to Chambers USA
Practice Areas
Industries
Education
Bar and Court Admissions
Representative Clients
Biography
Cases
- Succeeded at the Colorado Court of Appeals in an 8-figure dispute for LivWell—a subsidiary of PharmaCann, the country's largest vertically integrated cannabis company. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's terminating sanctions, issued after the WTO team proved that the plaintiff fabricated evidence.
- Won a jury verdict for DISH Wireless in a cell tower contract dispute worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Secured a civil rights settlement in a pro bono case for a child with autism.
- Won a jury verdict in a $12 million commercial dispute involving breach of fiduciary duty, corporate waste, and embezzlement claims in a two-week trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. WTO won dismissal of the corporate waste claim before the jury began deliberations, and the jury found that WTO's client did not embezzle money.
- Won a groundbreaking appeal successfully arguing a motion to vacate a $150 million arbitration award on behalf of the majority owner of Colorado cannabis corporation.
Publications & Speaking Engagements
-
Presenter, "Taking and Defending Depositions," CLE credit to assistant U.S. attorneys and other federal agency counsel at the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado, (December 3, 2014).
- Presenter, "Cross Examination - Perfecting an Effective Cross and Handling Difficult Witnesses and Experts," The Winning at Trial: Tactics and Skills for 2011, sponsored by the American College of Trial Lawyers, (November 11, 2011).
-
Presenter, "Tips from the Bench," Association of Corporate Counsel Colorado Chapter, (February 2008).
Presentations
Articles
Press
Other Experience
Otten, Johnson, Robinson, Neff & Ragonetti, P.C.
Holland & Hart LLP
Town of Bow Mar
City Attorney
Legal Memberships, Activities, and Honors
American College of Trial Lawyers
Fellow
Chair, Colorado State Committee, 2016-2018
American Board of Trial Advocates
Member
Chambers USA
Commercial Litigation - Colorado, 2005-2024
Band 1 - 2018-2024
Band 2 - 2007-2017
University of Colorado Law School
2017 Distinguished Alumni Award - Private Practice
Law Week Colorado
"People's Choice" Best Intellectual Property Lawyer, 2010
Lawyer of the Year, 2010
The Best Lawyers in America
Personal Injury Litigation Lawyer of the Year, 2025
Denver Bet-the-Company Lawyer of the Year, 2016, 2020, 2025
Denver Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer of the Year, 2014
Bet-the-Company Litigation, 2008-2024
Commercial Litigation, 2008-2025
Intellectual Property Litigation, 2016-2025
Oil & Gas Law, 2022-2023
Personal Injury Litigation, 2018-2025
Product Liability Litigation, 2008-2025
The Legal 500 United States
Litigation: Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense, 2009-2011
Benchmark Litigation
Local Litigation Star, 2020-2025
Insurance Litigation - Colorado, 2016
Commercial Litigation - Colorado, 2011-2015, 2017-2018
5280 Magazine
Top Lawyer
Civil Litigation, 2020-2021, 2023
Colorado Super Lawyers
Super Lawyers, Business Litigation, 2006-2024
Top 10, 2018-2020; 2008, 2021
Top 50, 2009-2011
Top 100, 2012-2017, 2022-2023
International Who's Who of Product Liability Defense Lawyers, 2010, 2016-2017
Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rated
Colorado Corporate Counsel Black Book
Product Liability, 2007
Denver Business Journal Who's Who in Energy, 2015
Selected among top 28 energy-industry lawyers in Denver
Best of the Bar, Denver Business Journal, 2005
Defense Research Institute
American Bar Association
Litigation Section
Colorado Bar Association
Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Section
Denver Bar Association
National Institute for Trial Advocacy
Faculty
Product Liability Advisory Council
Sustaining Member, 1988-1992
Executive Committee, 1991-1992
American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado
Board of Directors
Legal Aid Foundation
Chairperson, 2011-2012
Rothgerber Moot Court Competition
Finalist
University of Colorado School of Law's National Moot Court Team
Member
Fellow
Chair, Colorado State Committee, 2016-2018
American Board of Trial Advocates
Member
Chambers USA
Commercial Litigation - Colorado, 2005-2024
Band 1 - 2018-2024
Band 2 - 2007-2017
University of Colorado Law School
2017 Distinguished Alumni Award - Private Practice
Law Week Colorado
"People's Choice" Best Intellectual Property Lawyer, 2010
Lawyer of the Year, 2010
The Best Lawyers in America
Personal Injury Litigation Lawyer of the Year, 2025
Denver Bet-the-Company Lawyer of the Year, 2016, 2020, 2025
Denver Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer of the Year, 2014
Bet-the-Company Litigation, 2008-2024
Commercial Litigation, 2008-2025
Intellectual Property Litigation, 2016-2025
Oil & Gas Law, 2022-2023
Personal Injury Litigation, 2018-2025
Product Liability Litigation, 2008-2025
The Legal 500 United States
Litigation: Product Liability and Mass Tort Defense, 2009-2011
Benchmark Litigation
Local Litigation Star, 2020-2025
Insurance Litigation - Colorado, 2016
Commercial Litigation - Colorado, 2011-2015, 2017-2018
5280 Magazine
Top Lawyer
Civil Litigation, 2020-2021, 2023
Colorado Super Lawyers
Super Lawyers, Business Litigation, 2006-2024
Top 10, 2018-2020; 2008, 2021
Top 50, 2009-2011
Top 100, 2012-2017, 2022-2023
International Who's Who of Product Liability Defense Lawyers, 2010, 2016-2017
Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rated
Colorado Corporate Counsel Black Book
Product Liability, 2007
Denver Business Journal Who's Who in Energy, 2015
Selected among top 28 energy-industry lawyers in Denver
Best of the Bar, Denver Business Journal, 2005
Defense Research Institute
American Bar Association
Litigation Section
Colorado Bar Association
Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Section
Denver Bar Association
National Institute for Trial Advocacy
Faculty
Product Liability Advisory Council
Sustaining Member, 1988-1992
Executive Committee, 1991-1992
American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado
Board of Directors
Legal Aid Foundation
Chairperson, 2011-2012
Rothgerber Moot Court Competition
Finalist
University of Colorado School of Law's National Moot Court Team
Member
Teaching Positions
National Institute for Trial Advocacy
University of Colorado Trial Advocacy Program, 1985-1986