Lawyer Profile

Image of James H. "Jim" Chalat

James H. "Jim" Chalat

Chalat Hatten & Banker PC
  • Recognized Since:
    2014
  • Recognized in:
    Legal Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
    Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs...
  • Law School:
    University of Denver
  • Website:
    http://www.chalatlaw.com
  • E-mail:
    jchalat@chalatlaw.com
  • Location:
    1600 Broadway, Suite 1920
    Denver, CO 80202

With 40 years of practice under his belt, Jim Chalat is a senior partner at Chalat Hatten & Banker PC. He represents personal injury victims, families who have suffered from wrongful death cases and handles complex litigation involving car and truck accidents, ski cases, and malpractice cases. Let his experience work for you.

A Colorado lawyer since 1977, Mr. Chalat is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is a sustaining member of the American Association for Justice and the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association.Mr. Chalat’s work has allowed him to engage with a diverse range of clients, from a profoundly disabled son of Hispanic American farm laborers, to Olympic Athletes, urban office workers, physicians, and elite business people.

His commitment to his clients and his success in the courtroom has not gone unrecognized. Jim has been selected for the Colorado SuperLawyers list each year that members of the Colorado Bar have been considered for the distinction. Since 2015, Denver's premier magazine 5280 has named him as one of only five "Top Denver Lawyers" in the personal injury category. Most recently, he has been selected by Best Lawyers for recognition as 2017 Best Lawyers - Lawyer of the Year, Professional Malpractice Law for Plaintiffs.

Mr. Chalat is an active member of the community investing time in pro bono case work, law school lectures (at institutions such as Harvard Law School and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law), and youth mentoring. Each year, the firm receives the Colorado Supreme Court’s Pro Bono Achievement Award which requires each attorney to volunteer more than 40 hours annually to matters benefiting financially disadvantaged clients. Jim has also volunteered for the Colorado State Bar Association’s high school mock trial program and was active for over 20 years in the Inns of Court in Denver, an organization focused on legal ethics and professionalism.

Born in California, raised in Detroit, and educated at the University of Michigan and the University of Denver College of Law, Mr. Chalat has settled in Colorado. He is father to four grown children and husband to fellow law partner, Linda Chalat.

 

Lawyer Bio

With 40 years of practice under his belt, Jim Chalat is a senior partner at Chalat Hatten & Banker PC. He represents personal injury victims, families who have suffered from wrongful death cases and handles complex litigation involving car and truck accidents, ski cases, and malpractice cases. Let his experience work for you.

A Colorado lawyer since 1977, Mr. Chalat is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is a sustaining member of the American Association for Justice and the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association.Mr. Chalat’s work has allowed him to engage with a diverse range of clients, from a profoundly disabled son of Hispanic American farm laborers, to Olympic Athletes, urban office workers, physicians, and elite business people.

His commitment to his clients and his success in the courtroom has not gone unrecognized. Jim has been selected for the Colorado SuperLawyers list each year that members of the Colorado Bar have been considered for the distinction. Since 2015, Denver's premier magazine 5280 has named him as one of only five "Top Denver Lawyers" in the personal injury category. Most recently, he has been selected by Best Lawyers for recognition as 2017 Best Lawyers - Lawyer of the Year, Professional Malpractice Law for Plaintiffs.

Mr. Chalat is an active member of the community investing time in pro bono case work, law school lectures (at institutions such as Harvard Law School and the University of Denver Sturm College of Law), and youth mentoring. Each year, the firm receives the Colorado Supreme Court’s Pro Bono Achievement Award which requires each attorney to volunteer more than 40 hours annually to matters benefiting financially disadvantaged clients. Jim has also volunteered for the Colorado State Bar Association’s high school mock trial program and was active for over 20 years in the Inns of Court in Denver, an organization focused on legal ethics and professionalism.

Born in California, raised in Detroit, and educated at the University of Michigan and the University of Denver College of Law, Mr. Chalat has settled in Colorado. He is father to four grown children and husband to fellow law partner, Linda Chalat.

 

Read more on firm website
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge
  • Lawyer of the Year Badge

Education:

  • University of Denver , J.D., graduated 1977
  • University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, B.G.S., graduated 1974

Bar Admissions:

  • Colorado, Colorado Bar Association
  • Michigan, State Bar of Michigan

Affiliations:

  • American Association for Justice - President's Club
  • American Board of Trial Advocates - Associate
  • Colorado Trial Lawyers Association - Board of Directors, 1996-2000, frequent speaker
  • Faculty of Federal Advocates - Board of Directors, 2007-2011, Treasurer 2009-2011
  • Harvard Law School - Torts Lecture at invitation of Prof. Jon Hanson, Oct 22, 2010
  • Skilex-Europe - Keynote Speaker 2007, 2011
  • Thompson G. Marsh American Inn of Court - Past-president, Historian, Master level
  • University of Denver Sturm College of Law - Frequent Speaker

Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for:

  • Legal Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Denver (2022)
  • Professional Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs, Denver (2017)
 

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for work in:

  • Legal Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
  • Medical Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
  • Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
  • Professional Malpractice Law - Plaintiffs
 

Awards:

  • Super Lawyers - since 2006, Top 100/Colorado 2012 & 2013
  • "Superb Rated Attorney" 10/10 by AVVO since 2011
  • "Alfred C. Harrell Award in Recognition of Professionalism, Service and Excellence" by the Thompson G. Marsh American Inn of Court, 1999-2000
  • Attorney Coach, Colorado Bar Association High School Mock Trial, 2007-2011, 2013. State champion 2008.
  • Pro Bono Achievement Award, Colorado Supreme Court, 2011-2012
  • Volunteer Attorney: Colorado Legal Services; United States District Court civil pro bono project; Denver Bar Assn. El Centro.
  • Member of the Judicial Nominating Commission for the 1st Judicial District, by appointment by the Colorado Supreme Court, 2002-2007.
  • National Trial Lawyers, Top 100
  • 5280 Magazine, Top Lawyer – Personal Injury: Plaintiff since 2014
  • Best Lawyers, since 2015, Legal Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
  • Colorado Law Week Barristers Best, Best Personal Injury Lawyer, Peoples’ Choice 2018, Editors’ Choice 2017
  • The 5280 Faces of Trial Lawyers Denver and Boulder 2019
  • The 5280 Faces of Trial Lawyers 2020

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Firm Details

Image for Chalat Hatten & Banker PC View Firm Profile
Chalat Hatten & Banker PC
http://www.chalatlaw.com
 
Headquarters
1600 Broadway, Suite 1920
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 861.1042

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Lawyer Case History

Mendakota v. Savage et al., 2008 CV 104, District Court Clear Creek County, Colorado

$18.5 Million bench trial judgment entered February 17, 2010. Appeal dism’d., and settled in a companion bad faith case.  This was a DUI auto versus pedestrian case.  The driver, after hours of drinking and smoking pot lost control of his car, and ran over Paul Savage who was working on his car, parked in his driveway.  Savage sustained severe injuries resulting in paraplegia.  The driver was later convicted of a felony for his actions.  

The car in question was insured by Mendakota.  The owner's son was riding shotgun at the time of  the incident, having given the keys to his drunken buddy.  After the incident and through our office, Savage offered to settle for the Mendakota insurer's policy limits of $25,000  in exchange for a release in favor of the car owner, and his son, but not the felon-driver.  Arguing that it needed to also protect the driver, as a permissive user, the insurer refused.  At a contested trial, the court entered judgment for $18.5 million.  The case then proceeded to a federal court "bad faith" action.  Prior to trial Mendakota settled for a substantial portion of the judgment.   

Bargai v. Carlson, 2006CV1550, Denver District Court, Colorado, June 18, 2007.

Medical malpractice, Jury Verdict for $10.1 Million. The underlying case, Edden Bargai and Neta Bargai, Ph.D. v Nancy Carlson, M.D., Denver District Court Case No. 06 CV 1550, was a medical negligence case. Dr. Bargai, individually and on behalf of her son Edden sued Edden’s former pediatrician, Nancy Carlson, M.D., for the pediatrician’s failure to timely refer Edden for an MRI which would have revealed that he had a Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma (a type of brain tumor) in the hypothalamic region of his brain. Because of Dr. Carlson’s mis-diagnosis and failure to timely refer Edden for an MRI, Edden did not have his brain tumor diagnosed until May 10, 2005, at which time he was admitted to the Children’s Hospital, Denver. The tumor bled early in the morning of May 12, 2005, and Edden underwent emergency brain surgery on May 13, 2005. As a result of the bleed and then the required surgery (both occasioned by the delay in diagnosis), Edden suffered extensive, permanent injuries, including: (1) extensive brain damage with resulting cognitive deficits, most notably in mental processing speed, new learning ability, working memory, executive functioning, and verbal processing, (2) total blindness in the right eye, (3) one-half visual field loss in the left eye, (4) diabetes insipidus, (5) hypothyroidism, (6) pan-hypopituitarism, (7) excessive hunger and (8) tic and movement disorders.  The case settled post-trial for a confidential amount. 

Grigg v. Wintergreen, CL-03-9452, Circuit Court for Albermarle County, Virginia, July 16, 2004.

$8.3 Million verdict in a ski case.  Co-counsel with Bryan Slaughter of Charlottesville, VA.  On MLK day in 2004 Jessica Grigg was skiing at Wintergreen Ski Area.  A snow groomer was coming uphill on an open slope.  Jessica fell uphill of the groomer and slid into its blade, sustaining a severe brain injury which left her permanently disabled.

Nguyen v. Stecher, 01 CV 2541 Arapahoe County District Court (6/27/02)

$1.4 Million jury verdict in a medical malpractice wrongful case against a neurosurgeon.   A patient with cervical spinal stenosis was taken to the O.R. for an anterior cervical discectomy.   During the procedure, the surgeon inadvertently punctured the patient's carotid artery, causing her death.