Stephen A. Hess
Member
Phone: 719.448.4042
Fax: 719.635.4576
Legal Secretary
Joyce Chase
719.448.4021
Areas of Emphasis
Litigation, Trials & Appeals
Construction
Sports Law
Education
- Juris Doctor, University of Colorado School of Law, 1987
- Articles Editor, University of Colorado Law Review
- Master of Arts, emphasis in Philosophy of Science and Mathematical Logic, Rice University, 1985
- Bachelor of Arts, Franklin and Marshall College, 1982
Stephen Hess is a Member in Sherman & Howard’s Construction Industry Practice Group. His construction and real property practice focuses on construction and real property contracts and the litigation of construction and real property disputes before trial and appellate courts, administrative tribunals, and arbitration panels. In addition, Stephen serves as general outside counsel to a number of construction and real property-related businesses, including developers, general contractors, design professionals, and large subcontractors.
–
Representative Matters
- Represents parties to construction contracts involving a wide variety of matters, from modest claims to multi-million dollar breach of contract, defective construction and termination actions.
- Represents elite and Olympic athletes and National Governing Bodies in disputes involving Olympic and international competition.
–
Professional Activities
- Admitted Colorado and New Mexico
- Admitted to practice before the United States District Court for District of Colorado, United States Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Tax Court
- Member, Colorado Bar Association, American Bar Association, and the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry.
- Adjunct Professor, (Construction Law) University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2004-Present
- Fellow, American College of Construction Lawyers, 2018-Present
- Member, Colorado Lottery Commission, 2001-2005 (Chair, 2003-2004; Vice-Chair 2002-2003)
- Member, American Arbitration Association’s National Roster of Construction Arbitrators
- Chairman, Appeals Tribunal (formerly FIBT Court of Arbitration), Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation)
- Member, Ethics Committee, Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation)
- Arbitrator, National Panel of Construction Arbitrators, American Arbitration Association
–
Honors and Awards
- Best Lawyers In America, Construction Law (2013-2020); Litigation – Construction (2013-2020)
- Super Lawyers, Construction Litigation, Colorado (2017-2019)
- Chambers USA, Recognized Practitioner, Sports Law, National (2016-2019)
- The American College of Construction Lawyers, Fellow (2018)
- Law Week Colorado, “Barrister’s Best,” Sports Lawyer (2014, 2018)
- International Who’s Who, Construction
–
Publications and Presentations
Recent Media
- How Jacobs Pried $109M For Blast Costs From Conagra Brands
Engineering News-Record
October 24, 2018 - 2018 Winter Olympic Games: Quiet but Not Without Challenges
Law Week Colorado
February 27, 2018 - Appeals by 45 Russian athletes against Olympics bans rejected
Associated Press
February 9, 2018 - Dozens of Russian Athletes Lose Appeal, Keeping Them Out of Pyeongchang Olympics
The New York Times
February 8, 2018 - The Top Sports Court Has Upheld An Olympics Ban On Dozens Of Russian Athletes
Time
February 9, 2018 - Appeals By 45 Russian Athletes Against Olympic Bans Rejected
USA Today
February 9, 2018 - Appeals By 45 Russian Athletes Against Olympic Bans Rejected
Yahoo Sports
February 9, 2018 - Diplomacy part of Olympics this year
The ADA News
February 8, 2018 - Sports Byline interviewed Sherman & Howard’s Sports Attorney Stephen Hess on International Sports Corruption
Sports Byline News Radio
February 1, 2018
Recent Publications
- Editor, Construction Briefings
West, Thomson/Reuters company
2006 – 2008 - Editor, The Construction Lawyer
American Bar Association, Forum on the Construction Industry
2012-2015; Associate Editor, 2008-2012 - Executive Editor, Design Professional and Construction Manager Law
ABA Forum on the Construction Industry
2007 - Editor, Colorado Methods of Practice
West/Thomson Reuters
2015-present - Author, Colorado Civil Litigation Handbook
With annual revisions; West, a Thomson/Reuters Company
2004 - Co-Author (with Sheila Hyatt), Colorado Civil Rules Annotated
(two vols.) 4th ed. and annual supplements; West, a Thomson/Reuters company
2005 - Co-Author (with Sheila Hyatt), Colorado Handbook on Courtroom Evidence
2004 and annual revisions West, a Thomson/Reuters company
2004 - Author, Chapters 3 and 10 of R. Benson, ed., Colorado Construction Law
CLE in Colorado, Inc.
2008 - Author, three chapters in Construction Law textbook for law students
published by American Bar Association - Author, more than two dozen law review articles on construction law and other topics in national construction law journals and treatises
- Author and presenter, numerous papers, presentations, and programs both nationally and within Colorado on wide variety of litigation topics and construction law topics
Recent Presentations
- Trust Fund Violations on Construction Projects
Sherman & Howard Construction Seminar
October 2017 - Introduction to Construction Law
American Bar Association Annual Meeting, New York City, NY
August 2017 - Developments in Construction Lending
Sherman & Howard Annual Construction Seminar
October 2015 - Noncomplying Change Orders
Sherman & Howard Construction Webinar
September 2015 - New Take on Differing Site Conditions and Pre-Bid Investigations
Sherman & Howard Annual Colorado Construction Seminar
February 2015