Sherman & Howard attorneys Skip Netzorg, James Sawtelle, & Peter Koclanes were featured in a Law Week Colorado article entitled “Colorado Commercial Litigators Make Mark on Chambers USA List.” The article highlights the Colorado commercial litigators recognized in the Chambers and Partners 2023 rankings.

Below are excerpts from the article.

Skip Netzorg, a member at Sherman & Howard L.L.C., recently transitioned his practice to alternative dispute resolution where he mediates and arbitrates commercial disputes. Netzorg also performs pro bono mediations for federal and state courts.

 Netzorg explained one of the major impacts on his practice in the last year is the reverberating effect of COVID-19.

 “As a result of delays caused by court closings during Covid, there has been a palpable increase of cases with imminent trial dates. I am seeing a surge in mediations for cases with ‘short fuses,’” Netzorg wrote. “The volume of arbitrations seems to have increased as well.”

 James Sawtelle, a member at Sherman & Howard, has a practice focused on complex commercial litigation and arbitration with a strong background in handling intellectual property disputes like trademarks, copyrights and patents.

 “Coming out of the pandemic, the demand for commercial dispute resolution has been very strong. We are seeing this across all areas, especially in the context of business acquisitions and dissolutions, termination of contractual relationships, licensing disputes, and IP issues involving claims of trademark and copyright infringement,” Sawtelle wrote.

 Peter Koclanes’, a member at Sherman & Howard, practice runs the gamut including handling business disputes in the areas of securities and class actions, business torts and corporate governance, intellectual property and non-competition, general commercial litigation, oil and gas natural resources, real estate, along with trusts and estates.

 “The most noticeable change I have seen in my practice areas during 2022-2023 is a substantial rise in business disputes,” Koclanes wrote. “Based upon the economic cycles I have witnessed during my 36 years of practice, I believe this results from a variety of factors such as rising interest rates, increased inflation, and a potential recession, among other things.”

Read the full article here.