justice for you

J. Keith Killian

Shareholder

He has been recognized as practicing in the Top 5% of his profession

Keith is a past president of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association and is a current board member. He is a Leaders Forum Member of the American Association for Justice. He is or has been a member of the Legislative Policy Committee of the Colorado Bar Association, Plaintiff’s Employment Law Association, National Employment Law Association, and Faculty of Federal Advocates. Keith was a Judge Advocate General in the U.S. Air Force and a Colorado public defender. Keith started his own practice in 1991. He was designated an Advocate by the National College of Advocacy in 1994. He has been recognized as practicing in the top 5 percent of his profession by the Colorado Bar Fellows. Keith has been designated a Colorado Super Lawyer by Denver’s Super Lawyer magazine (2007-2016). Keith has also been selected as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Association from 2011-2016, and a Top 10 lawyer by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys in 2014. He was selected as a Diplomate of the National College of Advocacy in 2015. In 2012, he and Damon Davis were finalists for the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association’s Case of the Year award for their work in Collard v. Vista Paving Corp.

Keith has helped multiple families involved in mining accidents, chemical or propane explosions, and radiation exposure involving serious injuries and death. These cases include roof fall and methane or hydrocarbon explosions. He is also a member of the Navajo Nation Bar Association.

Areas of Practice

  • Personal Injury
  • Workers Compensation
  • Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)

Bar Admissions

  • Colorado
  • U.S. District Court: District of Colorado; Southern District of Indiana; and District of North Dakota
  • U.S. Court of Military Appeals
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • Supreme Court of the Navajo Nation

Representative cases

  • Bowe v. SMC Elec. Prods., Inc., 945 F. Supp 1482 (D. Colo. 1996)
  • Community Hosp. v. Fail, 969 P.2d 667 (Colorado Supreme Court 1998)
  • Reynolds v. Staff Administrators, 977 P.2d 866 (Colorado Supreme Court 1999)
  • Hall v. Claussen, 246 F. 3d 681 (10th Cir. 2001)
  • Black v. Waterman, 83 P. 3d 1130 (Colo. App. 2003)
  • McManus v. Indus Claim Appeals Office, 81 P.3d 1074 (Colo. App. 2003)
  • Donohue v. Hoey, 109 Fed. Appx. 3420 (10th 2004)
  • Collard v. Vista Paving Corp., 292 P.3d 1232 (Colo. App. 2012)
  • Howe v. Navarrette, 15 SC 56 (Colorado Supreme Court 2015)
  • Foster v. Mountain Coal Co., LLC, 830 F.3d 1178 (10th 2016)

Past Employment Positions

  • Russell & Warkentine, Associate Attorney
  • United States Air Force, Judge Advocate General (Attorney)
  • Mesa County Public Defenders’ Office, Deputy Public Defender
  • Elder & Phillips, P.C., Attorney and Shareholder

Publications

  • Coauthor: Chapter 23 “Discovery” in The Practitioner’s Guide to Colorado Employment Law, 2 (2ndEd. 2008)

Presentations

  • Uncovering the Real Basis of an Expert’s Opinion (with Damon Davis) – CTLA Convention, August 2010
Awards
  • Colorado Bar Foundation Fellow, 2006 – Present
  • Colorado Super Lawyers, 2007 – 2013
  • Top 100 Trial Lawyer in the state of Colorado
Professional Associations
  • American Association for Justice, Leader’s Forum,  Member
  • Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, President 2006 –  2007; Board Member 1997 – Present
  • Plaintiff’s Employment Law Association, Member
  • National Employment Law Association, Member
  • Faculty of Federal Advocates, Member