About Us
A ski accident is not just a "car accident on the slopes," this is why you need an experienced ski attorney to help evaluate your situation. Each of our lawyers are experienced skiers and will provide a free legal evaluation of your claim to help you decide how best to proceed. The free legal advice we offer is a preliminary step we take as a law firm to help you understand the scope of possible claims and give you a clear view of your legal options. 
Jim Chalat
Jim Chalat is the senior attorney at Chalat Hatten & Koupal and has extensive experience in ski area accidents. Mr. Chalat has published over twenty law review articles and has contributed several chapters for law texts on the area of ski law. Recognized as a national authority on ski law, Mr. Chalat has presented numerous CLE courses on ski law, appeared for national and local media on the topic, and has been invited to speak to professional and amateur ski patrols, the American Avalanche Institute, and other industry groups.
Click here to learn about Jim Chalat, and how he evolved from a collegiate competitive skier for the University of Michigan into one of the leading authorities on ski litigation in the nation.
Chalat Hatten & Koupal
Chalat Hatten & Koupal of Denver, Colorado, provides this website as a public service to promote knowledge of skiers' rights and responsibilities. The firm's practice includes an emphasis on the representation of plaintiffs in skier/skier collision cases, skiing/snowboarding accidents, ski area negligence claims and lift accident cases. The firm has represented hundreds of injured skiers hurt in Colorado and across the United States, from Wintergreen Ski Area, Virginia, to Sierra at Tahoe, California. Clients have included a professional Broadway dancer, Olympic athletes, and professional skiers.
To view the firm's profile as it appears in Colorado Super Lawyers, click here.
To learn more about the firm, please visit our websites, www.chalatlaw.com, or www.chalathatten.com or Contact Us.
Published articles by the firm include:"Survey of Ski Law in the United States," Recreation & Adventure Program Law & Liability, 4th Annual Conference, 2006; "Ski Law in the United States: A Practical Guide to Ski Accident Litigation," Recreation and Adventure Program Law and Liability, 3rd Annual Conference, 2005; "Ski Law in Colorado: The Timorous No Longer Stay at Home," 31 Colorado Lawyer No. 2/1 (February, 2002); "Restitution in Criminal Actions: Considerations for Civil Trial Lawyers," Trial Talk pp. 40-44 (Colorado Trial Lawyers Assn., Oct./Nov. 2001); "Ski Law for beginners, intermediates, and experts," TRIAL MAGAZINE, p. 26 (Journal of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, August 2001);"Colorado Narrows Construction of the Inherent Danger Rule" 45 Trial Talk 10-15 (April 1996); "$2,150,000 Verdict - General Negligence - Skiing Accident" 9 National Jury Verdict Reporter Issue 12 (11/94); "The Constitutional Foundations of Modern American Tort Law," 16 The Colorado Lawyer 970, (September 1987); "The Development of the Standard of Care in Colorado Ski Cases," 15 The Colorado Lawyer 373 (March 1986); "From Wright to Sunday and Beyond," with Feurhelm et al., 4 The Utah Law Review 885 (December 1985); "Ski Collision and Ski Equipment Cases," 34 Trial Talk 303 (10/85); "Michigan's Ski Law," 63 The Michigan Bar Journal 355 (May 1984); "Continuing Changes in Colorado's Ski Law," 13 The Colorado Lawyer 407 (March 198); "Ski Law," Ski Area Management Vol. 21, No. 3 (National Ski Areas Assn., May & June 1983); "The Changing Role of the Ski Patroller," The National Patroller (The National Ski Patrol System, Inc., Winter 1982);"Colorado Ski Act Update," 10 The Colorado Lawyer 161 ( July 1981); "Ski Tips for Attorneys," 9 The Colorado Lawyer 452 (March 1980). Section contribution: Stein, ed., Closing Argument, The Art and the Law, Sect. 331 Jury-Function, p.53 - 56, (Clark Boardman Calahan, Cum. Supp. 1995); Publisher: "Ski Safety News " (1989 --).
