Colleen Pratt | Personal Injury Lawyer

• Member | California State Bar Association

• Client Rating Martindale-Hubbell
  2013
• 9 Jurisprudence Awards | Western State University of Law

Our firm represented a plaintiff with a catastrophic injury stemming from a multi-vehicle interstate collision. The case involved complex issues of insurance coverage and insurance policy interpretation. After prevailing at the Federal District Court level in North Dakota, the case was appealed by the insurance company and was presented to the Wyoming Supreme Court to decide a crucial question of contract interpretation which would change the law in Wyoming. After oral argument before the state Supreme Court, the Court ruled in our favor, adopting what is commonly known as the Notice-Prejudice Rule, which affords leniency to policy holders who delay in reporting an accident to their insurance company. The Notice-Prejudice Rule requires an insurance company who denies coverage based on late notice to show that the late reporting prejudiced the insurance company in its investigation of the accident. This requirement prevents insurance companies from denying coverage on the grounds of untimely notice where there is no detrimental impact to the insurance company, assisting both policy holders and injured individuals alike.

Initially, I did print advertising including various periodicals and newspapers. As the advertising industry evolved and shifted toward internet marketing, I created had a website created. Slowly, we started developing an online presence with various search engines. Currently, the majority of our cases come from either our online presence or from word-of-mouth referrals from past clients and other attorneys. Indeed, the best compliment I can receive is a former client recommending my services or a past adversary in a case referring a potential client to me.

I believe clients should look for an honest attorney who is tells it like it is. No one benefits from an attorney who promises a client more than the attorney can ultimately deliver -- such a practice creates unrealistic expectations and that's not fair to the client. Additionally, a client should also look for an attorney who is aggressive AND experienced - one attribute without the other is not beneficial. But the perfect combination of good work ethic, tenacity, aggressiveness and experience will be invaluable to a client.

In my opinion, local knowledge is important but should not be the end-all deciding factor in choosing an attorney. There are positive and negative qualities in both local and out of area attorneys. A client should be more concerned with the attorney's track record of success and attributes such as positive work ethic, aggressiveness and experience.

My free phone consultation provides a prospective client with my opinion regarding his or her case, including options for settlement, potential strengths and weaknesses, etc.. I also provide a general roadmap of the life of a case and what to expect during the process.

For a workers' compensation case, I simply need the employer's identity, employer's workers' compensation insurance company (if known), and information regarding the injury. For a personal injury case, I will need information relating to the parties involved in the incident, insurance information (if known), and details regarding how the incident occurred.

I believe I possess an effective balance of compassion, experience and aggressiveness. I also pride myself on possessing effective negotiation and communication skills.

Helping people. There are far more intrinsic than extrinsic rewards when I am able to procure a settlement or verdict for someone and I see the look on his or face. That brings me joy.

I enjoy motorcycle riding, snowboarding, working out, reading, writing, and playing with my three dogs.

Not really. Too busy at the office and in court!