Email: mchappell@SweetbaumSands.com
Marilyn Chappell is Special Counsel to Sweetbaum Sands PC. She has extensive experience in handling appeals and insurance litigation and insurance coverage issues for a number of insurance clients. She also has substantial experience in commercial litigation matters. Her practice includes advocacy at the trial court and appellate levels, in state and federal courts, in Colorado and in other jurisdictions.
She is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. She began her legal career as a judicial law clerk for Chief Justice Joseph Quinn of the Colorado Supreme Court.
Admitted to Practice:
- Colorado – 1984
- United States District Court, District of Colorado – 1985
- Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals – 1985
- U.S. Supreme Court – 1994
Education:
- University of Colorado School of Law, J.D. 1984
- Colorado State University, B.A. English, with highest distinction, 1981
- Boettcher Foundation Scholar
Memberships and Professional Experience:
- Colorado Supreme Court Rules of Appellate Procedure Committee member
- Faculty of Federal Advocates, Board President 2020; Emeritus Board Member; Chair, Communications Committee; Editor, FFA Newsletter
- Colorado Judicial Institute, Emeritus Board Member
- Colorado Bar Association Appellate Subcommittee Member
- Colorado Defense Lawyers Association, Member, Amicus Committee
- Our Courts public education on courts nonprofit, Member, Executive Committee
- Minoru Yasui Inn of Court, Member, Executive Council
Selected Opinions:
- Pitkin Iron Corporation v. RMR Aggregates, Inc., No. 2019CA299 (Colo. App. June 25, 2020) (assisted with appellate briefing).
- Guyaux-Mitchell v. Old United Cas. Co., 2019 WL 451361 (D. Colo. Feb. 5, 2019)
- Estate of Brookoff v. Clark, 429 P.3d 835 (Colo. 2018)
- High Impact, LLC v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., No. 17CA1670 (Colo. App. Sept. 27, 2018)
- McCracken, et al. v. Progressive Direct Ins. Co., et al., 896 F.3d 1166 (10th Cir. 2018)
- Snyder v. ACORD, 684 Fed.Appx. 710 (10th Cir. 2017)
- Fidelity Nat’l Title Ins. Co. v. Woody Creek Ventures, LLC, 830 F.3d 1209 (10th Cir. 2016)
- McCulley v. State Farm Bank, No. 16CA1293, 2017 WL 2222341 (Colo. App. May 18, 2017)
- Murray v. Motorola, 147 A.3d 751 (D.C. App. 2016)
- Stoesz v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 410 P.3d 583 (Colo. App. 2015)
- In Re DCP Midstream, LP v. Anadarko Petroleum Corp., 303 P.3d 1187 (Colo. 2013)
- Peters v. Texas Instruments Inc., No. 10C–06–043-JRJ, 2011 WL 4686518 (Del. Super. Sept. 30, 2011), aff’d, 58 A.3d 414 (Mem) (Del. 2013)
Selected Publications and Presentations:
- Co-presented effective legal research and writing workshop series, Colorado Defense Lawyers Association, 2021
- Coordinated Faculty of Federal Advocates webinar, “Virtual Survival – Maintaining Mental Health in the time of COVID-19,” April 28, 2020
- Presenter, “Top Ten Rules of Effective Legal Research and Writing,” Faculty of Federal Advocates CLE program, July 19, 2019
- “Current Ethics Trends,” co-presenter at Colorado Judicial Institute “Straight Talk with Judges” continuing legal education program, February 28, 2019
- “More Moving Motions,” Faculty of Federal Advocates Federal District Court Bench/Bar Roundtable, April 20, 2018
- “Keep It Simple, . . .,” Colorado Judicial Institute “Straight Talk with Judges” CLE Program, March 1, 2018
- Testimony to House Judiciary Committee on judicial performance evaluation statutes on behalf of Colorado Judicial Institute, April 18, 2017
- “Top Ten Rules for Effective Legal Research and Writing,” Faculty of Federal Advocates CLE program, August 25, 2016
- “Liability Insurance: Notice-Prejudice After Friedland,” The Colorado Lawyer, 2006
