Niel Hillyard – The Law Offices of Dan Caplis, PC
Neil Hillyard is a trial lawyer. He has devoted his entire legal career to representing personal injury victims from auto accidents to medical malpractice. His career has spanned over 35 years of exclusively providing legal representation to plaintiffs. Neil states "despite what insurance companies say about us, I take great pride in being a personal injury lawyer. I like going after the insurance company, the hospital, or the doctor on behalf of my client. It gives me great satisfaction to level the playing field for my client".
Neil is a founding partner of Hillyard, Wahlberg Kudla and Sloane, LLP.
Neil's practice covers all types of accidents leading to injury or death. A large percentage of his practice is being a medical malpractice trial lawyer. This has involved doctor malpractice, hospital malpractice, nurse negligence, mid-wife malpractice, psychiatrist or psychologist malpractice, and many others. He has been particularly involved in representing parents and children in cases of birth injury. This includes cerebral palsy, shoulder dystocia, brachial plexus injury and other types of injury.
In addition to being a medical malpractice trial lawyer, he is an auto accident trial lawyer and a motorcycle trial lawyer. He has represented both victims of car accidents and motorcycle accidents for many years. He enjoys riding his own motorcycle and feels a motorcycle rider often is unfairly considered irresponsible just because he or she rides a motorcycle.
Neil grew up in a small farm town in Iowa. His father was a John Deere farm implement dealer. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1968. He worked as a probation and parole officer for the state of Missouri in St. Louis for a year and then attended and graduated from the University of Denver Law School. During law school he clerked for attorney Joe Branney who was a successful plaintiff's trial lawyer. Neil and Joe became partners following Neil's graduation from law school and they were partners for over 25 years. Following Joe's death, Neil renewed his partnership with Susan Kudla, who had been a member of Joe and Neil's firm earlier. Susan and Neil joined in a partnership with Steve Wahlberg and Dan Sloane in 2004.
Neil was President of the Colorado Trial Lawyers in 1986-87. He was awarded that organization's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. He is a Fellow in the International Society of Barristers, this being an invitation only organization of trial lawyers from around the world. He has taught trial practice to other lawyers and has been called upon numerous times to speak and write about representing victims of injury or death of a loved one. He has been named in the publication Best Lawyers in America for over 15 consecutive years. He has been named in the publication Super Lawyers since the beginning of that publication. Both of these recognitions are voted by his peers, other lawyers.
Neil has been married to his wife, Sherry, since 1975. They have two sons. He loves to ride his motorcycle and go fly fishing, especially with his sons and his wife. Other members of his family include 2 golden retrievers and 3 cats.
Neil has taken almost all of his cases over his career on a contingency fee basis. While he understands he doesn't get paid if he doesn't win, he is confident in his client's case and feels this is the only way the overwhelming majority of injured people can fight the large and wealthy insurance companies.
Areas of Practice:
Medical Malpractice
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motorcycle Accidents
Product Liability
Legal Malpractice
Wrongful Death
Aviation Accidents
Birth Injury
Litigation Percentage:
100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions:
Iowa, 1973
Colorado, 1974
U.S. District Court, 1974
Education:
University of Denver College of Law, Denver, Colorado, 1972
J.D.
Honors: A-1 Torts
University of Iowa, Iowa, 1968
B.A.
Major: Political Science
Honors and Awards:
Lifetime Achievement Award, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association
Named in "Best Lawyers in America", 1990 - 2010
Named a Colorado Super Lawyer
Professional Associations and Memberships:
Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, 1986 - 1987
Past President
American Association for Justice
Colorado Bar Association
Member
Denver Bar Association
Member
Douglas-Elbert County Bar Association
Member
Arapahoe County Bar Association
Member