Founding Partner
ATTORNEY BIO
Franklin D. Patterson is acknowledged by peers as Colorado’s leading personal injury and bad faith defense lawyer, and is the founding partner of Colorado’s premier insurance defense law firm. He handles substantial exposure liability and injury cases such as his defense of the parents of one of the Columbine shooters.
Mr. Patterson is consulted by major insurers for coverage opinions and advice. In recent years Mr. Patterson has focused on defense of insurers in alleged bad faith cases. His trial success has been unmatched.
Due to his leadership in insurance coverage issues, property and casualty insurers often seek Mr. Patterson’s help in appellate cases. The list of appellate decisions on his cases cover all of the key insurance and litigation issues over the past 30 years. In fact, the Court of Appeals, Supreme Court and 10th Circuit Court of Appeals have chosen many of his cases for public oral arguments in high schools and law schools.
Mr. Patterson was the youngest member ever selected to the prestigious national organization American Board of Trial Advocates. With that group he has traveled internationally for legal system goodwill and education in the American civil jury trial process, including New Zealand, China, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Great Britain, and others.
Born in Indiana, Mr. Patterson received his BA from Earlham College. He came to Colorado in 1978 with his wife Robin to attend law school. They immediately fell in love with the State and it has been home ever since. While at the University of Denver he earned his J.D. in 1981, and a Master in Judicial Administration in 1982.
Frank believes in playing hard, too. In 2015 his touch football team won its league for the 13th time. In 2016 he played on two basketball teams that won their respective leagues.
Of course nowadays he relies on experience and guile more than speed and skill. More recently, he and Hillary Patterson teamed up with Frank’s wife, Robin, and Joe Buchholz to win the 2017 CDLA golf tournament. Pictured here are the happy Pattersons with the traveling trophy.
Frank, Robin, and PRPC associate Karl Chambers, won the cup again in 2023!
MEMBERSHIPS
- Arapahoe County Bar Association
- Colorado Bar Association
- American Bar Associations
- Defense Research Institute
- Colorado Defense Lawyers Association – President 1994-95
- American Board of Trial Advocates, – President, Colorado Chapter 2001-2002
- International Association of Defense Counsel
RECENT HONORS
- Denver Business Journal “Best of Bar” 2005 (Personal Injury Litigation/Defense)
- Super Lawyer 2006 – 2024
- 2018 Super Lawyer Top 100
- 5280 Magazine’s Top Lawyers 2017-2024
CONTACT
- Office: Denver Tech Center
- Phone: 303.741.4539
- Extension: 201
- Email: (Please use our Contact Form or call our office to obtain email addresses.)
- Paralegal: Kathryn Cope
- Paralegal: Bianca Hernandez
- Legal Assistant: Terri Taylor