Ronald M. Sandgrund - Lawyer in Englewood, CO

Ron Sandgrund is a well-known trial lawyer and the most prolific author of articles and books in Colorado on construction and materials defects legislation in Colorado and related insurance coverage issues. Mr. Sandgrund has extensive experience in litigation on construction defects, building materials, product liability, multi-family communities, class actions and insurance claims, and he has handled numerous cases in the Colorado Court of Appeals, the Colorado Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Mr. Sandgrund received the title of «America's Best Lawyers©», including «Best Lawyers©»Lawyer of the Year — Construction Litigation — Denver" for 2013 and 2019. Mr. Sandgrund submits materials for Friends of the Court (amicus), which outlines the opinions of homeowner defense groups, and his work has been mentioned many times in federal and state court opinions.

Mr. Sandgrund also lectures to the public and teaches continuing legal education and graduate courses on insurance, construction and civil liability. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado School of Law, where he teaches the philosophy of entrepreneurship and lectures on contracts, torts, professional responsibility, judicial protection and consumer rights. He has written many articles on the same topics, as well as new recommendations on law practice and thematic essays for the Colorado Advocate magazine and The Denver Bar Association's The Docket magazine. Mr. Sandgrund co-authored with Valerie Sallan and Leslie Taft the Colorado Housing Act, first published in 2005 and updated every two years. This book received the 2011 National Award for Professional Excellence from the Association for Continuing Legal Education. He co-authored the chapter on housing construction in the multi-volume treatise «The Colorado Construction Law Practitioner's Guide» (Robert Benson, ed.), first published in 1999 and updated twice a year. Mr. Sandgrund is also the co-author of Valerie Sallan and Leslie Taft «Professional Duties of a Classroom Teacher”, a chapter included in the treatise on legal ethics „Professional Responsibility of Lawyers in Colorado: Prevention of Legal Negligence and Disciplinary Measures“ (Michael Mihm, ed.), which is updated annually.

Mr. Sandgrund has served on the committees of the Colorado Bar Association on interprofessional relations, judicial reform and labor law. He was a member of the advisory Board of the Colorado Bar Journal in 2011-2017, and in 2013 was appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court Committee on Civil Jury Instructions. He frequently testifies on behalf of homeowners before the Colorado Legislature, and he has been actively involved in the drafting of laws affecting homeowners, including the Colorado Law on the Reform of Actions to Eliminate Construction Defects, the Law on the Protection of Homeowners and the Law on Professional Liability Insurance in Construction. In 2010, Mr. Sandgrund testified before the Colorado Legislature as an expert on building defect insurance in connection with the passage of Bill 10-1394, a law he helped write that extends insurance coverage to Colorado homeowners for damage from construction defects. Mr. Sandgrund worked as an expert witness in matters of drafting and interpretation of insurance policies, as well as practices and standards for the consideration of insurance claims; the validity of fees and expenses of a class a lawyer; and standards of service of the bailiff in construction cases.

Mr. Sandgrund co-wrote „When a Developer Controls the Homeowners Association Board: A Benevolent Dictator?“, a seminal article concerning responsibility for apartment construction, published in January 2003 in the Colorado Lawyer, the Colorado Law Journal. Journal articles written or co-authored by Mr. Sandgrund were selected in 2004-2007, 2009-2013, 2014-2015 and 2020-2021 for publication nationwide in the Thompson-Reuters Legal Directory for Architects, Engineers and Contractors as reflecting „advanced thinking” in construction litigation.

Mr. Sandgrund acted as co-counsel with Valerie Sallan in a class action lawsuit that resulted in a verdict on all liability issues presented to the jury, a case that is considered the largest case with extensive grounds ever tried by a jury and one of the few class action lawsuits ever tried in Colorado. Mr. Sandgrund helped negotiate Colorado's largest settlement of construction-related defects on behalf of more than 12,300 homeowners, and also reached a $32.5 million settlement on behalf of the owners of more than 12,000 homes with defective and leaking windows.

Mr. Sandgrund was the managing Partner of the law firm Sullan Sandgrund from 1990 to the end of 2007, became the firm's “lawyer” in October 2007 and continues to work in this capacity today after the merger of Sullan Sandgrund with Burg Simpson. He continues to participate in individual legal briefings, appeal work and insurance coverage issues, as well as in the development of case management strategies. Mr. Sandgrund lives with his wife, Cheryl, in Boulder, where, if he is not practicing, he can usually be found on the tennis or racquetball court, or on the hiking, skiing or cycling path (or in the office of his orthopedic surgeon).