Bill Doutt Partner

“The best thing about being a lawyer is helping people through difficult times. The legal world is full of odd language and peculiar rules. Guiding someone through those challenges to the best outcome under the circumstances is incredibly rewarding. I enjoy the personal relationship that develops when working closely with a client and using my legal knowledge to help people move forward.”

– Bill Doutt

Bill helps people resolve financial and legal problems caused by accidents, injuries, and disabilities. Having done this for many years, he’s handled many types of “personal injury” cases. At the center of each of these cases was a person with unique needs. Several of them were for parents, spouses, or children of people who had been killed. Some people sustained permanent mental or physical disabilities. Many missed substantial time from work or had large medical bills.

Some of the types of cases he’s handled include “accident” cases like motorcycle, car, and truck collisions, cyclists hit by cars or opening car doors, crashes caused by dangerous road conditions, ATV crashes, and pedestrians hit by vehicles. Others were “premises liability” claims, like tripping, slipping, or falling due to dangerous conditions in a store, dog bites, dogs knocking people off of bikes, and gunshot injuries.

Prevailing in your personal injury claim requires persistence and attention to detail. It is challenging, time-consuming work. Bill’s experience, determination, and diligence help him achieve favorable results for his clients.

Bill never set out to be an injury lawyer or a lawyer of any type. He grew up in an agricultural area of central Pennsylvania and didn’t have any lawyers in the family. He worked his way through high school and college. He chose to get a degree in chemical engineering but yearned for a career that more directly helped people. It was only in his last year of college that he decided to go to law school, still with no clear idea of what kind of attorney he wanted to be.

In law school, he focused on intellectual property, including patent and copyright litigation. After graduating, a twist of fate took him to a small, general-practice firm in Pennsylvania called Roberts Miceli. It was there that he found his calling representing real people with real problems. He wasn’t hired to handle injury cases but was asked to assist with a difficult ATV crash case that seemed to be at an impasse. His client sustained a badly broken leg that required several surgeries. He never fully recovered. The client’s own insurance policy seemed like it ought to apply, but the insurance company was interpreting the legalese in the policy to deny coverage. This seemed to be fundamentally unfair. With the help of his managing partner, Bill eventually recovered the entire $200,000 policy limits for his client. Leveling the field for someone whose claim was being denied simply because he wasn’t equipped to take on a powerful insurance company was rewarding, engaging work!

Bill has been handling almost exclusively injury and insurance claims cases for many years. Over the years, he’s come to understand that insurance companies and careless defendants will only pay what you can prove they are obligated to pay. He likes being the one who tips the odds in favor of the injured victim.

When he’s not in the office, Bill likes being outside with his wife and 2 daughters. He’s an avid cyclist, riding all types of bikes on pavement and dirt. He loves camping, hiking, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing. He’s done amateur road bike racing in the past, but now just rides to decompress. He often commutes to work by bike, something he’s done for over 20 years since his college days. He knows what it’s like to be a cyclist on a road full of cars and how to defeat liability arguments against cyclists and pedestrians hit by cars.

Bill enjoys working with his hands. He’s built-up several bicycles and computers over the years. He’s fascinated with how things work and often tries to fix things around the house himself, with varying levels of success.

In 2018, he completed the Colorado Bar Associated Leadership Training (COBALT) program in which “lawyers with demonstrated leadership skills and commitment to the legal community” engage in interactive training focused on addressing challenges faced by leaders in the legal field and their communities.

In 2019, he became a Fellow of the Colorado Bar Foundation. “Fellows are selected from nominees recommended by their colleagues based on factors such as their prominence, reputation, and good standing in the legal community, outstanding contributions in their communities and contributions to advancing justice.”

He is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA), American Association for Justice (AAJ), Colorado Bar Association (CBA), and Larimer County Bar Association. In 2016, he completed the American Association for Justice Ultimate Trial Advocacy Course, an intensive weeklong advanced trial skills training program.

Bar Admissions

• Colorado, 2011
• Wyoming, 2018
• Pennsylvania, 2005 (Inactive)
• U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, 2011
• U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming, 2019
• U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 2005

Education

• Beasley School of Law, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA – Juris Doctorate, 2005
• Pennsylvania State University – Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering, 2002
• Colorado Bar Association Leadership Training (COBALT), 2018
• American Association for Justice Ultimate Trial Advocacy Course, 2016

Professional Affiliations, Positions & Awards

• Colorado Bar Foundation Fellow (2019 – present)
• Colorado Bar Association (2011 – present)
• Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (2011 – present)
• Larimer County Bar Association (2011 – present)
• Multi-million Dollar Advocates Forum (2019 – present)
• Wyoming Bar Association (2018 – present)
• Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association (2019 – present)
• Larimer County Bar Association Professionalism Committee, Board Member (2014 – present)
• Larimer County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, Vice President 2013 – 2014, Treas. 2012
• American Association for Justice (2011 – present)
• Pennsylvania Bar Association pro bono “Fair Share” award, 2008
• Clinton County, PA Bar Association, Treasurer, 2006 – 2007

Courses Taught

• Insurance Law 101 CLE, Larimer County Justice Center (11/7/2017)
• Moderator of panel of judges in NBI’s The Judges Speak: Civil Court Litigation Do’s and Dont’s (12/6/2019)