Jon F. Sands, Esq. brings over 42 years of Colorado trial experience to the JAMS panel in Denver.  His civil litigation practice involved a wide variety of matters, including insurance coverage and bad faith; real estate; construction of roads, easements, and adverse possession claims; title insurance; real and personal property appraisal; commercial contract disputes; partition; cases against officers and directors of financial institutions; professional liability insurance; protection of trade secrets; and disputes involving bodily injury. 

Mr. Sands is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and an associate member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

ADR Experience & Qualifications

As a third party neutral, Mr. Sands has served the Denver District Courts as a pro bono mediator pursuant to the ACTL mediation program.

As an advocate in arbitration, he was lead counsel in Ingold v. AIMCO/Bluffs L.L.C. Apartments, 159 P.3d 116 (Colo. 2007).  He co-authored The Demise of the Intertwining Doctrine in Colorado^©, The Colorado Lawyer, 37-Jan Colo. Law. 21 (January 2008), an article featuring that case and its significance to Colorado arbitration practice.

Litigation Matters

As an advocate in private practice, Mr. Sands handled a wide array of matters, including:

Representative Matters

• Arbitration
• Ingold v. AIMCO/BLUFFS, L.L.C. Apartments, 159 P.3d 116 (Colo. 2007)
• Ranta Const., Inc. v. Anderson, 190 P.3d 835 (Colo. App. 2008)
• State Farm v. Fisher, 418 P.3d 501 (Colo. 2018)
• Preferred Professional Ins. Co v. The Doctors Company, 419 P.3d 1020 (Colo. App. 2018)
• Figuli v. State Farm Mutual Fire & Casualty, 304 P.3d 595 (Colo. App. 2012)
• Vaccaro v. American Family Insurance Group, 275 P.3d 750 (Colo. App. 2012)
• Sanderson v. American Family Mutual Insurance Company, 251 P.3d 1213 (Colo. App. 2010)
• General Security Indemnity Company of Arizona v. Mountain States Casualty Company, et. al., 205 P.3d 529 (Colo. App. 2009)
• Brody v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, 194 P.3d 459 (Colo. App. 2008)
• Ringwelski v. Pederson, 919 P.2d 957 (Colo. App. 1996)
• Security Savings v. Estate of Kite, 857 P.2d 430 (Colo. App. 1992)
• Koch v. U.S., 822 F. Supp. 117 (D. Colo. 1993)
• Eagle Admixtures v. Hannon, 867 P.2d 111 (Colo. App. 1993)
• Thompson v. State Farm, 165 P.3d 900 (Colo. App. 2007)
• Camus v. State Farm, 151 P.3d 678 (Colo. App. 2006)
• McGowan v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, 100 P.3d 521 (Colo. App. 2004)
• Borjas v. State Farm, 33 P.3d 1265 (Colo. App. 2001)
• Poole v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, 941 Supp. 117 (D. Colo. 1996)
• Business Commercial
• As an advocate, handled business/commercial litigation, including breach of contract claims, Colorado Consumer Protection Act claims, financial institution matters, securities fraud claims, corporate formation and actions, piercing the corporate veil, and freeze-out mergers.
• Insurance
• Handled dozens of insurance coverage jury trials, including trials for bad faith denials of coverage.
• As an advocate for either plaintiff or the defense, performed insurance coverage analysis of hundreds of insurance contracts
• Real Property
• Successfully represented a church that owned a very large, extremely valuable parcel of real property that was subject to an adverse possession claim by a potential buyer who recorded a lis pendens and clouded title to the property for several years. The matter settled for $100,000 more than the original contract sale price.
• Successfully represented a commercial property management company in an action arising from a treasurer’s sale where the parcel was the subject of a tax dispute.
• Successfully represented estate heirs against a bank claiming priority as the result of a loan to the testator.
• Successfully compelled arbitration against a party and on behalf of a contractor.
• Successfully defended lease language on behalf of the nation’s largest apartment complex and a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in two actions.
• Successful litigation of title insurance claims for title insurers and insureds.

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Admissions

• United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
• United States District Court for the District of Colorado
• United States Court of Federal Claims
• State of Colorado

Memberships and Affiliations

• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Associate Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Member, Denver Bar Association
• Member, First Judicial District Bar Association
• Former Member, Colorado Bar Association
  • Bench Bar Committee
  • Real Estate Title Standards Committee
• Board of Directors, Peppers Senior Dog Sanctuary
• Board of Trustees, Animal Assistance Foundation, 1999-2012
  • President, 2002-2004
• Board of Directors, Dumb Friends League, Denver, CO, 1986-1999
  • President, 1990-1992

Selected Awards and Honors

• Super Lawyers
  • Top 100 List 2017-2023
  • Top Ten List in Colorado, 2016
• Recognized by Best Lawyers in America, 2007-2023
  • Lawyer of the Year – Insurance, 2012, 2018, 2020, 2021
  • Insurance Litigation
  • Real Estate
  • Commercial Litigation
• 5280 Magazine Best Lawyers, 2023
• Law Week Insurance Lawyer of the Year, 2013, 2018
• Named Best Insurance Lawyer for Defendants by Law Week Colorado, Barrister’s Best 2016
• Professionalism Award, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, 2012
• Best Lawyers Denver Defense Lawyer of the Year, 2012
• Named a Best Lawyer® for Insurance Law by US News & World Report

Publications and Teaching

• Sands authors and edits the Opening Statements chapter in the Colorado Courtroom Handbook. He was co-author of The Demise of the Intertwining Doctrine in Colorado^©.
• He regularly teaches trial academy courses on behalf of the Colorado Bar Association and the ACTL for new and experienced lawyers.

Background and Education

• J.D., University of Colorado, 1980
• B.S., with honors, Journalism, University of Colorado, 1976