Mr. Houtsma has extensive experience handling all types of complex commercial litigation, including contract litigation, construction litigation, insurance litigation, litigation involving financial institutions, royalty and real estate litigation, business tort litigation, class action matters on both the plaintiff and defense side, intellectual property litigation, product liability litigation, Indian law matters, and professional liability matters, including director and officer liability and attorney and accountant liability matters in federal and state courts.
Mr. Houtsma has been with Holland & Hart since his graduation from the Cornell Law School in 1976. Over the course of his career, his litigation practice has followed many of the economic trends in the Rocky Mountain region. During the oil and gas boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Mr. Houtsma was involved in various oil and gas litigation matters, construction litigation, and business tort litigation. He tried his first major jury and bench trial within a year after arriving at Holland & Hart, and has tried more than 50 cases since 1976 in various forums.
In the early 1990s, Mr. Houtsma represented the FDIC and RTC in various litigated matters involving claims against officers, directors, attorneys, and accountants of failed financial institutions, including claims against their insurance carriers and bonding companies. Recoveries on these cases exceeded $50 million. Mr. Houtsma represented Indian Tribes in the Pacific Northwest in litigation involving fishing rights, which resulted in settlements to date in excess of $55 million. Mr. Houtsma was instrumental in establishing the firm's Indian Law Practice Group.
In 2001, Mr. Houtsma tried a four-week case in Webb County, Texas, which resulted in a jury verdict in favor of his client in excess of $100 million. The case involved claims of fraud, fraudulent conveyances, and breach of contract. The verdict was the largest ever awarded in Webb County, Texas.
A sample of juror comments regarding Mr. Houtsma's trial skills from the Webb County case follows:
"If I had a choice at some point in my life, I would definitely go to him. I mean, he is good. I was impressed with his questioning. He was very precise, very knowledgeable. The way he conducted himself, of course he is a professional, but he is a professional professional. His questioning was just great!"
"What I liked about (Mr. Houtsma) was he could be aggressive but not a bully, and that is pretty cool."
"I can sum up that one plaintiff's attorney (Mr. Houtsma) in three words: calm, cool, and collected. If I was in trouble, I think I'd call him."
In 2006, Mr. Houtsma was co-lead counsel in a nine-week product liability case in Dade County, Florida which resulted in a jury verdict of $113 million in favor of his clients.
Mr. Houtsma was the youngest partner to serve on the firm's Management Committee. He has also served as Financial Partner, Managing Partner from 1995-1997, Chair of the firm's Litigation Department from 1998-2001 and Chair of the firm's Diversity Committee from 2002-2004. While serving in these capacities, Mr. Houtsma has always maintained a full litigation practice.
Mr. Houtsma has been involved in numerous arbitration proceedings before the American Arbitration Association, acting as an arbitrator, as well as an attorney representing both claimants and respondents. He has participated in several other alternative dispute resolution forums, including mini-trials, proceedings before Special Masters and Private Judges, and conferences involving the Judicial Arbitrator Group. He has been involved in three extended mediations that each lasted several years for Native American Tribes, resulting in multi-million dollar settlements.
Following the events of 9/11, Mr. Houtsma, as a member of Trial Lawyers Care Program, represented on a pro bono basis a number of family members of the victims. He pursued claims on their behalf against the Government-created Victims Compensation Fund, recovering over $5 million in total compensation. One family member was so appreciative of the work that $50,000 was donated in scholarship money to the University of Denver Law School.
Mr. Houtsma was listed in 2006 and 2008 Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers for Business; Denver Business Journal's Who's Who in Law; and Best Lawyers in 2009 and 2010 for Commercial Litigation. He is also listed as a Top Fifty Colorado Super Lawyer. Mr. Houtsma is also a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.
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Member, Commercial Panel of Arbitrators