John Lebsack has been a lawyer at White and Steele since his admission to the bar in 1979. His practice comprises a wide variety of defense litigation, with an emphasis on appeals, coverage disputes, and professional liability. John has argued appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the Colorado Supreme Court, and the Colorado Court of Appeals. He has tried cases in state courts throughout the Front Range as well as Federal court in Denver. John advises lawyers on ethical issues, and serves as an expert witness on ethical and professional issues. For several years, John was an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School and taught the required course on legal ethics and professionalism.
In 2003 John Lebsack received the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association’s annual award to a member of the defense bar “for the highest standards of competency, ethics and professionalism.” He was a member of the Colorado Supreme Court Grievance Committee from 1995 to 1999 and was chair in 1998-1999. He was chair of the Colorado Appellate Discipline Commission in 1999-2000. He currently serves on the Colorado Supreme Court’s panel of hearing board members who decide attorney discipline cases. In 2006-2007 John was chair of the Ethics Committee of the Colorado Bar Association. From 2011 through 2017, John was a member of the Committee on Conduct, United States District Court for the District of Colorado, and served as chair of that committee in 2013-2014. Since 2017, John has been a member of the Colorado Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee, which makes recommendations to the court about changes to the rules of procedure that govern all civil cases in the state.
Cati Shadakofsky assists her clients in understanding the legal and administrative processes, evaluating risk, and preparing strong defenses to claims asserted against them. She focuses her practice in the areas of appellate advocacy, insurance coverage, insurance bad faith and breach-of-contract, and defense of professional liability and personal injury matters.
Before joining White and Steele, Cati earned her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Minnesota Journal of International Law. She also clerked for the Honorable Matthew E. Johnson, John R. Rodenberg, Diane B. Bratvold, and Michael L. Kirk at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Cati earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Literature from the University of Wyoming. She studied abroad in Malaga, Spain, and she interned on Capitol Hill for the late U.S. Senator Michael B. Enzi. Outside the office, Cati enjoys hosting dinner parties, traveling to cheer on the Rockies in other ballparks across the country, and taking her husband and golden retriever on hikes in the foothills.
