Mike Chaloupka

Education

• Law School: University of Nebraska School of Law (J.D., Litigation Skills Program of Concentrated Study,  2007)
• Undergraduate Degrees: University of Nebraska (B.A., 2003)
• Western Trial Advocacy Institute
• Trial Lawyers College
• Trial Lawyers College, Graduate Studies
• Northern Colorado Truck Driving Academy - Class A CDL, 2023

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Legal Ratings & Awards

• Best Lawyers, Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, and Litigation - Insurance, '21, '22, and 2023
• Martindale Hubbell Peer Reviewed & Client Reviewed
• Top 40 under 40, The National Trial Lawyers Association 2015-2018
• Top 10 Under 40, The National Trial Lawyers Association 2017 & 2018

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State Bars / Licenses

• Colorado State Bar, 2008
• Nebraska State Bar, 2009
• Wyoming State Bar, 2022
• Washington State Bar, 2022
• Oregon State Bar, 2023
• United States District Court, Eastern District of Washington, 2026

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Legal Associations / Memberships

• Trial Lawyers College, Faculty
• Colorado Bar Association
• Nebraska Bar Association
• Colorado Trial Lawyers Association
• Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys
• American Association of Justice
• Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association
• Washington State Association for Justice
• Washington State Bar Association
• Oregon State Bar Association

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My Story

I was meant to be a fighter in the courtroom arena.  I grew up in Nebraska in a family of lawyers – trial lawyers for people.  Some of my early memories are of sitting around the dinner table with my family and listening to my Dad tell us stories about his clients and about the companies who hurt them or did them wrong.  My first lessons in cross-examining witnesses came when I would misbehave as a kid, and (with a healthy dose of love) my Dad would essentially cross-examine me about it until I saw the error of my ways.  And while growing up I watched him fight for people and for the values we all share about life, family, experience, and community.  These are the kinds of things that stuck with me and inspired me and led me to become a warrior for people.  

I went to the University of Nebraska College of Law, with an emphasis on litigation skills and trial advocacy.  

As a young lawyer, I grew up learning at the Trial Lawyers College.  I graduated from the Trial Lawyers College in 2011, and I went back every year for a grad course for the next decade.  In 2019, I joined the teaching faculty and continued training and teaching trial skills for the next 4 years.  I only stopped teaching so I could spend more time with my family and my law practice.  

I am the managing partner of Metier Law Firm, and I set a standard for courage, for not giving up, and for providing dignity and hope to people broken by grief and despair.  I love what I do and I can’t imagine any other life.  My law practice is primarily on cases with big truck crashes. In 2023, I went to truck driver training school to help me truly understand what safety rules and expectations truck drivers have to follow, and what it's like to drive an 18-wheeler. I also went on to obtain my Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL), and I use that knowledge in my truck crash cases.  

I’m licensed and practice in Colorado, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon.  When I’m not fighting for my clients, I’m usually with my wife and two boys.  Family is everything to me, and we are big believers in adventure.  I also love riding my mountain bike, I love back country snowboarding, and I love cooking with charcoal and fire.

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