James C. Hackstaff

Practice Areas:  Business & Commercial, Trust & Estate, Real Estate, Taxation, Non-Profit & Charitable Organizations

Biography:  Mr. Hackstaff began practicing law in 1983. He became a partner in Jensen Byrne Parsons Ruh and Tilton P.C. in 1991. Mr. Hackstaff then co-founded the predecessor to Hale Hackstaff Tymkovich, LLP in 1993 which grew to a 21-lawyer firm.  He formed his current practice, Hackstaff Gessler LLC in 2004. 

His practice areas include domestic and international commercial transactions, and counsel regarding entity selection, formation, operation and dissolution. A focus of his commercial practice is the tax consequences and concerns that surround business and personal decisions. He also focuses on assisting individuals with estate planning, probate, taxation, asset protection, real estate development, real estate purchase, sale and financing, nonprofit and charitable organizations, and maritime law.

Prior to practicing law, Mr. Hackstaff practiced as a Certified Public Accountant with Peat Marwick Mitchell, CPAs (now KPMG) and was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Colorado Society of CPAs.  His concentration during his employment with Peat Marwick Mitchell was in the banking, oil and gas and charitable entity areas.

Education:  University of Colorado, B.S., 1979, in Accounting (with a concentration in Finance); Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1983 (with a concentration in Taxation).

Admissions:  Colorado.

Professional Memberships:  American Bar Association, Colorado Bar Association, Denver Bar Association.

Distinctions:  

*   AV Rated by his peers (Martindale Hubbell).

*    CPA 1982 - passed first attempt.

*     Mr. Hackstaff has presented numerous lectures and training seminars on a variety of topics for sophisticated audiences, including Estate Planning, Estate Tax and Retirement Planning, Entity Formation, Operation and Dissolution, Income Tax Planning, Business Planning, and Asset Protection.

*    Mr. Hackstaff has served on numerous committees and councils of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce as well as other volunteer organizations. He received their highest volunteer award in 1991. He served for five years on the Board of Directors and is currently serving on the Public Affairs Council.

*   Mr. Hackstaff is currently Chairman (Member since 1990) of the Corporate Board of the Cancer League of Colorado.  He has chaired the two recent golf tournaments, successfully raising money for cancer research.