John Henry Tatlock III

Special Counsel for The Harris Law Firm, John H. Tatlock handles complex litigation and appeals for Colorado family law cases. John is a highly skilled trial attorney with more than 20 years of experience representing clients in federal and state courts and before arbitration tribunals on complex litigation matters ranging from mass torts, product liability claims, securities enforcement actions, fraud, breach of contract, and other significant commercial disputes.  John was also twice selected as a Colorado Super Lawyer.  In addition, he has represented private equity funds in fund formation, mergers and acquisitions of portfolio companies, and corporate governance issues.

After graduating from Wichita State University with a B.A. degree, magna cum laude, with University Honors in Political Science, John held a four-year Teaching-Research Fellowship in Political Science at the University of Iowa, where he earned his Master’s Degree.  Following active duty in the Air Force, John was Director of Testing and an Instructor in Political Science at Wichita State, where he administered all of the University’s testing programs and taught Statistics to Political Science graduate students.

John then became Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston, before being hired by a large multinational oil company in Houston, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in the Public and Governmental Affairs departments.  In those assignments John advised senior company management on legislative and public policy matters of concern to the company and represented the company on legislative matters and in key trade associations.

John and his family moved to Denver in 1985 where he attended the University of Denver College of Law, receiving his J.D. degree in 1988 and joining the Denver office of Kirkland & Ellis that same year as a litigation associate.  After Kirkland closed its Denver office in 1996, John joined some of his Kirkland colleagues at a litigation boutique, later moving to the private equity group at Arnold & Porter, then returning to litigation at McKenna Long & Aldridge’s Denver office.

John is a member of the Colorado and Denver Bar Associations, and has made presentations at CLE programs on depositions, civil litigation, trial tactics, and is the author of articles relating to civil litigation topics.  John has been admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeal for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits, U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. District Courts for Colorado and Arizona.  He is active in the Colorado Lawyers Committee and is a co-chair of itsTask Force on Denver Public Schools. In 2010, John joined theCBA Professionalism Coordinating Council, which promotes and assists in the development of professional standards among jurists and attorneys is also a Master Member of the Doyle Inn of the Court and a current member of the Board of Trustees of the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver. In May of 2011, the Colorado Lawyers Committee honored John by naming him the organization's "Individual of the Year"for his longstanding leadership in, and commitment to, the Denver Public Schools task force which closely monitors school closures, enrollment, and school restructurings within Colorado's second largest school district.

In 2011, John presented a CLE regarding businessvaluationdivorce cases at Patterson, Nuss,and Seymour, and  was selected for membership in the Doyle Inn of Court as a “Master,” an attorney with more than 13 years experience in active practice.

John and his wife Laurie live in Denver and have two daughters, both of whom are graduates of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Erin lives and works in Denver, and Beth, who currently lives in Park City, Utah, works for the U.S Ski and Snowboard Association.  John follows Major League baseball as a Rockies season-ticket holder, skis, runs, and lifts, while trying to stay current on politics, elections, and world events.