New law firm provides built-in medical consultation

Local attorney Matthew Haltzman often turned to his father, psychiatrist Dr. Scott Haltzman, for consultation in order to adequately serve a client with mental health issues. For more than five years, Haltzman was in private practice with a Fort Collins law firm where he specialized in criminal defense and civil litigation.

His ability to get medical advice pertinent to a case quickly and without the time and expense involved with hiring an outside expert got him to thinking. He noted the frequency with which legal and medical issues intersect. He decided to formalize a partnership with his father as a way to provide more efficient and less costly medical advice he needed to serve his clients. This fall, along with local attorney Lance Thibert who served as a public defender in Larimer County for six years, Haltzman opened for business.

Haltzman Law Firm, located at 204 Maple Street, Suite 101 represents a new model. The firm is committed to providing clients with mental health and addiction issues with the expert medical consultation needed to resolve their cases in a more efficient and affordable way. The practice also has an experienced toxicologist on the team.

“Judges must be informed and equipped with all the information regarding mental health and addiction issues impacting someone before them,” Haltzman says. “A medical diagnosis is often necessary,” he said.

His is the only law firm in Fort Collins with access to both legal and medical consultation. Traditionally a client must come up with money (usually $400 to $600 an hour) for medical consultation. “We thought we could do it differently and with less cost to the client, by combining legal and medical services in one place,” Haltzman said.

A native of Rhode Island and a graduate of Louisiana State University and law school, Haltzman once served as special prosecutor for Yellowstone National Park. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys skiing, hiking, and kayaking. He and his wife are expecting their first child in early 2020. His firm welcomes clients from Larimer and Weld Counties and Southern Wyoming.