Frederick B. Skillern, Esq. has spent over 30 years engaged in most aspects of the real estate field. He has assisted clients in a wide range of transactions and tried dozens of cases to verdict, both simple and complex. While actively practicing he has repeatedly been engaged as an expert witness, a mediator and an arbitrator. He shares a passion for both the intricacies of real estate law and helping people solve problems.

Fred is a past chair (2005-2006) of the Colorado Bar Association’s Real Estate Section Council, and has presented his “case law update” to the real estate bar at the annual CBA CLE Real Estate Symposium since 1998. In addition, Mr. Skillern is a former district court judge in Colorado’s 18th Judicial District.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

Mr. Skillern believes a mediator with deep knowledge of the context in which the litigants live and work can help the parties bridge the gap and reach agreement – “speaking their language” can really help identify the complex set of interests and emotions involved in a given dispute.

Mr. Skillern completed mediation training in 2008 at the Harvard Law School’s Negotiation Institute, and has had success since 2008 in serving as a mediator as a part of his private practice. He looks forward to focusing on mediation and arbitration exclusively with his new association with JAMS.

Additional Experience

As a lawyer working in real estate litigation, Mr. Skillern has led clients into more than 100 formal mediation sessions since 1985.

Recent published appellate cases in his practice:
Sandstrom v. Solen, 370 P.3d 669 (Colo. App. 2016)
First American Title Insurance Company v. Fidelity National Title Company, 310 P.3d 272 (Colo. App. 2013)
Joondeph v. Hicks, 235 P.3d 303 (Colo. 2010)

Mr. Skillern has been engaged as an expert witness in more than 80 cases over the past ten years, on a wide range of real estate issues. He has testified as an expert witness in courts across Colorado, on issues ranging from real estate and title industry practices to professional liability claims against industry professionals.

Author and contributing editor on the chapters on the law of Future Interests (Chapter 72) and Civil Judgment Execution Sales (Chapter 40) in West’s COLORADO METHODS OF PRACTICE.

Author of a chapter on Judicial Foreclosures in the 201 7 edition of Colorado Real Estate Practice (CLE of Colorado, Inc.).

Adjunct Professor, University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, teaching a class in real estate titles and finance since 2006.

Service as a court-appointed commissioner for partition ofreal property, under C.R.S. section 38-28-105. Service as chairman of commissions determining value in condemnation cases in Arapahoe County.

Served as arbitrator by agreement of counsel.