Attorneys

E. Richard "Rick" Toray grew up in Denver and graduated from George Washington High School. He received his B.A. from the University of Colorado, M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and Juris Doctor from the University Of Denver College Of Law. Thereafter, Rick became a trial attorney with the Colorado State Public Defender for 9 years, trying all types of criminal cases and becoming a senior attorney with supervisory responsibilities. Rick is an experienced trial lawyer who is intimately familiar with the court system and presenting cases to judges and juries alike. During his twenty-two years of practice Rick has honed his trial skills by conducting more than fifty-five trials (forty-seven jury trials); many of the cases he tried resulted in acquittals, lesser charges, or mistrials.

After leaving the Public Defender's Office in 1996, Rick began to practice in Federal Court, including representing clients in complex drug conspiracy cases. His Federal Court experience includes trials, post-conviction proceedings, appeals, and oral arguments before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Rick went on to become an associate attorney with Gerash Prugh & Gerash, LLC in 2000 where he worked with Dan Gerash and his father, Walter, and began practicing personal injury, medical malpractice, and general civil litigation. Later, he joined the family law firm of Litvak Litvak Mehrtens & Epstein, P.C. as an associate in 2001, where he exclusively practiced family law. In 2002 he reunited with Dan Gerash and formed their current law firm where he handles family matters, personal injury matters, civil rights, and every type of criminal case from petty offenses to serious felony charges. Other litigation experience includes general civil law suits, breach of contract, automobile accidents, medical malpractice, and product liability cases. Rick has been involved in trials and settlements in the six and seven figure ranges.

Achievements: Black Belt Tae Kwon Do

Interests: Running with the dog, hiking in the mountains, camping with the family, traveling, reading novels, watching movies, attending children's sporting events.

Mediation & Settlement Services: Gerash Steiner & Toray offers Mediation, which is an efficient and effective dispute resolution process that is used to help people reach agreements and resolve disputes, as well as make agreements concerning personal or business relationships.

The mediator, Attorney Richard Toray, presides over the session in the role of neutral and impartial facilitator helping the parties to find solutions.  As a mediator he assists the parties to identify the issues and explore settlement options that are mutually satisfactory.

Mediation sessions generally last between 2-3 hours, but may last the entire day. The mediator may meet with the parties together or separately, depending on the circumstances of each case. If the parties are represented by counsel, their attorneys may be present.

After the mediation session has successfully concluded, the mediator memorializes the parties' agreement in a memorandum of understanding, unless the parties' attorneys chose to draft the paper themselves.  If the memorandum does not reflect the parties' agreements, the disputed provisions can be discussed and amended at another mediation session. When the parties agree to all the terms in the agreement, a settlement has been reached and if appropriate the papers are submitted to the court.

Limited Reprentation / Unbundled Legal Services: In situations where the client wishes to act as his or her own advocate and to be responsible for the management of the case, yet needs the advice and counsel of a lawyer, Gerash Steiner & Toray offers limited representation services, more colloquially referred to as "unbundled legal services. In this type of arrangement, the lawyer will assist the client by drafting documents such as pleadings, financial affidavits and child support worksheets. The attorney may assist the client by talking with witnesses or experts and negotiating with the other party or lawyer. However, the attorney does not appear in court, which can be more cost effective for the client.  As a result, the retainer fee for unbundled legal representation is usually less than the retainer for bundled or full service legal representation where the attorney is required to appear in Court.  Typically this type of arrangement is better suited for clients who need some legal guidance and may only need a few hours of legal services or periodic legal services.