Fighting for Injured Workers & the Disabled Since 1975
About Us
Since 1975, our attorneys have fought for the rights of injured and disabled people all over Western Colorado. Our clients are injured or disabled through no fault of their own. They are confused about how to obtain benefits they are entitled to. They are afraid for themselves and their families. And all the while, they are treated as though they are criminals on trial.
We serve as advocates for our clients for whatever they need: a guide, an overseer, an aggressive litigator, or just someone who will tell them the truth. We find the issues that need attention, cut through the confusion, and act. Our attorneys are experienced litigators with a proven track record, and are ready to confidently carry your case from start to finish.
Our legal staff is as experienced and capable as any in Western Colorado. Y, por supuesto, se habla español. We know Western Colorado. We know the legal challenges you face. We are ready to help.
Our Attorneys are Ready to Help
David Mueller
Attorney
Read More About David
david@withersseidman.comDavid is a graduate of the University of Colorado (B.A., Environmental Design, 1989), Mesa State College (B.A., English, 1992), and Vermont Law School (J.D., 1998, Note Editor, Vermont Law Review, 1997-1998).
After graduating from Vermont Law School in 1998, David returned to western Colorado and worked briefly in Aspen, Colorado in civil, criminal, and transactional matters, before focusing his legal career on trial work and workers’ compensation claims.
David Mueller joined the firm in 2000 and has advocated for the rights of injured and disabled people throughout Colorado ever since. He handles workers’ compensation and Social Security disability matters.
David is a member of the Colorado Bar and the Workers’ Compensation Educational Association. He has successfully argued workers’ compensation cases before the Colorado Court of Appeals and at the Industrial Claims Appeals Office.
Sean Goodbody
Attorney
Read More About Sean
sean@withersseidman.comA native of Wendell, Idaho, Sean Goodbody is a 2007 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A., magna cum laude, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics). He played fullback and tailback for Penn’s football program, and was a legal investigator in Penn Law School’s low-income law clinic.
Sean is a 2011 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (J.D.) While at Berkeley, he was an Articles Editor with the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law, negotiated against credit card companies and debt collectors in a low-income law clinic in South Berkeley and Oakland, and assisted federal workers compensation judges in San Francisco.
Since joining the firm in 2012, Sean has handled workers compensation matters. He became a shareholder in the firm in 2017. He has represented nearly a thousand injured workers in a diverse range of matters, and argued cases before the Colorado Court of Appeals and at the Industrial Claims Appeals Office. Due to his extensive accomplishments representing workers, Sean has been selected to the Colorado Rising Stars list in Super Lawyers Magazine every year since 2018.
Sean is the Western Colorado Representative on the board of the Workers Compensation Education Association (WCEA), a nonprofit group of attorneys who work together to help injured workers in the courtroom, and lobby the Department of Labor and the state legislature to protect injured workers. He has helped the WCEA draft legislation and improve benefits. He is a member of the state bars of Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon.
Honoring Our Founding & Retired Attorneys
Our firm was built on the dedication and hard work of the attorneys who came before us. Their commitment to justice and advocacy shaped our practice and continues to inspire us today.
Though they have stepped away from active practice, their legacy lives on in every case we take and every client we serve. We are grateful for their decades of service.
Christopher Seidman
Emeritus (Ret.)
Read More About Chris
Chris specialized in personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. After graduating in 1976 from Harvard Law School, Chris was appointed Assistant District Attorney for the 7th Judicial District of Colorado. He prosecuted criminal cases from shoplifting to murder, acquiring extensive courtroom experience that served him well in advocating for his clients.
Following his service in the D.A.’s office, Chris moved to Grand Junction founded this firm with Ed Withers. Chris dedicated his legal career helping injured employees: over 4,000 of them between 1981 and 2019. Chris was recognized by his peers for his professional skills and accomplishments in Super Lawyers Magazine from 2006 until his retirement from the firm in 2019.
Chris is an active member of the state bars of Colorado, California, and New York and has appeared in numerous state and federal district courts across Colorado and the country. He successfully argued workers’ compensation cases in the Colorado Court of Appeals and Colorado Supreme Court.
Chris is also a highly-skilled and sought-after copyright attorney, practicing nationwide with a second law firm: Harmon Seidman & Bruss, LLC.
Gudrun Rice
Emeritus (Ret.)
Read More About Gudrun
Gudrun graduated from Smith College in 1965 and University of Denver's Sturm College of Law in 1973.
After serving as a deputy district attorney in Montrose, CO, Gudrun joined our firm in 1984 and for decades was a prolific defender of workers' rights.
She was appointed as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Colorado in 2001 until her retirement from the federal bench in 2012.
Charles "Ed" Withers
Emeritus (Ret.)
Read More About Ed
Charles Edward Withers ("Ed") was born and raised in Granite City, Illinois. He graduated from Southern Illinois University (B.A), and from the Washington University School of Law (J.D.). After law school, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army, where he (among other things) operated a legal section at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri.
After his military career, a few years of legal practice for a workers' compensation insurance carrier, and working as a counselor for the University of Colorado, he moved to the Western Slope and began private practice with an emphasis on work-related injuries in 1975.
In 1981, Chris Seidman joined Ed's law firm and formed what is now this firm. For decades, Ed represented injured workers and disabled persons in more then 2,000 administrative hearings. He retired from law practice in 2001.
Since his retirement, Ed has been the owner and manager of Boulder Dog Food Company, LLC in Boulder, Colorado.
