Shawn E. McDermott

Biography

Shawn E. McDermott is an insurance law litigator who primarily serves communities of Denver, Boulder, Aurora, Littleton, Ft. Collins, Greeley, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction, Durango and the other areas throughout Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. The attorneys and staff at McDermott Law handle a wide variety of disputes with insurance companies involving injury, illness, and disease. He has practiced law in Denver since 1992 and has extensive experience litigating cases involving personal injury, insurance coverage and bad faith, disability law and ERISA.

Shawn E. McDermott is the owner/manager of the firm specializing in the areas of insurance recovery and bad faith, ERISA, Colorado PERA, disability and life insurance, personal injury, and wrongful death.

Shawn is a 1992 graduate of the University of Colorado School of Law. Prior to law school, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado.

While in law school, Shawn was a member of the Rothgerber Moot Court winning team and received the Austin W. Scott, Jr. Award for Excellence in Oral Argument.

Prior to forming McDermott Law in 1996, Shawn was an associate attorney at the law firm of Breit, Best Richman and Bosch representing individuals and insurance companies and their insureds in a variety of claims, including insurance coverage and bad faith, aviation cases, automobile crashworthiness, railroad crossing injury, professional (medical and legal) liability, products liability, skier and ski area liability, catastrophic injury and wrongful death. He now dedicates the bulk of his time and this firm’s resources to representing individuals against insurance companies in the areas of disability, life, health and accidental death & dismemberment claims, ERISA-governed claims for employee benefits, PERA disability retirement claims, and serious personal injury matters.

Shawn has litigated hundreds of ERISA and non-ERISA disability and life insurance claims in the Colorado state courts, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado and courts in other states. Shawn’s federal court experience is significant in the ERISA arena, likely having handled more of these claims than any other attorney in Colorado. He has also argued cases before the Colorado Court of Appeals and the United States Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Shawn is a member of the Denver Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association. He is active in the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and has served on its Board of Directors as well as a two-year stint as the original Co-Chairperson of the Young Lawyers Committee (many years ago). He is also a member of the American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America). Shawn is licensed to practice in all Colorado State and Federal courts, including the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

When not in the office, Shawn enjoys spending time with his wife and two teenage sons. He is an avid golfer, fly fisherman and motorcyclist in the summer (when there is time). The winter months in Colorado are, of course, meant for skiing with family and friends.