McDermott Law, LLC

Please Call : 303-964-1800

Shawn E. McDermott is an insurance law litigator and personal injury attorney 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

Founding Attorney/Manager

shawn@mcdermottlaw.net

Education

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. He also received his Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering in 1988 from the University of Colorado. His first year of law school was spent at the University of San Francisco.

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 spent approximately five years 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.

Associations

Shawn is a member of the Denver Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association. He is an active in the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and has served on its Board of Directors as well as a two year stint as the Chairperson for the Young Lawyers Committee. 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.

Publications/Seminars

• C.R.S. § 10-3-1116, ERISA Preemption, and the Standard of Review, Colorado Lawyer, July 2010, Vol. 39, No. 7
• The Impact of HB 1407 on ERISA Health, Life and Disability Claims, presented at HB 1407: Insurance Accountability Act Seminar, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, 2008
• Group Long-Term Disability Coverage and ERISA, Colorado Lawyer, May 2004, Vol.33, No.5
• Unreasonable Failure of the Liability Insurer to Defend or Settle: The Consequences, Colorado Insurance Bad Faith Law & Practice Seminar, Professional Education Systems, Inc., 1996
• Damages in Insurance Bad Faith, Lorman Education Services, 1994
• Understanding ERISA: A Trail Through the Thorny Woods of Pre-Emption, Exemptions and Exceptions, Lorman Education Services, 1994
• Work Product Immunity, Attorney-Client Privilege & Peer Review and Quality Assurance Confidentiality, Colorado Healthcare Associated Risk Managers, 1994
• McDermott, S., Employer-Provided Disability Coverage and Offsets for Other Income Benefits: The Necessary Coordination of Benefits, Trial Talk CTLA Magazine, June 2013, Vol.62, Issue 4

Published Cases

• Rivera v. Unum Life Ins. Co. of America,No. 11-cv-02585-WYD-KLM,  2012 WL 2709138 (D.Colo. July 09, 2012)
• Croll v. Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. (CIGNA), and Lockheed Martin Group Universal Life Plan, an ERISA Welfare Benefit Plan, 863 F.Supp.2d 1093, 2012 WL 1439172, No. 2010-cv-0735-CMA-MEH (D. Colo. April 26, 2012)
• Bray v. Sun Life and Health Ins. Co. (U.S.),No. 08-cv-02335-RBJ-CBS, 2012 WL 628611 (D.Colo. Feb. 27, 2012)
• Bottoms v. Liberty Life Assurance of Boston,No. 11–cv–01606–PAB–CBS, 2011 WL 6181423 (D.Colo. Dec. 13, 2011)
• Bray v. Sun Life and Health Insurance,No. 08-cv-02335-WYD-CBS, 2010 WL 3341521 (D.Colo. Aug. 23, 2010)
• Kohut v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co.,No. 08-cv-00669-CMA-MJW, 2008 WL 5246163 (D.Colo. Dec. 16, 2008)
• State Farm v. American Family and American Standard Ins. Co. and Eliberto Meza, Amelia Meza, Sofi Meza, Irene Meza, Rosalinda Chaparro, Flora Quintana, and Angelita Cordera,Colorado Court of Appeals No.: 06CA2667 (July 3, 2008)(Not Selected for Official Publication)
• Hoyt v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am.,No. 07-cv-02210-LTB-KLM, 2008 WL 686922 (D.Colo. Mar. 12, 2008)
• Jeffryes v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co.,No. 05-cv-01770-EWN-CBS, 2006 WL 1186493 (D.Colo. May 4, 2006)
• McCord v. Affinity Ins. Group,13 P.3d 1224 (Colo. App. 2000) (NO. 99CA2118)
• Progressive Specialty Ins. Co. v. Hartford Underwriters Ins. Co.,148 P.3d 470 (Colo.App. 2006) October 19, 2006 (No. 05CA1161)

Personal

When not in the office, Shawn enjoys spending time with his wife and two 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.

Heather L. Petitmermet

Attorney

heather@mcdermottlaw.net

As an associate attorney with McDermott Law, Ms. Petitmermet is dedicated to assisting her clients in their time of need. Ms. Petitmermet has been associated with the firm since 2005. Her primary legal emphasis is in the arenas of disability law, ERISA claims, and PERA. She is a December 2004 graduate of the University of Colorado School of Law. While in law school, Ms. Petitmermet was an Associate Editor of the Colorado Journal of International Law and Policy. Her article entitled The Effect of EU Enlargement on the Environment: A Look at Malta, was published in the Spring 2005 journal. Prior to law school, she attended both the University of Colorado at Boulder and University of Wyoming, and graduated with a degree in Business Administration.

Ms. Petitmermet is a member of the Denver Bar Association and the Colorado Bar Association. Heather is licensed to practice in Colorado state courts, the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.

When not working, Ms. Petitmermet spends as much time as possible being active in the beautiful Colorado mountains with her husband and three young children.

MarySusan L. Kern

Senior Legal Assistant/Administrator

marysue@mcdermottlaw.net

MarySue’s primary responsibilities involve handling prospective client communications and the litigation aspects of our cases. She assists the attorneys and the client with the litigation process from the filing of the lawsuit through trial, judgment or settlement. She often becomes a primary point of contact for clients to discuss the status of their case, progress of medical treatment, and any problems with the payment of medical bills. MarySue is also the person who obtains the necessary documentation to support your claim in the litigation process, including medical records, medical bills, insurance policies, police reports, damages documentation, and all other important evidence. In addition to her client relationship management duties, MarySue assists with many aspects of the law firm business to include human resources tasks and other administrative duties.

MarySue obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master’s of Science in Legal Administration from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She is currently attending law school at the University of Denver.  Outside of the office, MarySue dedicates her time to many outdoor activities including skiing, camping, hiking, horseback riding, and taking her three dogs to the park. She also enjoys traveling with her husband to different historical points of interest and national parks throughout the country. MarySue has a passion for music, which she fosters by playing several different instruments.

Emily K. Fourcroy

Legal Assistant

emily@mcdermottlaw.net

Emily joined the firm as a legal assistant in 2011. She assists the attorneys with various tasks and helps the clients through the legal process. Emily requests and organizes various documentation regarding cases, including medical records, claim files, insurance documents, employment records, and any other evidence that may be useful. She drafts correspondence and helps gather information for the attorneys to put together a strong case. Emily graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor’s degree in French and a minor in Business Administration. Prior to graduating, she spent a year in Annecy, France, taking classes and enjoying the French Alps. In her free time, Emily enjoys reading, being outside, and spending time with friends and family.

Contact Shawn E. McDermott

Shawn McDermott and his staff are dedicated insurance dispute attorneys who work with clients from all areas of Colorado, the Rocky Mountain, and beyond.  The attorneys at McDermott Law handle cases related to long term disability denials, life insurance claim denials, accidental death and dismemberment insurance denials, PERA disability claims, long term care insurance, homeowners insurance denials, and many other insurance related matters.  For a free assessment of your case, please contact one of our staff today or complete the form provided on this page.

Please Call : 303-964-1800

McDermott Law, LLC