Susan Minamizono

Attorney


susan@lsw-legal.com
303.575.9390
Susan Minamizono
Spoiler title
Education

J.D.,  University of San Diego (2008)

B.A., University of California, San Diego (1995)

Honors & Activities
  • Lead Articles Editor, San Diego International Law Journal
  • University of San Diego Law Alumni Scholarship Recipient
  • CALI Award (Highest Grade) in Tax Law
Legal Experience Summary

2016 – present

LEVIN SITCOFF PC
Denver, CO

2014-2016

Prime Resource Consulting
San Diego, CA

2008-2014

Lincoln, Gustafson & Cercos LLP
San Diego, CA

Court Admissions

Colorado Supreme Court (2015)

California Supreme Court (2008)

U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit (2016)

U.S. District Court, District of Colorado (2016)

U.S. District Court, Southern District of California (2008)

Professional Organizations / Activities
  • Colorado Bar Association, Colorado Diverse Attorney Community Circle
  • Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member
  • Asian Pacific American Bar Association 
  • Colorado Women’s Bar Association, Judicial Task Force – Law Student/Law School Working Group Co-Chair
  • Alliance to Lead Impact in Global Human Trafficking (ALIGHT), Pro Bono Attorney
  • Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network, Pro Bono Attorney
  • Rocky Mountain Victim Law Center, Board Member
  • Colorado Lawyers Committee, Hate Crimes Education Task Force Volunteer
  • American Inns of Court, Louis M. Welsh Inn
  • San Diego County Bar Association
  • Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego
  • Japanese American Citizens League
  • South Bay Community Services, Mi Escuelita Therapeutic Preschool Volunteer
  • American Bar Association, Immigration Justice Project, Pro Bono Attorney 
  • Loyola University New Orleans, Student Hurricane Network Volunteer 
  • County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, Foster Youth Mentor 
Lectures / Written Works
  • Attorneys Acting in the Role of Claims Adjusters, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Feb. 24, 2022
  • Top Ten Insurance Cases in 2021, Colorado Bar Association, Insurance Committee, Jan. 27, 2022
  • Adjuster and Bad Faith Expert Witness Deposition and Examination Tactics, National Business Institute’s Advanced Insurance Bad Faith in Colorado Seminar, June 10, 2021
  • “An Invitation to Offer Legal Services to Vulnerable Populations During the Pandemic,” Trial Talk, Jan.- Mar. 2021. 
  • Recent Trends and Court Rulings, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Oct. 15, 2020. 
  • Business Interruption Issues Related to COVID-19, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Aug. 6, 2020. 
  • Practical Steps to Insurance Coverage, Assessing Strength of Bad Faith Cases and Litigation, Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Jan. 30, 2020.
  • Japanese Prefectural Scapegoats in the Constitutional Landscape: Protecting Children from Violent Video Games in the Name of “Public Welfare”, 9 San Diego Int’l L.J. 135 (2007).

About Susan

Susan Minamizono passionately advocates for her clients in insurance coverage disputes, bad faith litigation, and high-value personal injury claims. She has been recognized for her work by Colorado Super Lawyers in the area of insurance coverage since 2019 and received the Consumer Protection Award in 2021 from the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. Susan helps individuals and businesses recover insurance benefits that were wrongfully denied or delayed. She has spoken at various seminars on topics related to insurance bad faith and coverage disputes.   

Her accomplishments include: 

  • Negotiated six-figure settlements with automobile insurers for their failure to properly compensate their insureds for their injuries and losses pursuant to uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverages 
  • Numerous successful appeals of denials of benefits by disability and health insurers 
  • Successfully reversed the denial by an insurance company to defend a multimilliondollar franchise in an employment discrimination action 
  • High six-figure settlement for a business client whose insurer failed to defend it in a lawsuit involving disputes arising from a leasing agreement 
  • High six-figure settlement for clients who were sexually assaulted by a judgment-proof employer, after effectively arguing the ambiguity of certain provisions in an employment practices liability insurance policy
  • Six-figure settlement paid under a homeowner’s policy for hail damage
  • Insurance policy coverage review for individual, business, and non-profit policyholders 

Susan is well-acquainted with the workings of the insurance industry as a former insurance defense attorney who specialized in product liability, construction defect, and personal injury law. Her prior legal experience also includes serving as general counsel for a talent acquisition firm that partnered with technology start-ups in the Silicon Valley. 

Susan is devoted to serving the community and enjoys volunteering her time in various endeavors, including actively participating in committees that evaluate legislative bills that affect the rights of citizens in Colorado, offering pro-bono legal services to trafficking survivors and immigrant clients, presenting mock trials to educate middle and high school students regarding hate crimes, and advancing the recognition of women in the profession of law. She is truly grateful to live in Colorado and enjoys exploring the outdoors with her family.