Since 2000, Jane E. Young has worked as a full-time attorney at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and has remained an active member of the Colorado and Denver Area Bar Associations. Recently named partner at her firm, Young primarily focuses her attention on legal practice areas such as insurance litigation and insurance law. Listed with Best Lawyers® since 2019, Young is currently being recognized as 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for Litigation – Insurance in Denver.
“I was honored to have been considered for Denver, Colorado “Lawyer of the Year” in Insurance Litigation. This is particularly significant to me given all the excellent insurance lawyers in Colorado, and the fact that some of my best accomplishments in recent memory have been working with these colleagues to resolve the cases that needed to be resolved. Litigating cases is interesting and challenging—handling discovery, taking depositions and defending clients in depositions is all great work—but sometimes, the best thing we can do for clients is settle the cases that need to be settled and work with the other side to get that done.”
In addition to representing her clients in a variety of insurance disputes, Young has also devoted much of her time giving back to the community. Over the last few years, Young has instructed a few select courses at CLM’s Claims College in Baltimore, Maryland, providing young legal professionals with some key insight into the innerworkings of the industry.
“The students are often young insurance professionals or risk managers, and they learn about different types of insurance and insurance claims handling. It has been a great way for me to meet new lawyers and insurance professionals across the country who do the kind of work that I do, continue to learn myself and also help younger professionals learn and grow in their careers. I love being a part of something that is helping the younger generations in my field.”
“The most rewarding aspect of what I do is working with people—clients, co-counsel, opposing counsel or young professionals coming into the field—then getting to know them and learning from them,” Young explained. “As a young lawyer myself, I was often quick to respond and usually rather hastily. I have learned over the years to think more circumspectly and then respond. Now more often than not, I gain a better result in doing so. Thoroughness is equally important. You need to read more than the headnote in a case, you need to read the entire case. The law itself is challenging because the law is changing all the time, yet grey areas of the law are a challenge that requires particular focus. The end goal always is to help our clients learn and adapt as the law changes, but also counsel our clients on what the law does not say.”
