Otteson Shapiro LLP

10 Best Lawyers awards

Otteson Shapiro LLP logo

Awarded Practice Areas

Insurance Law

Biography

Stephen Shapiro, senior counsel and co-founder, is based in Otteson Shapiro’s Denver office. He provides clients and the firm’s insurance recovery team with insights that help guide strategy, including litigation support, personal counsel representation and mediations. With more than 30 years of experience as an insurance coverage and bad faith lawyer, Steve is well respected among defense and coverage counsel, and his peers. His reputation is justified by his focus on working toward a solution and his trial experience where he effectively influences judges and juries.

Steve’s practice focuses on representing policyholders, construction professionals, developers, financial institutions and business enterprises. He has extensive experience securing insurance benefits for policyholders, including construction-defect, professional liability, builder’s risk, property and casualty, directors and officers, errors and omissions, employment liability, cyber coverage and title insurance. Steve successfully expanded policyholder rights under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. He also handles construction and contract disputes, and has litigated cases at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts, as well as arbitration and alternative dispute resolution. Prior to entering private practice, he served as a law clerk on the Colorado Court of Appeals.

Otteson Shapiro LLP

10 Best Lawyers awards

Otteson Shapiro LLP logo

Overview

  • Creighton University, J.D. cum laude, graduated 1983
  • University of Northern Colorado, BS, graduated 1980

  • Colorado, United States
  • Colorado, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Tenth Circuit
  • Colorado, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado

  • American Bar Association - Member
  • Colorado Bar Association - Member
  • University of Northern Colorado Foundation - Board of Directors

  • Colorado - Court of Appeals
  • Colorado, United States
  • Colorado, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Tenth Circuit
  • Colorado, U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • Colorado Bar Association - Member
  • University of Northern Colorado Foundation - Board of Directors
  • Creighton University, J.D. cum laude, graduated 1983
  • University of Northern Colorado, BS, graduated 1980
  • Colorado - Court of Appeals

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2026 for work in:
  • Insurance Law
Additional Areas of Practice:
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Litigation - Banking and Finance
Awards:
  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating with Martindale-Hubbell®
  • 5280 magazine, Top Lawyers award, "Insurance" category, 2017-2019
  • Colorado Super Lawyers® 2010-2020: Insurance Coverage, Business Litigation, Construction Litigation: Business.
  • The Best Lawyers in America© 2013-2021: Insurance Law
  • Top Rated Lawyers™ in Litigation 2016, 2018 by The American Lawyer magazine and Martindale-Hubbell®
  • Barrister’s Best “People’s Choice” 2016, 2018, 2019 by Law Week Colorado: “Best Insurance Lawyer for Plaintiffs”

Case History

Cases
  • Showpiece Homes Corporation v. Assurance Company of America
This was a case of first impression in Colorado. Prior to Showpiece, there had been a split at the trial court level in both the state and federal courts in Colorado regarding the applicability of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act to unfair claims settlement practices by insurers.
  • Ovation Plumbing, Inc. v. Daryl D. Furton
Colorado appellate court recognized for the first time the tort of unfair business competition. The Ovation court also affirmed the largest jury verdict that had been rendered in the El Paso County District Court in 1999.

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