About Damian J. Arguello, Insurance Lawyer & Expert Witness
Unparalleled Insurance Expertise
I’m Damian J. Arguello, an experienced insurance lawyer and expert witness. My mission is to help insurance consumers maximize the value of their insurance contract assets through counseling, advocacy, and education. I help businesses, insurance agents and brokers, and other lawyers solve insurance problems.
Read my full CV via the link at the bottom of this page. Also, please check out my blog Insurance at Altitude.
Three Decades of Unique Insurance Industry Experience
- I've worked in and around the insurance industry continuously since high school
- I was the claims manager at a top-20 insurance brokerage for eight years
- I was also the brokerage's errors & omissions risk manager
- I'm a former multi-line claims adjuster
- I helped lead the claims re-engineering project for a major insurance company, working with consultants from the prestigious consulting firm McKinsey & Company
- I'm an adjunct professor of insurance law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law
- I am a former faculty member for the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research
Broad and Deep Experience in Insurance Law
- I have practiced insurance law almost exclusively since law school
- I have represented clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to working-class individuals
- I have helped resolve insurance problems ranging from billion-dollar class action asbestos lawsuits and environmental liabilities to individual homeowners claims
- I have represented business clients from a broad range of industries including construction, energy, real estate, financial services, professional services, and manufacturing
- I work with insurance agents and brokers to help their business clients as well as to help agents and brokers with the unique legal issues they face
Recent Publications
- “Chapter 10 – Environmental Insurance,” Regulation of Colorado Real Property, Continuing Legal Education in Colorado, Inc. (3d ed. 2021) (contributing editor/author)
- “Insurtech in Underwriting and Claims Processing,” The Brief, ABA TIPS, Vol. 50. No. 2 (Winter 2021)
- “Insurer Bound by Agent’s Representation of Additional Insured Status in Certificate of Insurance,” Colorado Insurance News (November 2019)
- “Hail No! Your Insurance May Not Cover Water Damage from Hail Accumulation,” Colorado Insurance News (September 2019)
- “Insurance Coverage for Cryptocurrency Risks – Not Cryptic but Not Settled,” Law Week Colorado (August 5, 2019, reprinted with permission in CBA Business Law Section Newsletter, September 2019)
- “E-Scooters Are Everywhere Now, but Insurance Coverage for Riders Is Nowhere,” ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, Vol. 54 Issue 2 (July 2019, reprinted with permission in Insurance Research Letter, Vol. 22, No. 8, August 2019)
- “Colorado Supreme Court: Prejudgment Interest Applies to Garnishment Awards,” Law Week Colorado, December 17, 2018
Recent Presentations and Speaking Engagements
- Expert Ethics Entanglements: Avoiding Ethics Problems with Experts, CBA Solo-Small Firm Institute, June 16, 2021
- A Deep Dive into the Duty to Defend, CBA Insurance Committee Community Forum (March 23, 2021)
- Expert Ethics Entanglements: Avoiding Ethics Problems with Experts, LexVid Services, Inc. (recorded December 21, 2020)
- Implications of the Differing Roles of Insurer-Assigned Defense Counsel and the Policyholder’s Personal Counsel in Mediation, CBA-CLE 14th Annual Colorado ADR Conference (October 27, 2020)
- Professionalism and Expert Witnesses — Best Practices for Keeping You and Your Expert on the Right Side of the Ethical Line, While Still Advancing Your Client’s Very Best Case, 2020 CBA Litigators Summit (September 25, 2020) (Moderator and Panelist)
- Insurance and COVID-19, CBA Business Law Institute (September 9, 2020)
- Business Interruption Insurance and COVID-19, Better Business Boost Webinar, Better Business Bureau serving Greater Denver and Central Colorado (July 9, 2020)
- Cybersecurity Coverage Issues, CBA-CLE COVID-19 Insurance Coverage Issues Webcast (June 26, 2020)
- Independent Coverage Counsel aka Personal Counsel in Litigation Matters, Lunch with LawBank (June 24, 2020)
- Protecting Your Client’s Business Income, CBA-CLE Colorado Solo-Small Firm Institute (June 11-12, 2020) (On-Demand)
- Business Interruption Insurance and COVID-19, LawBank (May 18, 2020)
- Good Robot/Bad Robot: Does Insurtech in Underwriting and Claims Processing Help or Hurt the Insurance Consumer?, American Bar Association, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee 2020 Midyear Conference (February 20, 2020)
- The Red-Headed Stepchild: The Crucial but Overlooked Role of Insurance Contracts in Business, LawBank (December 3, 2019)
- Good Robot/Bad Robot: Does Insurtech in Underwriting and Claims Processing Help or Hurt the Insurance Consumer?, American Bar Association, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee 2020 Midyear Conference, February 20, 2020
- The Red-Headed Stepchild: The Crucial but Overlooked Role of Insurance Contracts in Business, LawBank, December 3, 2019
- Learning to Love Insurance Cases, 13th Annual Colorado Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Conference, October 31, 2019 (with Jennifer Arnett and Jeff Kichaven)
- The Red-Headed Stepchild: The Crucial but Overlooked Role of Insurance Contracts in Business, Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, June 27, 2019
- Ethics: Fee Arrangements & Ethical Obligations, University of Denver Sturm College of Law Venture Law Society’s Second Annual Venture Law Summit, March 29, 2019
- The Red-Headed Stepchild: The Crucial but Overlooked Role of Insurance Contracts in Business, Colorado Hispanic Bar Association membership meeting & CLE, March 22, 2019
- Gimme Some Credit! Credit Risk Insurance Coverage Issues, American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Midyear Meeting, February 22, 2019
- Overcoming Hurdles to Insurance Recovery for Legacy Environmental Site Clean-ups, Colorado Bar Association Environmental Law Section, December 18, 2018
Awards & Recognition
- Colorado Super Lawyers – Insurance Coverage Litigation (2018 – Present)
- Best Lawyers in America, Insurance Law, Litigation—Insurance (2018 – present)
- Tier 1 Colorado “Best Law Firm” in Insurance Law, U.S. News—Best Lawyers (2019 – Present)
- Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Rated (2014 – Present)
- 5280 Magazine Top Lawyer (2021 – 2022)
- Barrister’s Best “Best Insurance Lawyer for Plaintiffs,” Law Week Colorado (2017, 2020)
- International Advisory Experts Award: Insurance (Colorado) (2020)
- Top Latino Lawyer, Latino Leaders Magazine (2017 – 2020)
- Monte Pascoe Denver Civic Leadership Award (2019)
- Colorado Super Lawyers Rising Star – Insurance Coverage Litigation (2013 – 2014)
- AVVO Rating 10/10
Top-Quality Legal Experience
- Former partner at the venerable law firm Davis Graham & Stubbs LLP
- Formerly Of Counsel at insurance recovery firm Levin Sitcoff PC
Education
- JD, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2004 (Law Review, Chancellor's Scholar, 5 Academic Achievement Awards)
- BS, University of Denver Daniels College of Business, 1990 (with Honors)
Bar Associations
- American Bar Association (Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section)
- American Association for Justice (Insurance Law Section)
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- Colorado Bar Association (Insurance Law Committee, Business Law Section, Litigation Section)
- Colorado Trial Lawyers Association
- Colorado Hispanic Bar Association
- Denver Bar Association
- Adams/Broomfield Bar Association
- Hispanic National Bar Association
Professional Associations & Memberships
- American Association of Insurance Management Consultants
- Insurance Expert Network
My Passions
I'm a Colorado native who returned to Denver in 2000 after working in the insurance industry around the country, including in Chicago, NYC, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque.
Having grown up in Colorado, I enjoy hiking and skiing in the mountains, camping, and fishing. I also enjoy traveling, reading, exercise, and good movies.
I care deeply about my community. In July 2019, I was honored to receive the Monte Pascoe Civic Leadership Award from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce in recognition of my years of community service work.
Without the generosity and mentorship of others, I would never have had the opportunity to help others by practicing law. So, I try to give back through organizations that provide educational opportunities to socioeconomically disadvantaged children.
Currently, I serve on the board of directors of the Denver Urban Debate League, whose mission is to improve educational and life outcomes for disadvantaged students by providing opportunities to learn and achieve through competitive debate. Please visit the DUDL website here.
What makes me stand out from other insurance lawyers
I'm a former insurance industry "insider" who worked for over a decade in the insurance industry before law school. I have handled or supervised thousands of insurance claims, and reviewed thousands more.
I have also worked with other experienced claims adjusters and consultants from McKinsey & Company to develop and implement best practices for handling claims. I was also the claims manager and errors & omissions risk manager for a top-20 insurance brokerage.
I think insurance plays a vital role in our daily lives and our economy. However, insurance companies can and should hold themselves to high standards because they are entrusted with helping people recover from catastrophes.
I'm reminded of the character Katsumoto from the film The Last Samurai. Katsumoto was a fictional samurai who led a rebellion against the emperor. Katsumoto saw the rebellion as being in service of the emperor, specifically to preserve Japanese culture during Japan's modernization in the late 1800s.
That's how I see my role. I may oppose insurance companies in negotiations and lawsuits. But ultimately, I help insurance companies keep their promises to policyholders and make the industry better. Lawsuits by policyholder attorneys like me have led to the refinement of insurance policies and the development of entire new lines of insurance, like employment practices liability and cyber coverage.
Recognition
