Scott S. Nixon


Scott completed a Bachelor of Arts in business administration at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan in 1981 and moved west from his native Michigan to receive his law degree from the University of Denver College of Law in 1984. Scott joined Nixon Shefrin’s predecessor, Pryor, Carney & Johnson in 1983 as a law clerk, and has been privileged to practice with and learn from some of Colorado’s finest trial lawyers throughout his career.
Scott was elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 2016 and has been awarded the highest possible peer review rating of AV Preeminent from Martindale-Hubbell continuously since 1994. He has been recognized consistently by his peers as one of the best medical malpractice defense attorneys in Denver in the Colorado Super Lawyer (2007-2020) and 5280 Magazine Top Lawyer (2016-2020) publications, and was presented with the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association CTLA Professionalism Award in 2019. Colorado Law Week recognized Scott as its choice for Barrister’s Best Medical Malpractice Defense lawyer in 2020.
Scott’s practice emphasizes defense of medical professionals and institutions, including physicians, oral surgeons, dentists, nurses, physician assistants, hospitals, managed care groups and HMO’s in civil litigation in state and federal court, and in disciplinary and regulatory matters before state licensing Boards. He also represents public institutions and employees in health care, correctional care and civil rights cases involving claims brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act. Scott also lectures to groups of health care professionals and medical students on topics related to medical/legal liability and risk management practices. He is admitted to practice in all Colorado state and federal courts and has been designated Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Colorado on an ad hoc basis.
Scott’s cases that appear in the published legal reporters include May Dept. Stores Co. vs. University Hills, Inc., 787 P.2d 434 (Colo. App. 1989), cert. denied March 12, 1990; Villalobos vs. Heidelberger Druckmaschien A.G., 859 F.Supp 1355 (D. Colo. 1994); Evans vs. Colorado Permanente Medical Group, P.C., 902 P.2d 867 (Colo. App. 1995); Colorado Permanente Medical Group, P.C., vs. Evans, 926 P.2d 1218 (Colo. 1996); Hartman vs. Middleton, 974 P.2d 1007 (Colo. App. 1998); Rowell vs. Clifford, 976 P.2d 363 (Colo. App. 1998); Vigil vs. Colorado Dept. of Higher Ed., Univ. of Colo. Health Sciences Center, 1999 U.S. App. LEXIS 13641; Hall vs. Levine, 104 P.3d 222 (Colo. 2005); Self vs. Crum, 439 F.3d 1227 (10th Cir. 2006), cert. denied, 127 S.Ct. 131; Villalpando vs. Denver Health & Hosp. Auth., 181 P.3d 357 (Colo. App. 2007); and Holley vs. Huang, 284 P.3d 81 (Colo. App. 2011).
An amateur musician since high school, when not practicing law, riding his bike or spending time with his family, Scott enjoys performing acoustic and electric music in a wide variety of genres from rock to bluegrass to traditional blues in solo, small group and full band combinations at venues throughout the state. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains and for the Mark K. Ulmer Memorial Native American Scholarship Foundation.
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