Expertise Profile
Kenzo Kawanabe is a commercial litigator who represents clients in a variety of matters relating to contract disputes, business torts, products liability, eminent domain, and intellectual property concerns. Clients include natural resources corporations, as well as various manufacturers. He is Deputy Chair of the Trial Group, and serves on the DGS Executive Committee.
Mr. Kawanabe has earned an AV® rating from Martindale-Hubbell, indicating very high to preeminent legal ability and very high ethical standards. He is recommended in litigation by Chambers and Partners, and is recognized by Colorado Super Lawyers (Top 50). He teaches at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.
Pro bono work includes representing clients with Constitutional education claims for increased resources in public schools, and successfully representing African refugees in their asylum claims. Mr. Kawanabe is involved with various community organizations. In addition to his pro bono work, he is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Denver Foundation, one of the nation’s oldest and largest community foundations, that distributes tens of millions of dollars every year. He is Board Chair of the Colorado Lawyers Committee, a consortium of 50 law firms dedicated to assisting children, the poor, and other disadvantaged groups. He also is involved with Rose Community Foundation Education Committee, Colorado Legal Aid Foundation Law Firm Committee and Colorado Non-Profit Development Center Board.
Prior to joining the firm, he served as a law clerk from 1997 to 1998 for the Honorable Mary J. Mullarkey, Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. While pursuing his law degree at Georgetown University Law Center, Mr. Kawanabe was a Notes and Comments Editor of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal. In the spring of 1997, he attended Temple University Japan in Tokyo where he studied Japanese law. Mr. Kawanabe also was a Boettcher Scholar at the University of Colorado.
Mr. Kawanabe is a member of the American Bar Association, Colorado Bar Association (past Board of Governors & Bar Fellow), Denver Bar Association (past Board and Executive Committee), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (first-ever General Counsel), Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Colorado (past President and Foundation President), and Minoru Yasui Inn of Court.
Noteworthy Cases
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Coordinated defense team that performed discovery and expert work with regard to hundreds of plaintiffs who lived in multiple jurisdictions, as part of a nationwide mass tort litigation against a pharmaceutical company.
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Successfully defended NYSE company against false advertising, breach of contract and conspiracy claims, and obtained full defense verdict in a six-day jury trial.
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Obtained dismissal of various IP claims (including patent infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, and unfair competition) brought by patent licensee against manufacturer of high performance structures to attenuate noise generating equipment.
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Successfully defended MIM manufacturer against a multi-million dollar injunction action.
Favorably settled $19 million shareholder derivative lawsuit regarding a technology corporation.
Represented various natural resources corporations in numerous matters including eminent domain, SEC inquiries, and royalty litigation.
Recognition and Awards
Martindale-Hubbell AV® Rating
Chambers & Partners: Litigation
Colorado Super Lawyers (Top 50)
2009 Denver Mayor’s Pascoe Civic Leadership Award
2005 Denver Bar Foundation Davis Award
2003 NAPABA Best Lawyers Under 40 Education Georgetown University - 1997 - J.D.
University of Colorado - 1994 - B.A.
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