Attorneys

MELISSA KAMIN

Senior Associate

Los Angeles, Marina Del Rey, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, Van Nuys

fax: +1 916 880 5339

Ms. Kamin has been practicing workers’ compensation law since 2014. She has focused her practice exclusively on workers’ compensation defense. Prior to practicing law, she spent seven years as a claims examiner for two of the largest insurers in California; Progressive and Farmers Insurance.

Her legal career started at a small boutique firm in Sherman Oaks, where she learned workers’ compensation by handling some of the most complex cases in the industry; entertainment cases involving Coltharp and Western Growers issues. On weekends, she and her now husband, would attend in-person workers’ compensation law seminars taught by local judges to gain a mastery of workers’ compensation law.

Just prior to joining Wintersteen | Casarez, Ms. Kamin worked at a 100+ attorney defense firm where she was counsel to a diverse portfolio of insurers and self-insurers, from small employers to large corporations like Amazon and Kaiser Hospitals. During this time, she focused on developing her medical-legal knowledge by attending virtual seminars taught by industry QMEs and AMEs, on a regular basis. This had a two-fold result as she was also able to gain familiarity with the methodology and thought-process of doctors who often appear on QME panel lists in her day to day work. Most recently, Ms. Kamin took an interest in traumatic brain injury cases, and learned everything there is to know about defending against these invisible, high-exposure workplace injuries.

Ms. Kamin obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from the Colleges of Law- Ventura Campus while concurrently working full-time as a claims examiner. To her surprise, she excelled at Contract Law and received top honors in the subject as well as a Witkin Award for Academic Excellence. With a passion for debate and public speaking, she knew from a young age that she wanted to practice law.

Outside of work, Ms. Kamin enjoys spending time with her husband, two young children, and two French bulldogs, taking advantage of all that coastal Ventura County has to offer. This includes beach days, drives to Ojai Valley or shopping in Santa Barbara. A digital artist and creative personality at her core, she considers herself a skilled photographer with an eye for visual design. She also immensely enjoys the art of legal writing. En route to court, she enjoys listening to true-crime podcasts. If there is a major criminal trial being telecast, you can count on Ms. Kamin to have her finger on the pulse of the proceedings.