Biography

Kimberly Steele concentrates her practice in the area of complex commercial insurance disputes, including matters relating to insurance coverage disputes, extra-contractual claims, disputes between excess and primary carriers and disputes between insurance and reinsurance companies.  She has  provided coverage advice, litigated and/or appealed matters arising out of a wide variety of insurance policies, including general liability, commercial property, homeowners, automobile, specialty lines, workers' compensation, directors and officers liability, and reinsurance.  Ms. Steele also practices in the area of environmental and toxic tort litigation. 

Memberships & Honors

Ms. Steele is admitted to practice in Texas (1990) and the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. She is a member of the Dallas Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the State Bar of Texas.

Ms. Steele currently serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Texas Insurance Law, the quarterly publication of the State Bar of Texas' Insurance Law Section which summarizes recent decisions in the area of Texas insurance law.  She also serves on the Council for the State Bar of Texas' Insurance Law Section - the section's governing body.

Ms. Steele also serves on the Planning Committee for the "Insurance Law Institute," an annual two-day conference sponsored by the Insurance Law Section of the Texas State Bar and the University of Texas School of Law.

Presentations & Publications

• "Texas Supreme Court Upholds Insurers' Use of Staff Counsel to Represent Insureds Absent Conflict of Interest," coauthor, Sedgwick Insurance Law Flash, April 4, 2008;
• "Contractual Indemnity and Additional Insureds," panelist at the State Bar of Texas - 5th Annual Advanced Insurance Law Course, March 2008;
• "Texas Supreme Court: Insurers Have No Duty to Notify Additional Insureds of Available Coverage," Sedgwick’s Insurance Law Update, March 2008;
• "Court Holds 'Surface Water' Exclusion Applies to Runoff Flowing Onto Raised Patio," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, February 2007;
• "Policy BuyBacks: The Perks and the Pitfalls," whitepaper coauthored by Sedgwick attorney Lisa Henderson, presented by Sedgwick attorney Neil Rambin at UTCLE Insurance Law Institute, October 2007;
• "Texas Supreme Court Receives Certified Questions On Late Notice, Duty Owed to Additional Insureds," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, October 2006;
• "Texas Appellate Court Finds Employer Not Liable for Pre-1972 Household Asbestos Exposure," Sedgwick's Sidebar Legal Bulletin, August 2006
• "Texas Supreme Court Affirms Extrinsic Evidence May Not Be Used to Assess Duty to Defend," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, July 2006;
• "Texas Supreme Court Rejects Extracontractual Damages for Delay in Paying Death Benefits," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, May 2006;
• "Texas Supreme Court Enforces Arbitration Provision Against Corporate Non-Signatories," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, April 2006;
• "Texas Supreme Court to Address Coverage for Faulty Workmanship and Scope of 'Prompt Pay Statute'," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, November 2005; 
• "California Limits Bad Faith Damages to Claims Handling," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, September 2004;
• "Insurer Right to Recover Defense Costs Affirmed," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, August 2004;
• "ERISA Preemption Confirmed, and More," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, July 2004;
• "Extra-Contractual Claims In Duty To Defend Cases In Texas," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, May 2004;
• "Evidence in Insurance Coverage Litigation," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, April 2004;
• "UM/UIM Arbitration," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, February 2004;
• "California Appellate Courts Interpret Law on Punitive Damages," Sedgwick's Insurance Law Update, December 2003;
• Co-author and speaker, "Comprehensive General Liability Manual," presented to Zurich Insurance Company, January, 2002;
• Co-author and speaker, "Aggressive Good Faith in Claims Handling: The Legal Dimensions," presented to Kemper Insurance Companies, March and September, 1998; 
• Co-author, "Insurance Coverage Opinions," 36 S. Texas Law Review 479 (1995).