APPELLATE AND INSURANCE COVERAGE

Since the firm's founding in 1963, we have taken pride not only in our excellent trial lawyers, but also in the superior appellate and insurance services we provide through our appellate/coverage division. This group of specialists offers our clients the legal insight and practical experience born of literally thousands of appeals and insurance declaratory actions litigated in virtually every court in Florida.

Our firm handles appeals in every appellate court in Florida, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, before which all seven of our firm's appellate lawyers are certified to practice. In addition to rendering appellate services, the appellate/coverage division provides trial support to the firm's trial lawyers, whether in preparation of memoranda or jury instructions, or in careful development of the appellate record.

We also offer our clients full insurance services: prosecution or defense of declaratory coverage suits in the state and federal courts, and insurance coverage analyses expressed in opinion letters upon which our insurance clients may base their close coverage decisions. The analytic and writing skills from which our appellate successes derive are the same tools that allow us to provide superior service to our insurance clients, whether in the context of coverage analysis or coverage litigation.

The firm's appellate/coverage division is comprised entirely of a team of seasoned appellate lawyers: Angela Flowers, Betsy Gallagher, Caryn Bellus, Sharon Degnan , Michael Clarke, Maria Kayanan, and G. William Bissett.  Each is well-respected by his or her peers.  Our appellate work, our insurance coverage analysis and our coverage litigation are not delegated to youthful associates; rather, this work receives close collaboration among experienced practitioners.

Angela Flowers, a Board Certified appellate lawyer, has hundreds of appellate decisions to her credit in all areas of civil practice.  Ms. Flowers is also the former Chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar, currently Chair of the Florida Bar's Appellate Certification Committee, and former member of the Florida Bar's Appellate Court Rules Committee.  Betsy Gallagher has twenty-seven years of appellate and trial experience throughout the state.  She is presently on the Executive Council of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar, serves on the Florida Bar's Appellate Court Rules Committee and is Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Trial Advocate Quarterly (the publication of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association). 

Caryn Bellus is also an extremely seasoned Board Certified appellate lawyer who serves on the Executive Council of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar.  Ms. Bellus is currently the Chair of the Publications Committee of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar.  Sharon Degnan  is also a Board Certified appellate lawyer offering considerable appellate experience.  Ms. Degnan has appeared in every Florida appellate court.  The division is rounded out by Michael C. Clarke  who has honed his analytical and appellate skills by handling hundreds of trial and appellate cases in every civil area from insurance coverage disputes to veterinary malpractice claims.

Finally, the appellate/coverage division provides extensive seminar services to its insurance clients on topics of interest in Florida tort law and insurance practice, and is actively involved in the development of the tort and insurance law of Florida, whether in the legislative or judicial context.