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 and coverage division. This group of specialists offer 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, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

In addition to rendering appellate services in all Florida appellate courts, our appellate and coverage division provides trial support to the firm's trial lawyers and to trial counsel outside the firm, including the preparation of memoranda of law, jury instructions and verdict forms, and careful development of the appellate record.

We also offer our clients full insurance coverage services including the prosecution or defense of declaratory coverage suits in the state and federal courts, and detailed insurance coverage opinion letters upon which our clients can base their close coverage decisions. The legal writing and analytical 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.

Kubicki Draper’s appellate and coverage division includes six shareholders, three of whom are Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Appellate Practice and each of whom is a seasoned and well-respected appellate attorney: G. William Bissett, Caryn Bellus, Michael Clarke, Sharon Degnan, Angela Flowers and Betsy Gallagher. Our appellate work, our insurance coverage analysis and our coverage litigation is not delegated to youthful associates; rather, this work receives close collaboration among experienced practitioners.

Finally, our appellate and coverage division provides extensive seminar services to the firm’s 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.

SHAREHOLDERS

G. William Bissett has over twenty-five years of appellate experience and has handled in excess of 130 appeals. Mr. Bissett has appeared before the Florida Supreme Court, all five district courts of appeal and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Additionally, Mr. Bissett has authored the Florida Law Section of the nationally published Tort Law Desk Reference: A Fifty State Compendium (Aspen Publishers).

Caryn Bellus is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Appellate Practice and has handled hundreds of appeals. Ms. Bellus is the Chair of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association’s Amicus Curiae Committee. She is also the Treasurer/Secretary of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar.

Michael Clarke is a seasoned appellate practitioner 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. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Trial Advocate Quarterly (a publication of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association) and has authored several articles appearing in that publication.

Sharon Degnan is a Board Certified appellate lawyer offering considerable appellate experience and has appeared in every Florida appellate court. She is a member of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar and has written various articles. She is currently the Editor of firm’s magazine, the Kubicki Draper Quarterly.

Betsy Gallagher has twenty-seven years of appellate and trial experience throughout the state. She presently serves on the Executive Council of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar and 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).

Angela Flowers is also a Board Certified appellate lawyer and has hundreds of appellate decisions to her credit in all areas of civil practice. Ms. Flowers currently the Chair of the Florida Bar's Appellate Certification Committee. She is a former Chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Florida Bar, and former member of the Florida Bar's Appellate Court Rules Committee.

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