Earleen Cote is a shareholder in the Fort Lauderdale office and a member of the firm’s Executive Board. She is “AV” rated by Martindale-Hubbell and specializes in all aspects of personal injury defense with a primary focus on products liability, catastrophic damages cases and other high exposure tort defense matters involving significant injury and wrongful death.

Earleen is no stranger to the courtroom – – she has tried well over 150 cases to verdict in various jurisdictions throughout Florida. Her tremendous people skills not only enable her to convince juries of her client’s position, but these skills also have great influence on the talent she brings into the firm as the partner in charge of hiring. Earleen takes pride in recruiting the finest professional staff she can find while maintaining the firm’s diverse work force and upholding the core values the firm was founded on – – commitment, integrity and excellence.

Earleen is a Certified Continuing Education Instructor for the State of Florida and enjoys lecturing and presenting seminars to claims professionals and attorneys throughout the United States. She is a member of the Florida Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (FLABOTA), American Bar Association and Florida Association of Women Lawyers.

In addition to her skills in hiring and in the Courtroom Earleen has a special talent for conveying confidence and easing the concerns of her clients whether an individual or a large company who may not know what to expect and have fears about being dragged into litigation. Her calm common sense approach has paid off in excellent results in her 30+ years as a trial attorney.

Earleen is married and is the mother of two sons. She cites her mother’s influence as encouraging her to be the best she could be and as the major reason she chose to become a lawyer – – the first in her family.

• Automobile and Motorized Vehicles
• Bad Faith and Claims Handling Assistance
• Environmental
• First-Party Property: Personal and Commercial
• Hospitality and Retail
• Liquor Liability
• Premises Liability
• Presuit Settlement Assistance
• Products Liability
• Professional Liability

Education

• Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law (J.D., 1980)
• Florida Atlantic University (B.A., 1978)

• State of Florida 1981
• U. S. District Court, Southern District of Florida 1981

• Kubicki Draper First Party Practice Group, Member
• Kubicki Draper Pre-Suit Practice Group, Member
• Kubicki Draper Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Co-Chair
• Florida Bar Association
• Florida Association of Women Lawyers
• American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Florida Chapter (FLABOTA)
• Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM), Member

• Certified Continuing Education Instructor, State of Florida

• “AV Preeminent” Rating by Martindale-Hubbell
• Named, Florida Super Lawyer, Personal Injury Defense Practice Area (2007)
• Advocate, American Board of Trial Advocates (2006)
• Listed, Florida’s “Legal Elite” by Florida Trend Magazine (2005)

• “Premises Liability Update,” Sedgwick, 2023
• “The New Knew or Should have Known: Slippery Substances and Recent Impacts On Motion for Summary Judgment Standards,” Sedgwick, 2021
• “Social Media, Technology and Its Use in Claims Handling,” Sedgwick, 2020
• “Florida 5-Hour Law and Ethics Update,” CNA, 2019
• “Florida 5-Hour Law and Ethics Update,” GEICO, 2018
• “Florida 5-Hour Law and Ethics Update,” Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc. – Ft. Lauderdale 10th Annual CE Event, 2018
• “Proposals for Settlement,” CNA, 2018
• “Florida 5-Hour Law and Ethics Update,” Sedgwick, 2017
• “Social Media and Good Faith Handling,” GEICO, 2017
• “Proposals for Settlement,” CNA, 2016
• “Florida 5-Hour Law and Ethics Update,” GEICO, 2016
• “Risk Allocation: Contractual Indemnification, “Insured Contract” Coverage and “Additional Insured” Coverage & Restaurant and Fast Food Liability,” CJW, 2015
• “Staged Accidents,” Allstate, 2015
• “Florida 5-Hour Law and Ethics Update,” GEICO, 2015
• “Defending Difficult Medical Claims & Ethics for the Claims Professional,” CNA, 2015
• “Florida 5-Hour Law & Ethics Update,” Star & Shield, 2014
• “Florida 5-Hour Law & Ethics Update,” GEICO, 2014
• “Negotiating Small Limits, Trying Cases with an Excess Verdict, Mild Brian Traumatic Brain Injury, Ethics, Alcohol, Cell phones & the Law, Fraudulent Claims – Staged Accidents/Medical Coding, ” GEICO, 2014
• “Premises Liability and Fraudulent Claims,” Liberty Mutual, 2014
• “Negligent Security and Indemnity Clauses in Construction Contracts,” National Claim Services, 2014
• “Swimming Pool Liability, Premises Liability 2014 Update & FL Condo Law: First and Third Party Claims,” CJW, 2014
• “Ethics for the Claims Professional, Negligent Security and SIU: Tips & Tactics,” CNA, 2013
• “Desperately Seeking Summary Judgment: Strategies in Premises Liability Cases” & Ethics for the Claims Professional,” Kubicki Draper Claims Management Conference, 2012
• “Products Liability,” Kubicki Draper Claims Management Conference, 2010
• “Products Liability Hot Topics Defense Strategies” & “Negotiating Small Limits with Multiple Claims,” Kubicki Draper Claims Management Conference, 2009