Kimberly Steele

Full Profile

Leah Kimberly (Kim) Steele has more than 30 years of experience effectively resolving and litigating complex insurance disputes and other commercial matters, 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 and successfully 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 officer’s liability, and reinsurance.

Kim has successfully defended and prosecuted many insurance coverage and bad faith lawsuits, having achieved a number of summary judgment victories in cases involving first-party and third-party claims. She also counsels insurers and reinsurers on policy drafting and interpretation, appraisal issues and the avoidance of bad faith. She also represents clients in a variety of commercial and contractual disputes, as well as various healthcare matters. Such matters include discrimination cases, breach of contract claims, commercial health plan network disputes and healthcare payor-provider disputes.

Kim is a former past chair of the Insurance Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. As chair of the Section, Kim governed with the other Insurance Law Section officers and council members while working toward the future growth and improvement of the Section. The State Bar of Texas Insurance Law Section is an official, sanctioned section of the State Bar of Texas, consisting of approximately 2,000 members. The Section promotes the understanding and development of Texas insurance law by providing high quality educational resources to the bench, bar and public and by promoting collegiality among those with an interest in insurance law. 

Kim is a fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel (ACCC), the preeminent association who represent the interests of insurers and policyholders in disputes arising out of insurance policies. She served for several years as the editor in-chief of The State Bar of Texas Insurance Law Section’s Journal of Texas Insurance Law and was responsible for the content, editing and publication of the Section’s quarterly Journal, as well as the other publications of the Section.

Admissions

• Texas

• US District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas

Education

• J.D., Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, 1990

• B.S., magna cum laude, Southern Methodist University, 1986

Memberships

• State Bar of Texas — Insurance Law Section:

  • Past chair, 2016-2017

  • Executive Board — past treasurer, secretary and chair-elect, 2013-2015

• Dallas Bar Association

• College of the State Bar of Texas

• Insurance Law Institute: Served on the planning committee for the Advanced Insurance Law course and annual conferences sponsored by the Insurance Law Section of the Texas State Bar, University of Texas School of Law and Texas Bar CLE

Experience

• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a carrier in a bad faith lawsuit seeking coverage for foundation movement resulting from a pipe break
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of carrier in a bad faith lawsuit seeking coverage for hail damage under a commercial property policy
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of carrier in a declaratory judgment action regarding coverage under a homeowners’ insurance policy for an underlying lawsuit alleging defamation
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of carrier in a bad faith lawsuit seeking coverage under a commercial general liability policy for an underlying lawsuit alleging defective construction of a condominium
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of carrier in a declaratory judgment action seeking coverage as an additional insured under a commercial general liability policy
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of carrier in a declaratory judgment action by a municipality seeking coverage under a public entity liability policy
• Obtained summary judgment and an award of costs on behalf of carrier in a bad faith lawsuit seeking coverage under a commercial general liability policy for an underlying lawsuit alleging commercial property damage due to Hurricane Ike
• Member of successful trial team representing large national personal and commercial property carriers in bad faith suits involving coverage for catastrophic storm damage

Presentations

• "Litigating Appraisal, Beyond Hurricane Ike, Appraisal Has a Life of its Own,” 17th Annual Insurance Law Institute, presented by the Insurance Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and the University of Texas, Austin, Texas, October 2012
• “Coverage Opinions: the Strategies Behind Them and the Characteristics of Thoughtfully Drafted Opinion Letters,” 15th Annual Insurance Law Institute, State Bar of Texas, Austin, October 2010

Publications

• Co-Author, Insurance Coverage Opinions, 36 S. Tex. L. Rev. 479 (April 1995). RP 44 Defense Law 591 (1995). RP 8 Nat’l Ins. L. Rev. 79
• Author, Appraisal in the New World Order, Journal of Texas Insurance Law, Spring 2013