Stephen Pate, member of the firm’s Global Insurance Department, has been named an advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a national association of experienced trial lawyers and judges dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The main purpose of the association is to foster improvement in the ethical and technical standards of practice in the field of advocacy.

An invitation-only organization, ABOTA members  have at least five years of active experience as trial lawyers, tried at least 10 civil jury trials to conclusion and possess additional litigation experience. A member of ABOTA since 2005, Stephen has been elevated to an advocate, which means he has had at least eight years of active experience as a trial lawyer and as a member of the bar of the state in which he practices, and has tried a minimum of 50 civil jury trials to a jury verdict.

Stephen focuses his litigation practice on property insurance matters, directors and officers insurance matters, business interruption issues, CGL insurance matters, builders risk matters, commercial general liability insurance disputes, fraud, and various other extracontractual litigation matters. Over a 30 year career in coverage work, he has tried more than 45 first-party extracontractual cases to verdict. Since 2006, he has also been recognized by Chamber and Partners USA in Insurance-Texas. Stephen is also a member of the American Law Institute, the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, and Law360's Editorial Advisory Boards: Insurance. Stephen received his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Vanderbilt University. Stephen earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.