Kristine Sorenson focuses her practice on insurance coverage analysis and litigation. What differentiates Kristine from other coverage lawyers is that she combines her understanding of the legal issues involved in a coverage dispute with an appreciation of the business concerns of her insurance industry clients. Prior to entering law school, she worked in the industry for seven years as a personal lines underwriter. Well into her law practice, she gained even more “real world” experience by working for six months for a leading syndicate of Lloyd’s, London. During this period, Kristine advised claims personnel on various professional liability, general liability, and first-party property claims, and also counseled underwriters on insurance and reinsurance wordings. Equally valuable to her clients, however, is the insight that the experience provided into the challenges (legal and otherwise) faced by insurers on a day-to-day basis. Kristine fully understands that every dispute with a policyholder has both legal and business implications, and she counsels her clients accordingly.

Kristine’s litigation experience includes declaratory judgment and bad faith lawsuits, actions for rescission of insurance policies and revocation of binding authority agreements. Specific areas in which she has worked include:

• Defense of construction defect, premises liability, food poisoning and construction injury lawsuits throughout Texas.
• Defense of Hurricane Ike lawsuits against commercial property and homeowners insurers in Harris County, Texas,
• Analysis of coverage issues arising from general liability policies, including all phases of the duty to defend,
• Analysis of coverage issues arising from liquor liability claims,
• First-party property coverage cases, including settlement of a builder’s risk claim involving damage to a power plant and coverage issues arising from the vandalism/theft exclusion and the theft of copper from buildings,
• Analysis of coverage and rescission issues arising from material misrepresentations in the insurance application,
• UM/UIM claims,
• Analysis of coverage for professional liability claims,
• Analysis of coverage for claims against public and religious entities, including employment practices liability claims, discrimination and civil rights claims, immunity issues and first-party property claims.

In addition to her litigation practice, Kristine has analyzed and provided legal opinions on both manuscript and ISO wordings, and she has drafted all types of property and casualty insurance policies.

Kristine also has presented on a number of insurance topics, including issues arising from the duty to defend, valued policy laws, diversity jurisdiction for Lloyd’s syndicates and contractual liability claims under general liability policies. Kristine has also conducted deposition and litigation training with the firm’s insurance clients.