John P. Craver has been a shareholder at White and Steele since 1987 and was president of White and Steele from 2009-2017. His trial experience covers numerous areas of civil litigation, and he has tried approximately 60 jury trials. He began his practice primarily as a workers’ compensation lawyer defending employers and insurance companies. During the past twenty years, John has focused his practice in the area of insurance bad faith.
John has frequently lectured and also testified as an expert witness in coverage and extra-contractual claims. John has demonstrated an ability to control damages in catastrophic cases. In the last few years, John has successfully defended cases involving death, paralysis, drunk driving, and insurance bad faith. He has spoken for continuing legal education programs in Colorado, Wyoming, and nationally on claim handling. He has advised insurance companies in regard to claims practices and handling. In recent years, John has litigated several multi-million-dollar exposure cases on behalf of large personal and commercial line carriers. He has also been involved with several high public profile cases.
John also offers services as a neutral mediator or arbitrator.
In June of 2005, John was honored as one of three finalists to the Best of the Bar, Personal Injury Defense by the Denver Business Journal and Denver Bar Association. He has also been recognized as a Colorado Super Lawyer for the past 17 years and 5280 Magazine for the past 7 as a top injury defense lawyer.
Michael J. Daugherty was born in Arcadia, California.
Mike joined White and Steele in 1987 and became a shareholder in 1996. His practice focuses on representation of individuals and businesses in both risk management and litigation in Colorado state and federal courts. His broad litigation experience includes the defense of both insureds and self-insured businesses in all types of casualty claims including wrongful death claims, automobile litigation, premises liability, UM/UIM claims, matters related to the hospitality and food and beverage industry, liquor liability, and sports and recreation.
Kevin grew up in Ocean City, Maryland. He attended Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. Kevin went on to attend law school at the University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law in Richmond, Virginia, where he received his J.D., Cum Laude.
Prior to joining White and Steele, Kevin was a partner of a general practice litigation firm in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he focused on the representation of businesses and individuals in a wide variety of civil matters, with particular emphasis on providing his clients with effective guidance through litigation. Kevin has represented clients in significant and high-exposure matters across the country, including advising on such issues as recreational liability defense, personal injuries and wrongful death claims, premises liability, product liability, real property disputes, business litigation, construction defect claims, employment matters, and civil rights actions.
Kevin joined White and Steele as Of Counsel in April 2024, and continues his active litigation practice. Kevin regularly represents clients in all his practice areas. In connection with his defense of clients against recreational liability claims and his representation of clients within the ski industry, Kevin was accepted for membership into the Association of Ski Defense Attorneys in 2020 and was elected to serve on its Board of Directors in 2024.
Kevin has been named to “Super Lawyers” Rising Stars list from 2015-2024. Kevin was named to “America’s Top 100 Attorneys” in 2017. Kevin was accepted for membership in the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) in 2024.
John Lebsack has been a lawyer at White and Steele since his admission to the bar in 1979. His practice comprises a wide variety of defense litigation, with an emphasis on appeals, coverage disputes, and professional liability. John has argued appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the Colorado Supreme Court, and the Colorado Court of Appeals. He has tried cases in state courts throughout the Front Range as well as Federal court in Denver. John advises lawyers on ethical issues, and serves as an expert witness on ethical and professional issues. For several years, John was an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School and taught the required course on legal ethics and professionalism.
In 2003 John Lebsack received the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association’s annual award to a member of the defense bar “for the highest standards of competency, ethics and professionalism.” He was a member of the Colorado Supreme Court Grievance Committee from 1995 to 1999 and was chair in 1998-1999. He was chair of the Colorado Appellate Discipline Commission in 1999-2000. For many years he served on the Colorado Supreme Court’s panel of hearing board members who decide attorney discipline cases. In 2006-2007 John was chair of the Ethics Committee of the Colorado Bar Association. From 2011 through 2017, John was a member of the Committee on Conduct, United States District Court for the District of Colorado, and served as chair of that committee in 2013-2014. Since 2017, John has been a member of the Colorado Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee, which makes recommendations to the court about changes to the rules of procedure that govern all civil cases in the state.
Kenneth L. Levinson entered the practice of law in January, 1979. After 45 years at his prior firm, he joined White and Steele, P.C. in August, 2024. His practice emphasizes the defense of malpractice cases involving professionals in the real estate, appraisal and insurance industries. He has been involved in more than a thousand litigated matters and has participated in numerous mediations. Mr. Levinson also has significant experience representing businesses, insurance carriers, homeowners associations, banks and credit unions, as well as many individual and corporate clients in a wide variety of matters. He has been a member of the Colorado Real Estate Commission’s Forms Committee since 2006. He has been listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who in the West and holds the prestigious AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell.
He is also a mystery writer, creator of the Adam Larsen series, currently consisting of eight eBook novels. He is the longstanding lead guitar player for the Denver Law Club and has written more than five hundred songs.
Dave J. Nowak was born in Passaic, New Jersey, and grew up in Wheaton, Illinois. He and his wife, Linda, live in Broomfield Colorado and have three children, Doug, Scott and Katlyn.
Dave joined White and Steele as an associate in 1983 and became a shareholder in 1989. He served on the firm’s Management Committee for 25 years and as president of White and Steele from 2018 - 2020. He has handled a variety of cases, with the focus on professional liability, product liability, and insurance law. He has represented physicians, nurses, hospitals and chiropractors in malpractice actions and licensing board complaints. He has defended drug manufacturers in federal court multi-district personal injury litigation. Dave has unique experience in mass toxic tort litigation as counsel for major asbestos manufacturers. He defends insurance carriers in first and third-party bad faith suits and their insureds in automobile accidents, premises liability, and other personal injury cases. He has several reported cases including Qwest v. Blood, 252 P.3d 1071 (Colo. 2011) where he successfully defended Xcel Energy in a landmark case involving a $40 million personal injury verdict against co-defendant Qwest.
Dave has tried cases in the Colorado and Wyoming Federal Courts, the Colorado State Courts, and has arbitrated a variety of cases.
Bernadette was born and raised in Colorado. She attended College at the University of Colorado at Denver, where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree, gradating Summa Cum Laude. She attended the University of Denver College of Law where she received her Juris Doctorate.
Prior to joining White and Steele, Bernadette was a shareholder at a Denver law firm where she spent 18 years primarily defending real estate professionals in state, federal, and administrative matters.
Bernadette joined White and Steele as Of Counsel in August 2024, and continues defending real estate professionals.
She holds the prestigious AV® Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been featured in A.M. Best’s Recommended Insurance attorneys.
