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.
Adam Goldstein was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and grew up in Iowa and Florida. He attended the University of Florida, graduating with honors in 1995. Adam then attended the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where he graduated, cum laude, in 1998.
Adam began his professional practice in Michigan, then moved to Colorado in 2000 where he has practiced ever since. Adam specializes in civil litigation, including products liability, auto/truck liability, personal injury, wrongful death, construction defect, association/HOA and general commercial liability. Adam has tried multiple cases and has extensive lead counsel experience handling all aspects of civil litigation in Colorado and Wyoming state and federal courts.
Nick focuses on defending corporate entities and individuals in personal injury, wrongful death, breach of contract, commercial trucking, construction defect, and product liability lawsuits. He also represents insurance companies in insurance coverage disputes, which often include bad faith claims, and advises carriers on pre-suit claims handling and coverage. With regard to insurance coverage, Nick has analyzed and litigated coverage under commercial general liability, builder’s risk, automobile, uninsured/underinsured motorist, disability, business owners, commercial property, and homeowner’s policies. He practices primarily in the areas of insurance defense, bad faith litigation, and insurance coverage.
Nick is a Denver native. He graduated from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where he earned a B.A. in English. Nick attended the University of South Carolina School of Law on a merit scholarship, graduating in 2011. He was admitted to the Colorado Bar in 2011 and the Wyoming Bar in 2012. Prior to joining White and Steele, Nick practiced at a boutique insurance defense firm in Denver for over seven years.
Nick served on the City Park Jazz Board of Directors from 2012 through 2018. He was a member of the Executive Committee and served as Vice President from 2013 through 2018.
Chris’s practice focuses primarily on workers’ compensation defense, aiding clients in all phases of a claim from inception to resolution. Chris’s philosophy is to optimize claim handling strategy, and implement that strategy while also effectively communicating with clients throughout the process. Prior to joining White and Steele, Chris worked as in-house counsel and as a NHLPA certified agent, maximizing client rights under the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, and comprehensively engaging in contract negotiations for clients. Chris is a former youth hockey coach as well, and in his free time, he enjoys playing golf, exercising and traveling.
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. He currently serves 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.
John C. Matthews was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey and has lived in Baltimore, New York City, and Miami. He and his wife, Jessica, and their son Wyatt, currently live in Lone Tree, Colorado.
John joined White and Steele as Of Counsel in 2020 and was promoted to Officer in 2022. Prior to that time, John was a litigation partner in the Miami office of a national law firm. Before that, he worked in Manhattan and Miami as an associate for two national law firms. John has represented clients in high-stakes litigation across the country involving issues such as the theft of trade secrets, breaches of commercial contracts, patent infringement, and insurance-related disputes. He counsels alternative and traditional lenders, investment advisors, manufacturers, and real estate professionals on matters ranging from active litigations to risk mitigation. John also regularly handles claims brought under federal and state RICO statutes and 42 U.S.C. 1983, as well as claims brought against institutions that offer services to minors and developmentally challenged individuals.
John is admitted to the state courts of Colorado, New York, and Florida. He is also admitted to practice in the Southern District of New York, the Eastern District of New York, the Southern District of Florida, the Eastern District of Florida, and the District of Colorado. In his spare time, John enjoys spending time with his family, traveling to Baltimore for Ravens games, and working on his third legal thriller novel.
Julie Noonan was born in Hartley, Iowa. She attended Iowa State University where she obtained a B.B.A in Finance in 1988. Julie then attended Creighton University School of Law where she obtained her juris doctorate in 1992.
Julie began her professional practice in Chicago and then moved to Colorado in 1997. Julie specializes in civil litigation, including product liability, auto/truck liability, premises liability, real estate disputes and general commercial litigation. She has significant first chair trial experience and has tried over thirty jury trials to verdict in state and federal courts in Colorado, Nebraska and Illinois.
In her free time, she likes to ski, golf and travel.
Keith R. Olivera became associated with White and Steele in January 1995 and was named a shareholder in December 2003. He is currently one of the managing shareholders of the firm. His practice involves insurance defense litigation, including claims/cases involving uninsured/underinsured coverage, statutory delay, bad faith, auto liability, homeowners´ liability, commercial liability disputes and ski litigation. As both lead counsel and local counsel, Keith has defended numerous class action cases involving automobile insurance coverage issues and Colorado law.
Keith provides in-house seminars to insurance carriers regarding major changes in Colorado law affecting automobile insurance carriers.
He has been involved in a number of cases defending ski areas, ski area employees and individual skiers as defendants. Keith has been a member of the volunteer ski patrol at Winter Park Resort for over 30 years and has also received a National Appointment from the National Ski Patrol.
Doug W. Poling was born in Denver, Colorado and grew up in Broomfield. He attended the University of Colorado at Boulder on the Eisenhower-Evans Scholarship, earning his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and English. Doug obtained his Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law.
Doug began his law practice in 1991 with a personal injury firm in Denver where he represented clients in a wide array of accident-related claims and litigation. In 2000 he accepted a position as in-house defense counsel for a Fortune 100 insurance company. Since then, Doug has exclusively practiced insurance defense law with emphasis in the areas of personal injury, commercial liability, automobile and trucking accidents, premises liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, and wrongful death. Doug has tried several cases to verdict in state and federal courts in Colorado.