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.
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.
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.
Morgan Nance is a dedicated advocate for her clients, guiding them through the entire litigation process with valuable counsel and expertise in various practice areas. She focuses her practice in the areas of auto/trucking law, construction defect litigation, medical malpractice/healthcare, personal injury and property damage, and product liability.
Morgan is a Wyoming native. Before joining White and Steele, Morgan earned her J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law, where she served as an Article Editor of the Wyoming Law Review, Volume 23. She also worked as a student attorney in the Civil Legal Services Clinic, representing indigent Wyoming residents. While in the Civil Clinic, Morgan received a favorable decision on her client’s adverse possession claim after conducting a two-day trial in Cody, Wyoming. Morgan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate and Investment Finance from Colorado State University.
Outside the office, Morgan enjoys skiing in the Rockies, traveling, and hiking.
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.
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.
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.
