Steve Pate has been a partner since 1994 in the firm's Houston office, and is the Chair of the firm's Insurance Litigation Practice Group. He focuses his litigation practice on construction litigation, first-party insurance litigation, commercial coverage litigation, fraud, extracontractual and insurance litigation.

Before joining the firm, Steve served as law clerk to Judge Joe J. Fisher, U.S. District Court.

• Elected member, American Law Institute
• American Board of Trial Advocates
• Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, Vice President
  • Property Insurance Section, past Chair
  • Federation Historian
• American Bar Association
  • Property Insurance Committee of the Tort and Insurance Practice Section, past Chair
• Texas Young Lawyers Association, former Director
• Houston Young Lawyers Association, former Director
• Defense Research Institute
• Texas Association of Defense Counsel
• American Bar Foundation, Fellow
• Texas Bar Foundations, Fellow
• Houston Bar Foundation, Fellow
• The University of Houston Law School, Adjunct Professor in Trial Advocacy

• "Texas Top Rated Lawyer," LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell (2012 - 2013)
• Expert Guides - Guide to the World's Leading Insurance & Reinsurance Lawyers (2011, 2013)
• "Joseph R. Olshan Award," Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (2007)
• Who's Who Legal, Top Texas Insurance Practitioners (2007 - 2008)
• Chamber's Guide to Leading American Lawyers
• The Best Lawyers in America
• "Texas Super Lawyers," Insurance Law, Thomson Reuters (2006 - 2012)
• "John S. Appleman Award," Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (2004)
• Who's Who in the World
• Who's Who in America
• Who's Who in American Law
• Who's Who in the South and Southwest

• Inside the Minds: Strategies for Structuring Insurance Disaster Coverage, Aspatore Books, 2009
• Co-author, The Property Insurance Litigators Handbook, ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, 2007
• Co-author, Toxic Mold Litigation, Lawyers & Judges Publishing Co., 2005

Steve has spoken on property insurance issues at seminars presented by the American Bar Association National Institutes, the Defense Research Institute, the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel, and the Mealy's Company.  He also speaks on bad faith issues at professional associations.

1983 - J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School
1980 - B.A., magna cum laude, History, Vanderbilt University

While in law school, Steve was Research Editor for the Vanderbilt Journal. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was admitted in 1984 to practice law in Texas.

When not practicing law, Steve enjoys participating in historical preservation organizations and traveling to historic sites. As an avid outdoorsmen he has completed four marathons, participated in archeological digs and enjoys hunting and fishing.   

• Texas

• Paul Carrington Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, past President
  • Silver Patriots Award winner
• Society of Colonial Wars, past Chancellor
• Sons of the Republic of Texas